May 2016 activity report
Our Executive Director with representatives of the Reynoldsburg, Upper Arlington and Grove City police forces at the 2016 Central Ohio Ride of Silence.
Welcome to the monthly feature in which we round up all our events, earned media, program delivery, meetings and speaking engagements for the month. Representation and outreach like this is what you fund with your membership dollars and major gifts, folks! Behold, May:
May 2
Yay Valet! meeting with Troy Euton, Director of Parks & Recreation, City of Gahanna
Regular meeting of MORPC's Community Advisory Council, on which our Executive Director serves
May 3
Accidental Wanderlust: Saddle Up for 30 Incredible Days of Biking
May 4
Ohio Active Transportation Plan meeting
May 5
Columbus Underground: Planning Underway for Downtown Bike Hub at Front and Long
Columbus Underground: Moving Away but Leaving a Legacy – Denis de Verteuil
May 6
MOPRC Annual State of the Region luncheon
May 7
Pinchflat Bike Poster Show + bike raffle opening day @ Paradise Garage
May 10
Year of Yay! route vetting ride
May 11
Meeting with City of Columbus officials to discuss bike hub
Introductory meeting with AAA Ohio to discuss bicycling services and marketing
Meeting with Mark Klein, Principal, MKSK, who designed Dayton's bike hub, to discuss Columbus' proposed bike hub
Regular board meeting of the Downtown Residents Association of Columbus, on which our Executive Director serves
May 12
Regular meeting of the Columbus Green Team, at which Catherine Girves, our Executive Director was appointed Chair (!!)
May 13
Scoping meeting with the Ohio Department of Transportation and Ohio Department of Health for statewide mode shift campaign
Meeting to discuss plans for Tour de Brew
May 14
Year of Yay! ride with MURALS theme
May 15
Meeting to discuss bike hub security solutions with Glenn Mueller, City of Columbus Security Manager, Department of Finance & Management
May 16
Smart City Challenge Roundtable with USDOT Secretary Anthony Foxx & City of Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther, among others
Meeting to discuss bike hub security solutions with Homeport's Director of Security
Yay Bikes! board meeting
May 17
May 18
Annual membership meeting of Community Shares of Mid Ohio
WOSU Public Media: Columbus Cyclists Ride Silently for Road Safety
May 19
Bike the Cbus planning meeting
May 20
Bike to Work Day Dayton pancake breakfast celebration, plus meeting with Five Rivers MetroParks bike hub operators
Columbus' Bike to Work Day celebration
Yay Valet! at Columbus' Bike to Work Day celebration
May 24
Submitted application to Create Columbus Commission for a new Winter Night Rides series
May 25
Ohio Active Transportation Plan meeting
Regular meeting of the City of Columbus Bicycle Working Group, on which our Executive Director serves
May 26
Regular meeting of the Columbus Green Team Built Environment & Transportation Infrastructure working group
May 28
Heritage Cycles Grand Opening
May 31
Pinchflat bike raffle drawing @ Lineage Brewing
Our Executive Director speaking as a panelist on the "Get up to Speed on Ohio Transportation" panel hosted by Franklin County Young Dems and Upper Arlington Progressive Action alongside Elissa Snider of Transit Columbus and JM Rayburn of the City of Dublin
April 2016 activity report
Catherine joins Steve Magas, the Ohio Bike Lawyer, and James Young of the Columbus Public Service Department to talk bikes on WOSU's Ann Fisher Show.
Welcome to the monthly feature in which we round up all our events, earned media, program delivery, meetings and speaking engagements for the month. Representation and outreach like this is what you fund with your membership dollars and major gifts, folks! Behold, April:
April 1
Ride of Silence wine tasting fundraiser with John the Wine Guy
April 4
Regular meeting of MORPC’s Community Advisory Council, on which Catherine serves
Ride of Silence planning meeting
April 5–7
Safe Routes to School National Conference
Delivered the presentation: "Are we at a tipping point? Learn how data can keep us there.", with Seth LaJeunesse, National Center for SRTS
Led a professional development ride workshop with 20 attendees from around the country that combined urban bike tourism with instruction on how to deliver on-road education
Participated in "Ride with a cop" workshop with Hilliard police officer Ron Burkitt
April 7
This Week Community News: "City to begin downtown street resurfacing project"
All Sides with Ann Fisher: "Cycling in Ohio"
April 8
Meeting with the new City of Columbus Director of Public Service, Jennifer Gallagher
April 9
Year of Yay! ride with "Earth Day" theme
Yay Bikes! fundraiser at Lineage Brewing—ride cancelled :(
April 11
Ride of Silence happy hour fundraiser at Hills Market Downtown
April 12
How We Roll ride with OSU City & Regional Planning graduate students
April 13
Meeting with Dero Bike Racks representative to discuss becoming a local distributor
Regular board meeting of the Downtown Residents Association of Columbus, on which Catherine serves
April 14
Bike the Cbus planning meeting
Smart City meeting with US Department of Transportation
April 16
Pedal Instead at OSU Spring Game
April 18
Yay Bikes! board meeting
April 19
Meeting with Pam O'Grady, Director, Government Affairs, and Kimber Perfect, Deputy Chief of Staff for Communications, for the City of Columbus Office of Mayor Andrew Ginther
April 20
Meeting with Chillicothe Mayor Luke Feeny and Nick Tepe, Director, Chillicothe and Ross County Public Library
Regular public meeting of the Downtown Residents Association of Columbus, on which Catherine serves
April 21
Connect Columbus community advisory meeting
Bike the Cbus planning meeting
Presentation to OPAL (Olentangy, Powell and Liberty Trails)
April 23
Pedal Instead at Columbus Earth Day
Week of April 25
Placing of Ride of Silence "ghost bikes" throughout Columbus
April 27
Columbus Metropolitan Club presentation: "Bicycle Power: On the Path to Bikes"
Regular meeting of the Central Ohio Greenways board, on which Catherine serves
Regular meeting of the City of Columbus' Bicycle Working Group, on which Catherine serves
April 28
Regular meeting of the City of Columbus Green Team Built Environment & Infrastructure Committee, on which Catherine serves
Ride of Silence planning meeting
March 2016 activity report
Yay Bikes! rides with the Columbus Department of Public Service to provide feedback on proposed bicycle infrastructure in the Sullivant Ave / Georgesville Road area.
