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

'Some like it HOT!' ride recap

February's theme of "SOME LIKE IT HOT!" was, ironically (but not really, because of course the whole point was that Feb is NOT HOT), altered at the last minute due to particularly FRIGID conditions. Though the stops changed and the 11-mile route was cut to 2, a hardy group of 22 enjoyed a sunny ride, cash bombed several stores and celebrated the day in style. Yay Bikes! thanks Ride Leader Jen Cowley for her work to create a great experience for everyone. Thanks, as well, to the 10 people who came an hour early to re-vet the route after it changed! 

Stealth style a la Deanne (a committed fair-weather cyclist who joined us in spite of herself!), Kathleen & Sarah. Photo credit: Kathleen O'Dowd

Everyone was bundled up tight for the first leg of our journey on the outskirts of Easton Town Center! The plan was to visit some places where we could learn about staying HOT(ish, aka 'warm') during our winter rides. 

Ride Leader Jen Cowley (in the saucy teal helmet) with a pack of intrepid cyclists. Photo credit: Kathleen O'Dowd

First stop: L.L.Bean, where we were greeted with fresh HOT (temperature!) coffee and all the scoop on HOT (sexy!) wool skivvies, and all sorts of other base layer options. After the wonderful presentation we wandered the store, finishing our coffee and SHOPPING! Bonus—the marketing guy saw all our bikes leaned on the front of the store and realized that the store had no bike racks. "We should have bike racks!". Changing minds and hearts one cash bomb at a time.

Our group takes in a presentation on base layers at L.L.Bean. Photo credit: Catherine Girves

Second stop: REI, where Jamie Young (our REI SAG friend from Bike the Cbus+) taught us all about keeping our extremities toasty warm, while REI Outreach Market Coordinator passed out coupons and chapstick.

Our group cash bombs the crap out of REI. Photo credit: Catherine Girves

Final stop: back to Whole Foods Market, where the crew had complimentary HOT chocolate awaiting us. We kinda took over the place, didn't we?! It was the perfect way to cap off the morning and continue our conversations about riding in winter weather.

Toasting another fabulous adventure. Photo credit: Catherine Girves

We're so proud of everyone who braved the anti-HOT (aka, COLD) to come out for this ride. It wasn't what we expected but we made a damn fine time of it! See you next month! Until then, check out this short audio profile of the ride from Darrell McGrath:

Sharrows have their place

3D concepts of shared lane markings. Source: NACTO's Urban Bikeways Design Guide 

These days, sharrows can’t get no respect. And cyclists who have been grumbling about them for years have some new ammo in a recently published research study, which concludes that sharrows are relatively ineffective at encouraging bicycling and keeping cyclists safe. But are they really “the dregs of bike infrastructure—the scraps cities hand out when they can’t muster the will to implement exclusive space for bicycling”? Because wow! That’s… something…! So let’s take a closer look at what sharrows are, interrogate the hate and come to some sort of reasoned understanding of their place (or not) in a traffic engineer’s bag of tricks. First:

What (the heck!?) are sharrows? 

To fanfare from bicycle advocates nationwide, the FHWA added Shared Lane Markings (aka “Sharrows”, or “share the road + arrows”) to its 2009 edition of the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devises (MUTCD). By providing specific guidance regarding these markings, sharrows became a legit option for traffic engineers seeking to design roadways more accommodating of cyclists—particularly where there was no space for separated infrastructure. The use of sharrows soon exploded in cities throughout the United States; Columbus received its first sharrow on High Street near OSU in May 2010. There are now approximately 81 miles of sharrows in the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission's Metropolitan Planning Organization area.

The unveiling of Columbus' first sharrow, in 2010. Source: ColumbusUnderground.com

According to the MUTCD, sharrows are intended to:

“A Assist bicyclists with lateral positioning in a shared lane with on-street parallel parking in order to reduce the chance of a bicyclist’s impacting the open door of a parked vehicle,

B Assist bicyclists with lateral positioning in lanes that are too narrow for a motor vehicle and a bicycle to travel side by side within the same traffic lane,

C Alert road users of the lateral location bicyclists are likely to occupy within the traveled way,

D Encourage safe passing of bicyclists by motorists, and

E Reduce the incidence of wrong-way bicycling.”

NACTO's Urban Bikeway Design Guide provides a more in-depth take on sharrows and how they are to be used. 

Sharrow hate: what’s up with that?

Point taken: a cyclist who clearly does not understand what that sharrow is for (i.e., to help him position himself correctly in the lane). Source: dispatch.com. 

Six years on, some very vocal cyclists nationwide are disgusted by the sharrow (like, seriously). Complaints include that no one seems to know what they mean, that they've often been poorly placed, that they offer no real protection from cars, that they may suggest to drivers that roads without them aren't meant for cyclists, that they seduce inexperienced cyclists onto roads too challenging for them... in a nutshell: sharrows suck because they're not protected bike lanes. And further: government officials suck because they wuss out and install sharrows instead of protected bike lanes. 

