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!
Announcing the official 2015 Bike the Cbus tee
In addition to being a bicycle enthusiast, Thom Glick is an award-winning illustrator. For over a decade he has worked with clients from all over the world, producing illustrations for magazines and newspapers, galleries, greeting cards and apparel. In 2015, Thom completed an MFA at Columbus College of Art & Design, with a focus on visual narrative and animation. Currently, Thom lives with his partner, Zuzana, and their dog, Pilot, in the German Village area. You can follow Thom's work online
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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
Pedal Instead receives Ohio EPA grant to upgrade corral
The Ohio Environmental Education Fund (OEEF) awards grants targeting environmental issues in Ohio around which there is a significant need for more education and awareness. In 2015, the Ohio EPA determined, due to significant environmental impacts in our state, an immediate need for education to reduce air emissions. So the OEEF sought to fund innovative projects that would provide citizens the skills to make informed decisions and take responsible actions in this area, foremost by promoting alternative modes of transportation.
Enter our bicycle corrals, aka "Pedal Instead". As you likely know, Pedal Instead provides free, secure bicycle parking for cyclists at festivals and other events. And while the program obviously serves cyclists, it is unique within the bicycle community in that it also interfaces with thousands of diverse non-bicycling members of the general public, who might not enter a bike shop or go on a ride but will request information from volunteers as they pass a corral. Yay Bikes! therefore requested that OEEF help us maximize Pedal Instead's educational potential by making our corrals more visible, attractive and engaging to cyclists, "bike curious" members of the general public and others attending community events and festivals in Central Ohio. We are thrilled to announce that Yay Bikes! has received an OEEF grant to:
- Expand awareness of the Pedal Instead service, encouraging more people to ride to events
- Increase the extent to which Pedal Instead provides actionable information to event attendees regarding transportation bicycling
- Link event attendees to the on-road educational experiences available through Yay Bikes!, to increase their cycling knowledge and confidence
With OEEF's support, we can now turn our bicycle corrals into mobile community education spaces actively helping people integrate transportation bicycling into their everyday lives. What an incredible opportunity! We are grateful.
'Oddities' ride recap
With all due respect to Tom Robbins, as there were no flea circuses or orangutans on today’s trip, more than 70 riders set out to see another roadside attraction during the Yay Bikes June ride. This month’s Year of Yay ride is the 42nd since the program began. The theme of the June Year of Yay ride was Oddities and Craig Clark led the way.
The ride set out under sunny skies from Whole Foods in Upper Arlington. We meandered through Upper Arlington, diverting from out original planned route alongside Griggs Reservoir. The first stop was a true roadside attraction, The Bill Moose Memorial. Bill Moose was the last of the Wyandot Indians that lived in Ohio. His Memorial and gravesite is in a small park at the corner of Lane Road and Riverside Drive.
We left the Bill Moose memorial and headed east on Lane Road, making a right turn after a small portion of the hill that seems to never end. Riding through the old Shelbourne Height and River Lawn neighborhoods of Upper Arlington we passed by another oddity, but did not stop, a chainsaw carved Golden Bear on oxford Drive. We regrouped at the corner of Fairlington and Fishinger, where an officer from the UAPD stopped traffic for us on Fishinger. Thanks!!!
We crossed the Scioto River on Fishinger, headed up the hill to one of our greatest challenges, getting 70 people across I-270 at Fishinger and Cemetery Road. We, riding as a group took the lane and made it over the bridge with no incidents. After a quick stop at Speedway to refill with water, we rode the last two miles to second stop.
The Early Television Museum in Hilliard was the next top of the day. A special thanks to Steve McVoy for opening his collection to the public. There are a couple of hundred sets on display and several more that are still in storage. Some of the favorites of the Yay Bike crowd were the Kuba Komet and the news truck.
We left the museum to make the return trip back to Whole Foods, other than a roundabout and a railroad bridge we were obstacle free on the way back. The skies finally opened up on us once we got to Cambridge Boulevard. We only had to ride the last 2 miles wet and by the time we returned the sun was shining again.