Welcome to the monthly feature in which we round up all our events, earned media, program delivery, meetings and speaking engagements for the month. Representation and outreach like this is what you fund with your membership dollars and major gifts, folks! Behold, March:
March 1
Meeting with Ashley Davis, Caitlin Harley and Bridgette Kidd at Ohio Department of Health to discuss active commutes for state employees
March 2
City of Bexley's Broad Street Streetscaping Design Meeting
March 3
Bike the Cbus planning meeting
March 6
Columbus Underground: "Yay Bikes Hoping to Continue Successful Ride Buddy Program"
March 7–10
Presentation and attendance at the League of American Bicyclist's National Bike Summit; tours of the NPR and World Bank bike rooms; and meetings with Senator Portman and the offices of Senator Brown and Representatives Beatty, Jordan, Fudge and Tiberi
March 8
This Week News: "Road work to begin soon, may include medians"
March 10
Tabling at Battelle Bike Expo
March 11
Ride with City of Columbus Department of Public Service to discuss proposed designs of bikeways near Sullivant Ave and Georgesville Road
March 12
Year of Yay! ride with "Chickens" theme
March 13
Tabling at Ohio Bicycle Swap Meet
March 14
Ride of Silence planning meeting
March 15
Advisory Committee Meeting for the Worthington Hills extension of the Olentangy Trail
March 16
City of Bexley's Broad Street Streetscaping Design Meeting
March 17
Bike the Cbus planning meeting
March 18
Press conference celebrating 1 million COTA Cbus trips
March 21
Yay Bikes! board meeting
March 24
Pinchflat planning meeting
March 27
Vetting a route for the Safe Routes to School National Conference ride
Columbus Dispatch: "Warm weather brings out bike-path safety warning"
March 28
Franklin County Consortium for Good Government meeting
Columbus Dispatch: "CoGo bike-share program getting new sites, higher prices"
March 29
Training on how to use the OSU Bike Share System
Bexley City Council meeting with discussion on sharrows
March 31
Bike the Cbus planning meeting
How We Roll OSU ride
February 2016 activity report
Bexley considers bikeways, with a presentation by Mayor Ben Kessler. Photo credit: Catherine Girves
Welcome to the monthly feature in which we round up all our events, earned media, program delivery, meetings and speaking engagements for the month. Representation and outreach like this is what you fund with your membership dollars and major gifts, folks! Behold, February:
February 2
"Inspired to Ride" film screening at Drexel East
February 3
Attended the City of Bexley's Broad Street Streetscaping Design Meeting
Meeting with Emily Monnig of Paradise Garage regarding the Pinchflat Poster Show
Meeting with Caitlin Harley of the Ohio Department of Health to discuss mode shift strategies for the statewide active transportation plan
February 5
Meeting with Ryan Edwards of United Way of Central Ohio to discuss ways to improve transportation options for low-income residents
February 7
Year of Yay! route vetting ride
February 8
Meeting with Bill Gordon of Columbus Outdoor Pursuits regarding Bike Hub and Ride of Silence
Regular meeting of the CoGo Bike Share Stakeholder Group
Ride of Silence planning meeting
February 11
Bike the Cbus planning meeting
Meeting of the City of Columbus' Green Team
Phone call regarding year-round riding with Winter Bike Congress speaker and Yay Bikes! member Juana Sandoval
February 13
Year of Yay! ride with "Some like it HOT" theme, featuring stops at L.L.Bean and REI
February 14
Columbus Dispatch: "Repaving to clog 2 Downtown Columbus arteries this spring"
February 15
Yay Bikes! board meeting
February 16
Meeting of the Ohio Active Transportation Plan Group, with Ride Buddy presentation by Catherine Girves
February 17
Bike corral demo with redesign team
Attended City of Bexley's Broad Street Streetscaping Design Meeting
General (public) meeting of the Downtown Residents Association of Columbus, on which Catherine serves
February 18
Meeting with Tour de Brew regarding possible partnership
February 25
Meeting with Andrew Campbell of the Columbus Metropolitan Club regarding a panel on biking for transportation
Attended the Broad Street Public Improvements Workshop
February 29
Yay Bikes! board strategic planning meeting
January 2016 activity report
Bike hub research took us to Indianapolis for the day!
Welcome to the monthly feature in which we round up all our events, earned media, program delivery, meetings and speaking engagements for the month. Representation and outreach like this is what you fund with your membership dollars and major gifts, folks! Behold, January:
Jan 2
Monthly Year of Yay! route vetting ride
Jan 3
Meeting with architect Kay Bea Jones to discuss possible layouts for a downtown Columbus Bike Hub
Jan 5
Meeting with the City of Columbus Bike Hub team and architects to discuss possible facilities and space layout
Introductory meeting with Lorrie Laing @ Cambridge Systematics Inc to explore Ride Buddy funding opportunities
Jan 6
Meeting with Bexley leadership to explore options for Broad Street improvements
CityScene: A Bicycle Built for 2 (Million)
Jan 7
Meeting with Lisa Minklei @ Homeport about offering How We Roll rides at a new affordable housing facility
Meeting with YMCA leadership regarding a potential Bike Hub partnership
Jan 8
Travel to Indianapolis to visit INDY Bike Hub YMCA and meet with its leadership.
Meeting with INDYCOG Executive Director Kevin Whited
Columbus Underground: Tips for Winter Bike Riding
Jan 9
Year of Yay! ride, “Taking” theme
Jan 11
Ride of Silence planning meeting
Jan 12
SubCommittee meeting of the United Way of Central Ohio’s Home Impact Council to discuss Kiva Columbus proposal
Meeting @ MORPC to discuss the possibility for a regional bike share
Meeting of MORPC's Active Transportation Plan Stakeholder group
This Week Community News: Bike shop wins contest, YAY Bikes! benefits
Jan 18
Monthly Yay Bikes! board meeting
Jan 20
Meeting with Denis de Verteuil about this year’s Pinchflat poster show
Jan 21
Meeting with Slagle Design about the Pedal Instead redesign project
Jan 22
Meeting of the Ohio Active Transportation Plan group
Jan 24
Training for Year of Yay! volunteer ride leadership
Jan 25–27
Travel to Washington DC to visit Bikestation Washington DC
Jan 28
Regular meeting of the Central Ohio Greenways Board Program Committee
Regular meeting of the Central Ohio Greenways Board
Jan 29
Travel to Cincinnati to visit the Cincinnati Bike Center
December 2015 activity report
City of Columbus officials and Yay Bikes! volunteers at the official launch of Columbus' first protected bike lanes.