A place for sharrows?

The sharrow, or “Shared Lane Marking”, as defined in the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices. 

We at Yay Bikes! tend to go all side-eyed on anything that smacks of a we-should-have-protected-bike-lanes-from-my-doorstep-to-infinity argument. Because seriously guys—we're bright-eyed dreamers as much as anyone, but it's NOT HAPPENING and probably shouldn't. Still, is it responsible for a bicycle advocacy organization to bless sharrows? Or, given the critiques above, should we always hold out for more? 

The research on sharrows is not so bleak as the new study would suggest. Sharrows have been found to reduce the incidence of sidewalk riding, encourage cyclists to ride in the proper lane position, increase the distance between cyclists and parked cars, encourage safe passing and reduce the incidence of wrong-way riding (click the link and scroll to Shared Lane Marking Benefits for research supporting these findings). The impact isn't as significant as it is with bike lanes, but it's not nothing either. Certainly sharrows aren't more dangerous than nothing at all! 

In the study referenced above, called "Relative (In)Effectiveness of Bicycle Sharrows on Ridership and Safety Outcomes", researchers Nick Ferenchak and Wesley Marshall of the University of Colorado Denver compared rates of bike commuting and cycling injuries within census blocks in Chicago before and after bike lanes and sharrows were added, as well as blocks where nothing was done to the streets. What they found was that: 1) rates of bike commuting increased more than 109% on streets with bike lanes, 43% on streets with no change and just 27% on streets with sharrows, and that 2) rates of cycling injury decreased 42% on streets with bike lanes, 37% on streets with no change and 20% on streets with sharrows. They conclude: "It is imperative that the appropriate infrastructure and treatments are in place to ensure the safety of all users on our roadways, and it may be that sharrows do not have a role to play in this pursuit." Yikes!

But again—are sharrows really worse than nothing?!?! Doubtful. The study authors reveal assumptions that should give us serious pause. In particular, because their analysis takes place on the census block group level, they admit that they can’t account for how much infrastructure was installed, or where (i.e., was it on one corridor or throughout?). In fact, we have no information about the types of streets under consideration or the extent of the accommodations. It stands to reason that if lots of very busy streets with high rates of crashes get bike lanes, there will be a more dramatic decrease in injuries than there would be on slower streets that receive sharrows. Further, the authors admit that the presence of bicycle commuters living in a census group does not translate to bicycle exposure (i.e., how often these bicycle commuters actually ride the roads, or where). We don't know the actual number of cyclists who were riding on these streets during the timeframe for analysis. At all. Which would seem to be a critical detail if you're seeking the overall rate of cycling, yeah?! So, not to knock the study altogether, but unless we see something rather more convincing...

Our bottom line re: sharrows

You can count on Yay Bikes! to advocate context sensitive solutions that make the best of the roads we've got today, always with an eye towards making them better tomorrow. And we strongly believe that, while sharrows aren't perfect (what bike infrastructure is?), they have an important role to play in (literally and figuratively) moving us from here to there. So where it makes sense, we will bless them, yes, and absolve traffic engineers who decide they're the best possible option given the constraints at hand. Because sometimes they really are the best possible solution for a particular roadway—like when they're placed in the center of lanes too narrow to share or accommodate bike lanes. Of course, regardless of whether it’s sharrows or protected lanes or something else, we advocates must help engineers ensure it is carefully installed. And we must help both cyclists and motorists understand a cyclist's proper lane position relative to the new road design. This is what Yay Bikes! promises to do, with your help.  

With a little help from a friend: Ride Buddy program outcomes

Ride Buddies was a pilot program to help residents and employees in Downtown Columbus replace their work-related car trips with bike trips—and become hardcore badasses in the process.

“I’m so glad I had the option to have this experience … I know it’s something a lot of people desire but don’t have the option to do. Surely, they are missing out ...”

In summer 2015, the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission (MORPC) contracted with Yay Bikes! to implement a Downtown Modal Shift Pilot Program aimed at helping downtown-area residents and employees replace work-related car trips with bicycle trips. The program, which became known as "Ride Buddies",  offered our targeted employers information sessions, custom promotional content and topical online content to help them promote bicycling. It offered custom rides—either a to/from work commute, CoGo tour or professional development experience—to any individual or small group exploring the possibility of bike commuting. These featured the following:

• An expert Ride Buddy to lead the ride, impart road rules and answer questions
• At least one route planned specifically by the Ride Buddy, based on a participant's origination/destination and vice versa, as well as their concerns, goals and preferences 
• Information about how to link bike riding with other modes to make an active commute more manageable (e.g., Park & Pedal locations and COTA buses)
• Advice regarding equipment and gear, and other bike commuting basics
• Follow up communications with resources relevant to participants' stated interests

In total, 76 people took advantage of the Ride Buddies program. During the 2-month pilot, we conducted 44 rides—30 with individuals and 14 with small groups. Of those:

• 17 people rode ‘real’ and 7 rode practice commutes to and/or from work
• 19 people rode from work to a lunch or meeting site
• 23 people had professional development experiences organized by a supervisor
• 10 people rode non-work trips (e.g., to explore a neighborhood or shop for a bike)

A crew from Columbus State Community College explore their Near East Side neighborhood! 