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
Yay Bikes! announces new downtown-area Ride Buddy program
Ride Buddies Cassie & Catherine arrive to their final destination — OSU's Center for Folklore Studies! Make this the year your commute becomes active! Now through June 30, all downtown-area workers and residents have a FREE opportunity to practice riding to and from work by bicycle, with extensive support from the certified cycling experts at Yay Bikes!.
Last week, MORPC selected Yay Bikes! as the contractor for their Downtown Modal Shift Pilot Program, decisively investing in our work to encourage more trips by bicycle. And the mode shift program we've developed is—go figure—the perfect expression of ourtheory of change! We're excited for the opportunity to offer extremely targeted programming that engenders meaningful change in the lives of downtown-area workers and residents.
For the entire month of June 2015, Yay Bikes! will offer ANYONE living or working in Downtown Columbus a personal Ride Buddy that escorts them and/or a small group of colleagues by bicycle on work-related trips, whether that be to/from work, to/from lunch or to/from other frequent destinations. Fully customized rides might be:
Work commutes: Over custom rides before or after work, we will ride with employees of downtown area businesses on their first bicycle commutes, whether directly from/to their homes or from/to a designated Park & Pedal location.
CoGo rides: Over lunch hour rides, we will familiarize employees with the CoGo Bike Share system and escort them to destinations downtown, e.g. their favorite lunch spots or frequent meeting sites.
Professional development rides: Over workday rides, we will showcase sites specific to employees’ profession (e.g., bicycle infrastructure for public service employees or neighborhood rides for charitable foundation staff) that engage them in a deeper understanding of their work.
Social / team-building rides: Over rides following work, we will offer unique educational experiences to groups of employees who want to explore downtown destinations and/or a particular theme by bike (e.g., touring the facilities offered by several bike friendly businesses).
Additionally, the program is open to downtown-area employers who want a more robust experience extended to all their employees—with information sessions, corporate communications and ride experiences intentionally designed as an expression of their mission and culture. Organizations that have already signed on are: Ulmer & Berne, Bricker & Eckler, Grange Insurance, Capital Crossroads SID, City of Columbus Department of Public Service, City of Bexley, Nationwide Insurance, State Auto, Huntington, MORPC and COTA. Space is available for 3 additional organizations of any size ready to roll with a fast-paced onslaught of rides, communications and data collection during the month of June.
Contact usto schedule a ride that works for you, or to become a participating organization! It is really, truly, for seriouslyjust that simple.
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.
State Representative Michael Stinziano - 2015 Ride of Silence
The following is the full text from Representative Michael Stinziano's comments at the Ride of Silence. We thank Rep Stinziano for his presence at the event and for his work to protect Ohio's vulnerable road users.
I appreciate the invitation from Yay Bikes! to talk about the Ride of Silence and safety in our community. I am Representative Michael Stinziano and I am working within the Ohio House to improve safety for all road users.
In Ohio, an average of 1 person died or was seriously injured each day in bicycle-related crashes last year.
In just the Columbus region, there were 24 bicyclists involved in crashes, resulting in 21 serious injuries and three fatalities.
It is vital that drivers and bicyclists share the road. One death or injury is too many.
Research shows that one issue contributing to these crashes is speed. I recently introduced legislation to help combat the issue. If HB 107 is enacted into law, it will allow residents to petition a speed limit change for their own community. We feel that people lining in our diverse neighborhoods understand the traffic patterns they live with on a daily basis.
I am also co-sponsor of HB 154 which would require motorists to give bicyclists at least 3 feet when passing.
Safety is everyone's responsibility. Many of you know the faces representing these tragic deaths. This event honors our loved ones who have been harmed on Ohio roads and improves awareness for all road users.
Everyone has the right to be on and use Ohio's roads.
2015 Ride of Silence Video
We would like to thank Joshua Lin for his coverage in today's Columbus Dispatch of last night's ride: "Ride of Silence" fills streets with bicyclists. Lovely video. Thank you.
Yay Bikes! returns to OSU!