Welcome to the monthly feature in which we round up all our events, earned media, program delivery, meetings and speaking engagements for the month. Representation and outreach like this is what you fund with your membership dollars and major gifts, folks! Behold, December:
December 2
Regular meeting of the Safe Routes to School National Conference Program Committee
Exploratory meeting with a representative of Adventure Cycling about participation in National Bike Travel Weekend
December 3
Led a meeting and ride for the Knight Foundation and an exploratory committee from the Akron area to showcase why Columbus is a cool bike city
Official ride with Columbus City Councilman Shannon Hardin opening the bike lanes on Summit/3rd and Fourth Streets
Attended the 11th Annual Statewide Tribute to Rosa Parks, offered by COTA, The Ohio State University and Congresswoman Joyce Beatty
The Lantern: "Protected bike lanes open along Summit Avenue"
December 5
Spoke about the movie "Bikes vs Cars" and bicycle infrastructure at Paradise Garage's Holiday Hop Party
December 8
Inaugural meeting of ODOT's Statewide Active Transportation Team
Regular meeting of COTA's NextGen Advisory Group
Conversation with staff at Paradise Garage regarding new Columbus infrastructure
December 10
Quarterly meeting of Columbus' Chronic Disease Prevention Advisory Board
December 12
Year of Yay! with "Giving" theme featuring stops at the Lutheran Social Services West Side Food Pantry and WCMH NCB4 studios "Firefighters for Kids" toy drive
December 13
The Columbus Dispatch: "New bike lanes causing confusion north of Downtown"
December 14
Ride of Silence planning meeting
December 16
General (public) meeting of the Downtown Residents Association of Columbus, on which Catherine serves
Board meeting of the Central Ohio Greenways Board
December 21
Regular monthly board meeting of Yay Bikes!
Kick-off meeting with the City of Columbus to explore the possibility of a Downtown Bike Hub
December 22
Meeting with the Fitness Loft to discuss considerations for operating a shower/locker space
Streetsblog USA: "Vote for the Best Urban Street Transformation of 2015"
December 25
Columbus Underground: "Best Nonprofits in Columbus"
November 2015 activity report
Welcome to the monthly feature in which we round up all our events, earned media, program delivery, meetings and speaking engagements for the month. Representation and outreach like this is what you fund with your membership dollars and major gifts, folks! Behold, November:
November 2
Regular meeting of MORPC’s Community Advisory Council, on which Catherine serves
November 4
Inaugural meeting of the Safe Routes to School National Conference Program Committee, on which Catherine serves
November 5
Regular meeting of the Mayor's Green Team Transportation Committee, on which Catherine serves
Connect Columbus "Tactical Urbanism" event featuring temporary protected bike lanes
November 6
Columbus Dispatch: "Columbus experiments with protected bike lanes"
Ride with City of Columbus engineers and other officials to preview Summit and 4th Street's new protected bike lanes and provide feedback
November 7
Pedal Instead @ OSU v Minnesota
November 9
Meeting with MORPC's RideSolutions staff to discuss the future of our Ride Buddies program
November 10
Inaugural meeting with Olentangy Paddles to discuss potential partnerships
Scioto Greenways Grand Opening
November 11
Board meeting of the Downtown Residents Association of Columbus, on which Catherine serves
November 12
Program Committee meeting of the Central Ohio Greenways Board
November 14
Year of Yay! with "Biology Class" theme featuring stops at the Wilma H. Schiermeier Olentangy River Wetland Research Park,Café Briosoand Grange Insurance Audubon Center
November 16
Regular monthly board meeting of Yay Bikes!
Lantern TV: "Ohio State off-campus area home to first protected bike lane"
November 17
Inaugural meeting of Central Ohio's active transportation leadership to assess overlapping interests and explore coalition building
November 18
Inaugural meeting with Caitlin Harley of the Ohio Department of Health to discuss mode shift and the state's healthy community plan
General (public) meeting of the Downtown Residents Association of Columbus, on which Catherine serves
Board meeting of the Central Ohio Greenways Board
Annual Membership Meeting for Community Shares of Mid Ohio, featuring workshops "Social Media 101" and "Fundraising is an Art, Not a Science"
November 19
Tabling at the annual meeting of Downtown Capital Crossroads SID
November 21
Pedal Instead @ OSU v Michigan State
November 24
2015 National Philanthropy Day awards luncheon
Ride with City of Columbus engineers and other officials to preview Summit and 4th Street's new protected bike lanes and provide feedback
November 29
Olde Worthington Partnership "It's a Wonderful Window Contest" Open House with RIDEhome's Yay Bikes! entry
November 30
Regular meeting of MORPC’s Community Advisory Council, on which Catherine serves
October 2015 activity report
Welcome to the monthly feature in which we round up all our events, earned media, program delivery, meetings and speaking engagements for the month. Representation and outreach like this is what you fund with your membership dollars and major gifts, folks! Behold, October:
October 2
Two presentations at MORPC's Summit on Sustainability: "Safer Streets & More Trails for a Healthier, More Active Region", Yay Bikes! Director Catherine Girves with Jordan Whisler of MORPC, Darren Hurley of the City of Worthington and Kjirsten Frank Hoppe of MVRPC; and "Driving by Yourself is Lame; We Give SOV a Bad Name", Yay Bikes! Director Catherine Girves with Cleve Ricksecker of Capital Crossroads SID and Bilin Aksun Guvenc of OSU
October 7
Presentation at WTS Fall Luncheon: "All About Biking", Yay Bikes! Director Catherine Girves with Tony Collins of City of Columbus, Beth Snoke of OSU, Letty Schamp of City of Hillard, and Thea Walsh of MORPC
Route vetting ride for October's Year of Yay!
October 8
Regular meeting of Mayor Coleman's Green Team
October 10
Year of Yay! with "Get out the vote!" theme featuring stops at Upper Arlington Municipal Services Center,Franklin County Board of Electionsand the Bosco Center
Pedal Instead @ OSU v Maryland
October 12
Tiffany Dixon hired as Yay Bikes! Marketing & Communications Manager
Ride of Silence planning meeting
October 14
Board meeting of the Downtown Residents Association of Columbus, on which Catherine serves
October 17
Pedal Instead @ OSU v Penn State
October 18
Pedal Instead @ Columbus Marathon
October 19
Regular monthly Board Meeting of Yay Bikes!
October 20
Co-sponsored a Candidates Forum with DRAC and Franklin County Consortium for Good Government featuring 6 candidates for Franklin County Municipal Court Judge and 9 candidates for Columbus City Council
October 21
Program Committee meeting of the Central Ohio Greenways Board, on which Catherine serves
Presentation for OSU City & Regional Planning graduate seminar
Strategic Planning Board Meeting of Yay Bikes!
October 23
Ride of Silence fundraiser @ Highball Halloween
October 24
Ride of Silence fundraiser @ Highball Halloween
October 26
Ride Buddy ride with new Yay Bikes! employee
October 27
Presentation at Ohio Transportation Engineers Conference (OTEC): "Case Study: 4th and Summit Streets", Yay Bikes! Director Catherine Girves with Eric Lowery & Brian Hagerty of Stantec and Daniel Morehead & Richard Ortman of City of Columbus
WTS Meet & Greet event
October 28
OTEC, Day 2
Pedal Instead redesign meeting
September 2015 activity report
Welcome to the monthly feature in which we round up all our events, earned media, program delivery, meetings and speaking engagements for the month. Representation and outreach like this is what you fund with your membership dollars and major gifts, folks! Behold, September:
September 2
Bread Breaking grand opening event at Whole Foods Easton, at which we were announced as the Q4 wooden nickel donation recipients
Launch event for OSU's Bike Share program
September 4
Registration and packet pick-up Bike the Cbus and Bike the Cbus+
Columbus Dispatch: "Columbus hopeful for state funds to rebuild 3rd Avenue railroad bridge"
September 5
WBNS 10-TV: "Best Bets: Things To Do Around Central Ohio This Weekend"
Bike the Cbus and Bike the Cbus+
Pedal Instead @ Bike the Cbus and Bike the Cbus+
September 7
Pedal Instead @ Upper Arlington Labor Day Arts Festival
September 9
Bikeway Design Planning: State of the Practice, sponsored by ODOT
Board meeting of the Downtown Residents Association of Columbus, on which Catherine serves
Route vetting ride for September Year of Yay!
September 12
Year of Yay!with "Architectouring" theme featuring stops at Columbus Architectural Salvage,MAPFREStadium and Ohio Firefighters Union Hall
Pedal Instead @ OSU v Hawaii
September 15
Introductory meeting with local leadership of Black Girls Do Bike
Ride Buddy ride with Owens & Minor employee
September 16
General (public) meeting of the Downtown Residents Association of Columbus, on which Catherine serves
September 17
Regular meeting of the COTANextGen Project Advisory Group, on which Catherine serves
September 18
Regular meeting of the CoGo Planning Team
Business First: "People to Know: Catherine Girves"
September 19
Pedal Instead @ OSU v Northern Illinois
September 21
Ride Buddy with Ohio Attorney General Office employee
Regular monthly Board Meeting of Yay Bikes!
September 26
Pedal Instead @ OSU v Western Michigan
September 28
Introductory meeting with the State of New Jersey DOT's Bike–Ped Coordinator
Regular meeting of MORPC’s Community Advisory Council, on which Catherine serves
September 29
Safe Routes to School Ohio Network: "Workplace Commute" webinar
September 30
Regular meeting of Columbus’s Bicycle Working Group, on which Catherine serves
August 2015 activity report
Welcome to the monthly feature in which we round up all our events, earned media, program delivery, meetings and speaking engagements for the month. Representation and outreach like this is what you fund with your membership dollars and major gifts, folks! Behold, August:
August 1
Ohio State Fair helmet fit for 400 children
August 3
Wrap meeting for the 2015Ride of Silence planning committee
August 4
Leading the 5th x NW National Night Out neighborhoodride
August 5
Route vetting ride for Bike the Cbus
August 6
Participation in 'The Courage toLead'@ Columbus Foundation, a professional development opportunityfor select local nonprofit executives
August 8
Year of Yay! "Food Incubators" ride featuring stops at Food Fort, OH! Chips and The Commissary
August 9
Ride Buddy ride with Grange employee
August 10
Board meeting of the Franklin County Consortium for Good Government, on which Catherine serves
August 12
Pedal Instead redesign planning meeting
Board meeting of the Downtown Residents Association of Columbus, on which Catherine serves
August 17
Regular monthly board meeting of Yay Bikes!
August 19
General (public) meeting of the Downtown Residents Association of Columbus, on which Catherine serves
August 22
Grove City's "Bike With Mayor Ike" Ride
Pedal Instead @ Grove City EcoFest
August 26
This Week Community News: "City launches green EcoFest"
Regular meeting of the Central Ohio Greenways Board, on which Catherine serves
Final regular meeting of the Blueprint Columbus Community Advisory Panel
August 29
Final route vetting & VIP volunteer ride for Bike the Cbus
August 30
Board meeting for Franklin County Consortium for Good Government, on which Catherine serves
August 31
Regular meeting of MORPC’s Community Advisory Council, on which Catherine serves
How advocacy gets done, Yay Bikes!-style
During the past 6 weeks we have led more than 40 transportation planning and design professionals -- via the Connect Columbus project and MORPC-funded professional development rides with Columbus Public Service, MORPC and ODOT employees -- on educational rides throughout the city, in groups of 1 to 5 people You read that right. MORE THAN 40 TRANSPORTATION PROFESSIONALS.
And over and over, we've heard how the experience of riding with us has helped participants reconsider their approach to infrastructure design, as well as how they've been inspired to make these rides standard operating procedure for all transportation professionals, both locally and throughout the state. Here's just a taste of the feedback we received:
"[My favorite part of the ride was]...being able to see the integration between the designs on paper, the cyclist themselves, and the driver interaction and how it all comes together. There are definitely eye opening things when riding out on the streets first hand and I would recommend all designers/operations people experience it to have that background knowledge."
Wow. See THIS is how infrastructure advocacy is done, folks. One intimate ride at a time, with the teams who determine what is designed and what is funded. Getting professionals out on bikes, making connections between designs on paper and the lived experience of bicycling -- well, it just makes all the difference. So this is what we do at Yay Bikes!. It's why we're unique.
It's also why we ask for your support. Because teaching people well takes something more than a brochure or a video or a list of tips. It takes a thoughtful, meaningful interaction that fosters learning and growth. Which is, admittedly, quite the investment of organizational resource -- but one that we can already see will prove long on returns for Ohio's bicycling community.