We are excited to announce that this fall, in conjunction with the launch of bike share on campus, Yay Bikes! will once again provide bicycle safety education to members of the OSU community. We will be delivering information sessions on bicycle commuting, an educational poster and our traditional How We Roll rides to both the academic and the medical center's students, faculty and staff. The academic audience will be introduced to riding the streets from campus to downtown, taking in the sites of the city, while those affiliated with the medical center will be taught to use bike share for rides between the various medical buildings.
This summer, we began delivering our part of the program with an info session and 8 How We Roll rides for 34 OSU First Year Peer students. When we asked them to evaluate their experience, this is what we heard:
What was your favorite part of the ride? Responses to this question overwhelmingly referenced the beauty of Columbus and how much students enjoyed getting to go downtown. In their own words:
Seeing how close the city is
Seeing all of Columbus in a different way
Stopping in downtown, so beautiful!
Exploring the city of Columbus w/friends
Getting to go downtown
I liked going downtown and seeing all the cool stuff to do
Was there anything different than what you expected? Responses to this question mostly referenced the fact that participants found riding on the street from campus to downtown easier and more pleasant than expected. In their own words:
It was easier than I thought
Traffic/drivers friendly, didn’t expect that
I thought I would be more tired
It was a lot easier than expected
Cars aren’t as mean as I expected
Less scary than I thought
It wasn’t as hard/nerve racking as I thought it’d be
Biking on the road is way easier than I expected.
What did you learn? Responses to this question overwhelmingly had to do with learning how to ride safely on the roads, with some participants sharing an expanded sense of how bikeable Columbus is. In their own words:
Bikes are just like cars
I learned that bicycling can be a safe, fun alternative to driving
How to properly have my place on the road
I learned turn signals, bike laws and not to ride on sidewalks
To be okay with riding in the middle and bike safety
How many places downtown are bike accessible
A lot about safety and which lane to ride in
To not stay in the door zone
Bikes follow the same laws as cars
Meanwhile, fully 26.5% of participants said they'd be "Very Likely" to repeat this journey on their own, and/or attempt others that are similar (with another 56% saying they were "Somewhat Likely" to do so!).
So kudos to OSU for including this essential educational component in their bike share roll out plans! Clearly we should all be watching out for more and better bicycling from the OSU area come this fall, from these First Year Peer ambassadors and everyone they touch, plus all the others we reach with our message and our unique How We Roll experience.
To participate! Rides and information sessions will be offered at least through fall semester, according to demand. If you are a member of the OSU community and would like to schedule a learning experience for your group, contact Meredith.
Bike to Work Day 2015
Between Mayor Coleman and Stinger riding alongside our group of 50ish cyclists, this year's Bike to Work Day was kind of a hoot. We again hosted two routes, one starting at Whole Foods Market in Upper Arlington to meet up with the other, which launched from Goodale Park. Combined we rode into Downtown, where we converged on Columbus Commons with other groups of cyclists riding in from all over town. A big party, some free food and beverage, several speakers and a rain shower later, and we were all ready to ride on in to work. Tada! Until next year, friends!
Big thanks to REI for providing all our riders with some chapstick, a water bottle and an REI coupon! Maybe, just maybe (ahem...) that had something to do with our smash success...
Check it out in the Dispatchor on our Facebook pagephotos!
'Up & coming neighborhoods' ride recap
Crossing the bridge into Franklinton. Photo credit: Keith Lugs
It's 10:00am on April 11, 2015. There are 80+ bicyclists outside of Whole Foods ready for 3 stops and 1 mission: to tour the up and coming neighborhoods of Columbus.
April’s Year of Yay Ride was a collaboration between Yay Bikes! and CRPSA, the City and Regional Planning Association at Ohio State University. Devin and Will, both board members of CRPSA, created, tested, and coordinated the stops and 18 mile route. After a brief safety message and notes about upcoming Yay Bikes! events from executive director Catherine Girves we were off!
The route to stop number one took the group through Upper Arlington and Grandview. On the way, the group spotted signs of construction at the new Grandview Yard development and took a test ride on the Goodale Street Olentangy Multi-use Trail Access Ramp. The route progressed as planned until the group exited the Olentangy Trail and headed into Franklinton. A road closure near the intersection of Souder Avenue and McKinley Avenue forced the 80+ Year of Yay-ers to a detour on a nearby trail.