Follow the links to read more about our Connect Columbus and ODOT rides.
YB! leads professional development ride with ODOT safety team
On July 21, 2015, Yay Bikes! ride leaders Catherine Girves and Meredith Joy, along with trusty sweeps Steve Puhl Jr and Julie Walcoff, led a group of 8 Ohio Department of Transportation professionals on a tour of bicycle facilities on Columbus' South and East sides. This group represented the Safety Team, aka the folks determining which safety projects -- including bicycle infrastructure projects -- throughout the state will receive funding. Most of them had ridden trails but not roads, and a couple hadn't ridden a bike since childhood, so this ride proved the first urban riding experience for our group.
Split into 2 groups of 4, the cyclists rode a challenging 10-mile (or 12-mile, if they were in the accidental wrong-way group!) route beginning at the Grange Audubon Center and hitting the following streets: Front, Main, Grant, Town, Parsons, Livingston, Ohio and Champion, Oak, Washington, Gay, Broad, 3rd, Fulton, High and Whittier. Along the way, they got to experience sharrows, bike lanes to nowhere, bike lanes in door zones, unmarked narrow lanes, freeway on- and off-ramps, multi-lane one-ways and more. As well as the overwhelming heat of the day and, of course, the typical sights, smells & sounds that make bicycling so damn lovely. Everyone was heroic! Everyone was also very very hungry when we sat down to share our delicious post-ride meal at El Arepazo.
Here's some of our early feedback from the ride:
What was your favorite part of the ride?
Trying the different bicycle treatments like the sharrows, the bike lanes and bike boulevard to see how each performed.
...being able to see the integration between the designs on paper, the cyclist themselves, and the driver interaction and how it all comes together. There are definitely eye opening things when riding out on the streets first hand and would recommend all designers/operations people to experience it first hand to have that background knowledge.
Stopping periodically to discuss various aspects of the ride. It helped solidify or reinforce important design and riding concepts in my mind.
What did you learn?
I learned there is a huge difference between a good designed bike lane or facility and one that is just thrown in last minute to a project to make it a complete street ... The narrow bike lanes, especially next to parked cars, was a huge eye opener. Also, understanding why the rider must own the lane for their safety was an eye opener on the City streets. Most of my bike riding experience has come on the bike trails or residential streets.
Was there anything different than what you expected?
I felt way more comfortable riding through downtown and the various other streets than I thought that I would.
It was a lot less scary than I thought it would be.
I didn't expect to feel so comfortable riding downtown streets. I think it helped that we rode as a group with a calm, experienced ride leader.
We at Yay Bikes! are honored to have hosted such a thoughtful group of professionals on this ride, and look forward to more such rides with professionals throughout the state. Thanks to ODOT (and let's not forget MORPC!) for investing in these training opportunities.
Out & About with Yay Bikes! — July 2015
Welcome to the monthly feature in which we round up all our events, earned media, program delivery, meetings and speaking engagements for the month. Representation and outreach like this is what you fund with your membership dollars and major gifts, folks! Behold, July:
July 1
How We Roll Pelotonia ride with reporter Steve Wartenberg
Pedal Instead redesign planning meeting
July 2
Regular meeting of Mayor Coleman’s Green Team, on which Catherine serves
Meeting re: National Night Out with 5th x Northwest Commission Chair Becky Obester
July 4
Doo Dah Parade with "Mellow Max" theme
July 8
Presentation on bicycle commuting for the Rotary Club of Dublin Worthington
Guest at Transit Columbus' Board Meeting
Regular board meeting of the Downtown Residents Association of Columbus, on which Catherine serves
July 10
Pelotonia blog post: "Two Ways to Become a Road Scholar"
Pedal Instead at the Mayor's Twilight Ride
July 11
Year of Yay!with "Cooling It" theme featuring stops at Byrd Polar Research Center, Graeter's Ice Cream and Zauber Brewing Company
July 12
Pedal Instead @ "Bike to the Ballpark", sponsored by Kenda Tires
July 14
How We Roll Pelotonia ride
July 15
WTS Columbus Ice Cream Social networking event
General (public) meeting of the Downtown Residents Association of Columbus, on which Catherine serves
Pedal Instead redesign planning meeting
July 16
Ride Buddy ride with Whitehall City Schools employee
July 17
Connect Columbus ride of NE Columbus with transportation professionals and members of the general public
July 20
Regular monthly board meeting of Yay Bikes!
Meeting with the City of Columbus' Bicycle & Safe Routes to School Coordinators
July 21
Professional development ride with members of the Ohio Department of Transportation's safety funding team
July 22
Regular meeting of the Blueprint Columbus Community Advisory Panel
July 23
Regular meeting of the COTANextGen Project Advisory Group, on which Catherine serves
July 28
Attendance at MORPC’s Regional Education Forum
How We Roll Pelotonia ride
July 29
Inaugural meeting of the Central Ohio Greenways Board, on which Catherine serves
Introductory meeting with Bike Miami Valley
Regular meeting of Columbus’s Bicycle Working Group, on which Catherine serves
Bike the Cbus planning meeting
Pedal Instead redesign planning meeting
July 30
Professional development ride with MORPC employees
Team Buckeye Biker Bash tabling event
Connect Columbus process includes bicycle tour of NE Columbus
One of four groups prior to the ride.
Twenty-six people gathered to explore and learn to ride the roads of the Northland neighborhoods by bike on Friday, July 17, 2015, as part of the third Connect Columbus public input process. Some were transportation planners and engineers. Some were members of the general public. Some were experienced bicyclists learning to navigate roads they have not felt safe navigating on their own. Some were well trained Yay Bikes! leaders and sweeps, there to facilitate a moment of experiential learning. It was a blast!
We started at the Franklin County Board of Elections at 1700 Morse Road where our eight ride leaders and sweeps divided everyone into small groups. Each team of Yay Bikes! How We Roll ride leaders started by sharing rules of the road for bicyclists and teaching participants the importance of being visible and predictable when riding roads. Team leaders explained that in How We Roll rides participants travel single file in small groups riding the roads silently. Our goal is to help create an experience where small group instruction happens, and participants encounter something similar to riding roads alone.
Each How We Roll ride teaches participants to ride roads safely, but also includes an additional component that is of interest to the group. Our secondary focus on this ride was bicycle infrastructure, what works, what doesn't work, and why. We traveled over well placed bicycle infrastructure, confusing bicycle infrastructure, and well intended but dangerous infrastructure. We traveled roads that had no bike infrastructure that were perfectly pleasant ones that were a bit more scary. We traveled well paved roads with clear markings and roads that desperately needed resurfacing – experiencing first hand that a good road surface is an absolutely key component of a bike friendly community.
While traveling we heard bird song and children playing. While stopped at a red light, we saw and talked to giggling young adults in a car with a baby kitten in a basket. We smelled pizza cooking and the body lotion of a pedestrian passing us. We felt air temperature fall on Maize Road as the trees breathed and the creek flowed, and felt it raise on Morse Road where nine lanes of asphalt baked in the afternoon sun.
At each of our six stops (one at the beginning, four on the road, and one at the end), well trained Yay Bikes! leaders and sweeps encouraged participants to describe what they noticed and how they felt. Our leaders shared resources and helped folks figure out how to have the best experience possible on any type of road. Our sweeps corrected people engaging in dangerous behaviors and watched as riders competence increased.
In 8.5 miles, we traveled through neighborhood streets, neighborhood arterials, and major arterials. We passed three Interstate 71 exit ramps and one entrance ramp. We needed to merge with car traffic several times on Karl, on Maize, and on Morse to get to our destination. We traveled a section of road that was nine travel lanes wide and included cars, trucks, motorcycles, COTA buses and people on bikes. On Morse Road, we left the bike lane and crossed four travel lanes to make a left to reach our final destination. We were bad asses!
Bad asses, just like every other person who lives in that neighborhood that doesn't own a car and has to figure out how to get to employment, school, the library, the grocer, the laundry mat, the recreation center, all the places people go in their daily lives.
We want thank the City of Columbus and the consults at Nelson Nygaurd who prioritized and resourced this experience, and CoGo for providing bikes to participants who did not have one. Yay Everyone!
Catherine Girves appointed to the new Central Ohio Greenways board
Cyclists ride a greenways trail. Photo source: planning-next.com
As of June 11, 2015, Catherine Girves has officially been appointed as a member of the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission (MORPC)'s Central Ohio Greenways (COG) Board. Her term will run through December 2016.
The COG Board will be a standing board on the Sustainability Advisory Committee that guides the economic and environmental sustainability activities of MORPC and its working groups. The board will provide input and direction on matters of regional importance as they pertain to trails in Central Ohio, addressing such topics as trail development, marketing, funding, education and programming. Its vision is to increase trails and trail usage for recreation and transportation.
Yay Catherine!
Out & About with Yay Bikes! — June 2015
Welcome to the monthly feature in which we round up all our events, earned media, program delivery, meetings and speaking engagements for the month. Representation and outreach like this is what you fund with your membership dollars and major gifts, folks! Behold, June:
June 1
Urban Cincy article: "Ohio Maintains Position as Nation's 16th Best State for Bicyclists"
Leading 3 How We Roll educational rides with OSU First Year Peer Leaders
Information session @ MORPC
Regular meeting of MORPC’s Community Advisory Council, on which Catherine serves
June 2
Ride Buddy a.m. commute with an Ohio Consumer Council employee
Ride Buddy p.m. commute with a MORPC employee
June 3
Ride Buddy a.m. commute with a Nationwide Children's Hospital employee
Ride Buddy p.m. commute with an NBBJ employee
June 4
Ride Buddy lunchtime ride with 3 Grange Insurance employees
Meeting with MORPC's Ride Solutions team
June 5
Leading 3 How We Roll educational rides with OSU First Year Peer Leaders
Yay Bikes! employee Steve Puhl Jr and super volunteer Shyra Allen earned League Cycling Instructor certification
June 6
Ride Buddy practice commute with a Nationwide Insurance employee
Ride Buddy practice commute with 2 Grange Insurance employees
June 8
Information Session @ Bricker & Eckler
June 9
Regular meeting of the CoGo Advisory Group
June 9
Ride Buddy p.m. ride with a Columbus Public Health employee
June 10
Ride Buddy lunchtime ride with 4 Ohio Board of Regents employees
Ride Buddy professional development ride with 4 City of Columbus Public Service employees
June 11
Regular meeting of Mayor Coleman's Green Team, on which Catherine serves
Ride Buddy professional development ride with a City of Columbus Public Service employee
Ride Buddy p.m. commute with a CoGo Bike Share employee
June 12
Ride Buddy a.m. commute with private attorney
Ride Buddy downtown tour with an ODOT and a MurphyEpson employee
Leading 2 How We Roll educational rides with OSU First Year Peer Leaders
June 13
Year of Yay! "Oddities" theme with stops at the Early Television Museum and Bill Moose Memorial
June 14
Ride Buddy practice commute with 2 Grange Insurance employees
June 15
Ride Buddy a.m./p.m. commutes with an Ohio History Connection employee
June 16
Ride Buddy a.m. commute with a City of Columbus Public Service employee
Pelotonia How We Roll ride with a Safelite Autoglass employee
June 17
Information session @ NBBJ
Board meeting of the Downtown Residents Association of Columbus, on which Catherine serves
June 18
Information session @ Stantec
Ride Buddy lunchtime ride with 4 Ohio Board of Regents employees
June 19
Information session @ Ohio History Connection
Pedal Instead @ Columbus PRIDE
June 20
Pedal Instead @ Columbus PRIDE
Pedal Instead @ Buckeye Country Superfest
June 21
Pedal Instead @ Buckeye Country Superfest
Pedal Instead @ Creekside Blues & Jazz Festival
Ride Buddy practice commute with a Grange Insurance employee
June 22
Business First article: "MORPC, Yay Bikes! launch Ride Buddy program to get more people to bike to work"
Ride Buddy a.m./p.m. commute with a COTA employee
Ride Buddy lunchtime ride with 2 Ohio Board of Regents employees
Yay Bikes! Board meeting
June 23
Attending MORPC's Regional Education Forum
Information session @ The Columbus Foundation
Ride Buddy downtown ride with an Ohio History Connection and an OSU Wexner Medical Center employee
Ride Buddy professional development ride with 3 City of Columbus Public Service employees