At the eastern side of COSI, the group took a quick stop for a group weigh-in on the outdoor giant scale. Our 14,000+ lb total weight confirmed what we already knew – it’s time for everyone to invest in a lighter weight bicycle…or maybe time to ride! We headed west to the Columbus Idea Foundry, the ride’s first stop. Alex Bandar, Founder & CEO, greeted us and provided a brief tour that included a stop in the Foundry’s new upstairs presentation space. Members of the Idea Foundry have 24/7 access to the facilities, which include metal working equipment, 3D printers, and other tools to create almost anything.
On the way to Stop #2, the group pedaled through East Franklinton, one of the major up-and-coming neighborhoods in Columbus. In 2012, the Columbus City Council adopted a new plan for the area that forecasts and plans for 4,000 new residential units and over 500,000 square feet of arts, retail, office, and incubator space over the next 20 years. After crossing the Main Street Bridge, the group continued east through downtown into Olde Town East, the second up and coming neighborhood in Columbus.
Central Community House was our second stop. The organization’s mission is to provide a source of support and a community center for families in the Olde Town East neighborhood. The group was able to tour the facilities with Jackie Calderone, a member of the Central Community House leadership team and director of the Transit Arts program. Chloe Green, the president of CRPSA, spoke about her personal work with the Transit Arts program and its impact on teenage students in the area. Area students can also join other after-school programs and take classes about topics that range from public speaking to spoken word performance.
The route took the group west down Bryden Road and past the new Columbus Museum of Art expansion, which will nearly double the museum’s exhibit space. Passing under the Columbus College of Art and Design’s ART sculpture, the group continued down Gay and Front Street, passing by numerous construction sites on the way.
The third stop of Year of Yay! April 2015 was Ohio State University’s north campus residential project. In conjunction with the OSU Second-year Transformational Experience Program (STEP), the OSU north campus will see the net addition of 3,200 bed spaces, 11 new buildings, and 2 new dining facilities. Jennifer Evans-Cowley, OSU professor and Vice Provost for Capital Planning and Regional Campuses, provided a presentation on the details of the project – scheduled for completion in Autumn 2016.
Back at Whole Foods, the group rejoiced in a great ride full of optimistic thoughts for the summer season of bicycling. Will Yay Bikes! collectively reach our end-of-year weight loss goals? Surely a beautiful summer of Year of Yay! rides will begin to have an impact on our upcoming end of the season weigh in! See you in May for another great ride. Yay Bikes! (article written by Will Hughen)
Yay Bikes! augments annual "Put a Lid on It" program with safety training
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7y9wUh8By9c[/embed] In this video featuring ODOT Director Jerry Wray's helmet program endorsement, Catherine Girves and Yay Bikes! member Talon Hendricks model how to fit a helmet. Regarding helmets, Talon says: "It's safe. It helps you because if you're not wearing a helmet, this part of your head is not covered with a shell so you hit your head".
On April 9, 2015, Yay Bikes! joined the Ohio Department of Transportation and the American Academy of Pediatrics, Ohio Chapter to train the ~40 youth program coordinators from across the state who had received grants of free helmets to distribute within their communities. The training covered basic parking lot drills the coordinators could use to help kids practice their bike handling skills, and a presentation identifying three primary causes of kids' bicycle crashes.
- Read more about the event and the helmet giveaway!
- Download the document (pdf) summarizing our presentation!
- Link to free online resources for youth bicycle safety!
- Check out the original safety video we developed for the training!
We appreciate ODOT for funding our participation in this exciting project.
"The Risks of Riding Right"
ODOT funded and Yay Bikes! developed this original safety video for the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Ohio Chapter's annual "Put a Lid on It" campaign, in association with their Bicycle Helmet Safety Awareness Week (May 2–10, 2015). It was used to train youth programming coordinators statewide who had received a grant of free helmets from the Ohio AAP Foundation about insidious cycling safety risks.
To our knowledge, this is the only bicycle safety video that captures near-crashes from both the motorist's and the cyclist's point of view. Pay particular attention to how limited the motorist's field of vision is!
(Bonus points to anyone who can tell us where the video's catch phrase comes from!)
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