June 24
Information session @ Grange Insurance
Information session @ Capital Crossroads SID
Ride Buddy a.m. commute with a Bricker & Eckler employee
Bike the Cbus planning meeting
June 25
Ride Buddy east side ride with 3 Columbus State Community College employees
June 26
Pedal Instead @ ComFest
Ride Buddy a.m. commute with an Ulmer & Berne employee
Ride Buddy a.m. commute with 3 Bricker & Eckler employees
Ride Buddy lunchtime ride with 3 Ohio Board of Regents employees
June 27
Pedal Instead @ ComFest
Pedal Instead @ OhioHealth's Neuroscience Center Open House
June 28
Pedal Instead @ ComFest
June 29
Ride Buddy a.m. commute with a Mount Carmel College of Nursing employee
Ride Buddy p.m. commute and bike shopping with a MORPC employee
June 30
Presenting about Ride Buddies at the Central Ohio Greenways Forum
Information session @ Nationwide Insurance
Ride Buddy lunchtime ride with a Franklin County employee
Ride Buddy p.m. commute with a Franklin County employee
Out & About with Yay Bikes! — May 2015
Welcome to the feature in which we round up all our events, earned media, program delivery, meetings and speaking engagements from the previous month. Behold, May:
May 1 — Leading a How We Roll educational ride with Bexley's Mayor Kessler, Councilwoman Owen, Chief Rinehart & Service Director Dorman
May 2 — Presenting @ Bexley's Safety Education & Expo
May 2 — Pinchflat Bike Poster Show
May 4 — Fundraiser @ Lineage Brewing
May 6 — Delivering the safety speech @ North of Broad & Near East Side Neighborhood Pride community bike ride
May 6 — Meeting with Greg Lestini @ Bricker & Eckler LLP
May 7 — Regular meeting of Mayor Coleman's Green Team, Transportation Committee, on which Catherine serves
May 7 — Planning meeting for Central Ohio's 2015 Ride of Silence
May 9 — Year of Yay!ride
May 12 — Columbus Dispatch article: "Annual Ride of Silence"
May 12 — Addressing the regular meeting of the Franklin County Board of Commissioners
May 12 —Sharing “How We Roll” @ Pelotonia’s Captains’ night
May 12 — 5th annual Ride the Elevator
May 12 — Chamber of Commerce guest blog post: "The 'Big 3' Benefits of Riding a Bike to Work"
May 13 — Yay Bikes! button photo 'cameo'! Member Keith Lugs' photo, with YB! surreptitiously featured, was recognized among 23 others in the international bicycle photography competition: "24 Snapshots of Bikes"
May 13 —Board meeting of the Downtown Residents Association of Columbus, on which Catherine serves
May 13 — Board meeting of Community Shares of Mid Ohio
May 14 — Promoting Bike to Work Day on the CD102.5 Morning Show
May 14 — Planning meeting for Central Ohio's 2015 Ride of Silence
May 15 — Leading 2 routes to Columbus Commons on Bike to Work Day, winning the annual participation award and riding with Mayor Coleman and Stinger from the Columbus Bluejackets
May 15 — Information Sessions (2) @ Nationwide Insurance
May 15 — Panelist for the Ohio Young Professionals Weekend & Leadership Summit presentation "2015: The Future of Transportation" w/Wiliam Murdoch MORPC, Curtis Stitt COTA, Julie Walcoff ODOT, Chuck Dyer ODOT, Patty Austin City of Columbus, Chet Ridenour Car2Go, John Justice Café Brioso
May 16 — Columbus Dispatch article: "Coleman, Stinger join hundreds who bike to work today"
May 17 — Pedal Instead @ Columbus Underground's Urban Living Tour
May 20 — Attending MORPC's Bike Safety Lunch & Learn
May 20 — Regular meeting of MORPC's Active Transportation Plan Work Group, on which Catherine serves
May 20 — Participating in COTA NextGen's Project Advisory Group
May 20 — 9th annual Ride of Silence
May 20 — nbc4i report: "'Ride of Silence' Draws Awareness to Cycling Safety"
May 21 — Information Session @ Ulmer & Berne LLP
May 21 — Information Session for OSU's First Year Peer Leaders
May 21 — Columbus Dispatch article: "'Ride of Silence' fills streets with bicyclists"
May 26 — Ride Buddy morning commute with an OSU employee
May 27 —Regular meeting of Columbus’s Bicycle Working Group, on which Catherine serves
May 27 — Presenting at the Columbus Young Professionals Club's Musical Chairs for Charity event
May 28 — Ride Buddy morning commute with a Franklin County Juvenile Detention Center employee
May 28 — Information Session @ NBBJ
May 29 — Ride Buddy lunchtime ride with an Ohio Department of Education employee
May 29 — Ride Buddy evening commute and downtown tour with an NBBJ employee
May 30 — Planning meeting for Bike the Cbus
May 31 — Ride to begin vetting Bike the Cbus routes
2015 Ride of Silence Recap
We have so many people to thank for making this year's Ride of Silence experience such a meaningful one:
Event Planning Chair—Kathleen Koechlin
Planning Team members—John Bannon, Eliza Farrel, Rob Hendricks, Pat Landusky, David Curran, Jeff Gove, Rahel Babb, Abby Rhodebeck
Sponsors—Ohio Department of Transportation, Westerville Bicycle Club,
Speakers—Mark Gibson (reading the Ride of Silence poem), Columbus Chief of Police Kim Jacobs (her comments are here), State Representative Mike Stinziano (his comments are here), Yay Bikes! Executive Director Catherine Girves (her comments are here).
Escorts—The Columbus Police Department
Media—The Dispatch and nbc4i
Food truck—Tatoheads
Photographer—Bryan Barr
Bagpiper—Scott Caputo
And—Leslie Strader, Office of the Mayor; Julie Walcoff and Michelle May, Ohio Department of Tranpostation
And+—All the riders who braved the chill, followed the rules and made a silent statement of solidarity with those whose lives have been impacted by unsafe driving.
Below is the official report we will be submitting for the international Ride of Silence website, written by our Event Planning Chair Kathleen Koechlin.
It was a chilly, gray day in Columbus, Ohio, but that did not stop the 333 or so cyclists from gathering at City Hall to make the eight mile ride in honor of those killed and injured while riding on our streets. This was the first year that Yay Bikes!, a local bicycle organization whose mission is to increase trips by bicycle and reduce bicycle crashes in the Central Ohio area and beyond, organized this event. The core planning committee was deliberately comprised of persons directly impacted; four have been seriously injured and one has a brother who was killed while cycling on a public road. It was very important to the planning committee that onlookers understand the purpose of the ride; in past years, this was not always the case, leading to some hostility when cyclists did not respond when spoken to. To this end, ghost bikes were placed around town several weeks before the event with signs linking people to the Yay Bikes! Ride of Silence webpage for information about the ride. Posters were printed and hung in windows along the route as well as in bike shops and local businesses around town to raise awareness and encourage participation.
People began gathering at 5:30 pm and the program started at 6:30 pm. Volunteers greeted cyclists, had them sign waivers, provided them instruction, and tied on armbands – red if they had been injured and black for everyone else.
The friend of two cyclists struck by a minivan on April 23, 2015 near Zanesville, Ohio (who was also hit by a car in the past) opened the program by reading the Ride of Silence poem and giving a brief biography of Brenda Hoffman who died in the collision and an update on Brad Hollingsworth who survived but was seriously injured. Brad’s wife, mother, and mother-in-law were there and rode with us. The Chief of Police, Kim Jacobs, spoke briefly, followed by State Representative Michael Stinziano. The final speaker was Catherine Girves, Executive Director of Yay Bikes!, who made a call to action for peaceful streets. Cards with information on specific local and statewide initiatives around safer streets for pedestrians and cyclists were distributed, and people were encouraged to get involved. After reviewing how to ride public roads safely, Catherine ended her time at the podium by reading the names and dates of death of all bicyclists killed on public roadways in Ohio in 2014.
Cyclists rode off in silence, riding two abreast, to a bagpiper playing in the background. We were led by Columbus police officers on motorcycles, followed by a cargo bike with banners announcing the ride. While some police were paid to lead and protect us, several police on bicycles joined the ride on their own accord and helped at intersections, including the Chief of Police, herself. As we rode, some people on bicycles who were not part of the ride joined in as well. The cargo bike set the pace at approximately eight miles per hour to simulate a funeral procession, and the police treated the ride as such, blocking intersections as we rode an eight mile loop on two busy urban roads. Signs were mounted to the bicycle racks of 15 cyclists who were dispersed throughout the large group of riders, again to alert onlookers as to what they were witnessing since we all rode in silence. The final cyclist pulled a ghost bike which was so impactful that one onlooker was brought to tears.
A food truck was provided at the end of the ride to encourage people to stay and reflect on their experience. The event was well covered by media, both through a blog post from a fellow bicyclist at the local newspaper, the Columbus Dispatch, and at the event by all three local television stations. A press release was also issued.
This ride could never have been so successful without the support of the Westerville Bicycle Club, the Ohio Department of Transportation, and individual donations. We thank them all from the bottom of our hearts!
Columbus Police Chief Kimberly Jacobs — 2015 Ride of Silence
The following is the full text from Chief Jacob's comments at the Ride of Silence. We thank Chief Jacobs for her presence at the event and for her work to ensure the safety of everyone in our community.
My name is Kim Jacobs and I'm the Chief of Police for the City of Columbus. I'm here to speak and ride with you tonight on behalf of Mayor Coleman.
Recently many of us took to the streets to celebrate National Bike to Work Day. That was a fun and exciting day, seeing so many cyclists together making a statement. Today, the statement we make is a somber one as we remember and honor those who have tragically been killed or injured while riding a bike.
Many of you probably read about a great city employee, Bill Lewis. Bill and his intern Stephanie Fibelkorn were walking to a meeting, and had nearly made it to the bus stop just a block from where we stand now, when they were hit and killed as a result of a reckless driver. No, Bill wasn’t on his bike at the time, but he was using a public street, like we all do when we ride, with full rights to be there. Bill spent many years of his professional life advocating, planning and designing roadways to accommodate all users. We will continue this important work always in his memory. We miss him and fondly remember him and the others who have been killed while cycling.
Yay Bikes! Executive Director Catherine Girves — 2015 Ride of Silence
The following is the full text from Catherine Girves's comments at the Ride of Silence.
2/21/2014 Frederick Carey
3/18/2014 Zachary Kerns
3/22/2014 Joe Giampapa
5/8/2014 Cleo Turpin
5/30/2014 Glenn Barna
5/30/2014 Lafayette Orr
7/18/2014 Dorothy Miller
8/8/2014 Harvey Bell
Mike Schengelsberger
Steve Barbour
Brenda Hoffman
The list goes on . . . and on . . . and tragically on.
My name is Catherine Girves, and I am the Executive Director of Yay Bikes! Tonight we join thousands of others worldwide in a silent slow-paced ride to honor and remember people who have been injured or killed while riding their bikes on public roadways.
But we are not just here to remember, we are here to act so that another name is never added to the list of those we've already lost.
You were given a card when you arrived that will help you take action to create peaceful streets in our communities.
If you live or work here in Central Ohio, I ask you, I beg you, to participate in the planning process currently taking place to decide what our streets will look like for the next 30 years. The next set of public meetings for the Connect Columbus plan are from June 1st through the 4th. If you can't make a meeting make comments on the web site, attend a future meeting, make sure your voice is heard. Make sure we are planning for safe streets for people who ride bikes.
At the Statewide level, I ask you to remind your legislators that roads need to be safe for those who ride bikes. Call or write your State legislator and ask them to co-sponsor HB 154 a law that would require people driving cars to give people riding bikes at least 3 feet when passing.
And at the Federal level – our wonderful Secretary of the US Department of Transportation, Secretary Foxx, has issued a challenge to every Mayor in the United States. The Mayors Challenge for Safer People and Safer Streets raises the bar for creating safe conditions for bicyclists and pedestrians. Mayor Coleman has accepted this challenge and the Department of Public Service is working in every area of the challenge. If you are not from Columbus, return to your home community and ask your Mayor to follow in kind.
Further, I make a personal ask of each of you. Ride roads in ways that are visible and predictable. Take the space you need to ensure your visibility to people driving cars. Signal your intentions to change lanes. Stop at lights and stop signs. Ride no more than two abreast. And ask every other person you ride with to do the same. In your everyday behaviors create safer streets for all.
I will not have another one of us lost. Join Yay Bikes! in demanding action in good street design, legislation to protect vulnerable road users, and enforcement of laws that protect people who ride bikes. Support us in educating people how to ride roads lawfully.
In a few moments we will head out to ride, two abreast on public roads. Maintain your position once we start. Silently honor those we have lost.
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