“It was altogether 1000 times better than I thought it would be.
I conquered a fear and feel more comfortable.”

The Ride Buddies pilot was rigorously evaluated using the following tools:

• Employer baseline survey—We sent an extensive pre-intervention survey about bike commuting attitudes and habits to employees of 10 Downtown-area employers, and received a statistically valid responses from each. Our post-intervention survey was abandoned when it became clear our impact would be less tied to specific employers than expected. 
• Employer inventories—We conducted four interviews with Downtown-area employers regarding their support for bicycle commuting, and completed reports for each. Two employers were inspired by this process to apply for League of American Bicyclists’ Bicycle Friendly Business program. One employer received that recognition and the other's application is pending.
• Pre-ride surveys: 88.2% of riders completed a survey about their experience riding a bicycle for transportation as part of their online ride registration process.
• Immediate post-ride surveys: 80.3% of riders completed a survey about their experience upon following a link in an email sent shortly following their ride.
• 6-week post-ride follow up surveys: 57.9% of riders completed a survey about their post-ride behavior upon following a link in an email sent several weeks following their ride. 

Riding with a Buddy can be what makes all the difference.

“I’ve been wanting to start riding, but have been nervous about not knowing what the hell I’m doing. I’m very grateful for this opportunity!”

Here's what we learned about the motivations of those who participated in our Ride Buddies program:

• People want to ride but feel scared and confused. 
  When asked about the barriers preventing registrants from riding a bicycle for work-related trips, 50.8% of registrants cited safety concerns and 28.8% cited not knowing how to ride in traffic.
• A free Ride Buddy can be the catalyst that helps people make a change.
  When asked why they chose this moment to learn more about riding a bicycle for work-related trips, 59.3% of registrants said because they were offered a free Ride Buddy to help them take it on (followed distantly by 27.1% who said they’d recently committed themselves to a lifestyle overhaul).
• Relationships, not mass media, generated participation; workplace champions are critical allies in this work. 
  Fully 63.2% of participants were invited by a co-worker, while 25.0% were invited by someone they knew from Yay Bikes!

A workplace champion at Ohio Board of Regents scheduled several rides for coworkers, and caused a significant shift in office culture as a result.

“Commuting is a habit that I do easily by bike. Errands, however, I do not habitually do by bike and I realize there are some I can conveniently accomplish by pedaling.”

Here's what we learned about Ride Buddies' impact on mode shift:

• A Ride Buddies experience helps people replace car trips with bike trips.  
  Immediately post-ride, a majority of participants (68.9%) said they were "Very likely" to repeat their ride or a similar journey on their own. More than half of those who responded to the six-week followup survey (52.3%) actually had replaced at least one car trip with a bike trip—and, of those, 96% replaced more than one. Nearly everyone who replaced a car trip with a bike trip (91.3%) felt "Completely!" or almost completely prepared for what they encountered. 

Riding to several bike shops helped one participant overcome her two major hurdles to riding: not knowing the road rules and not having a bike!

“Being confident about taking space in the lane has made me feel safer than I did when I rode way over on the right.”

Here's what we learned about Ride Buddies' impact on participants' bicycling knowledge and practice: 

• The Ride Buddies experience significantly changes how participants ride. 
  Six weeks post-ride, 82.0% of participants said Ride Buddies had "Completely!" or almost completely influenced how they rode a bike, with the key changes being that they don't ride as far to the right (68.2%) and they are more likely to take the lane than before (61.4%).
• The Ride Buddies experience significantly improves a key indicator of participants' bike knowledge.
  When asked to say whether the statement "Bicyclists can always choose to ride in the center of a lane, regardless of traffic conditions.” is true or false, 79.5% of Ride Buddy participants correctly said true, as opposed to 36.1% of the non-participants from our employer baseline survey. 

Bricker and Eckler employees rode in from the new Park & Pedal location at Dodge Park. 

“The following weeks people approached me to say that they saw me riding and were impressed by my confidence on the road, and that they would like to experience the same thing. Their comments opened the door to me talking to them about bike riding and its advantages.”

Here's what we learned about Ride Buddies' viral impact:

• The impact of a Ride Buddies experience extends far beyond participants. 
  Almost all Ride Buddy participants (95.5%) shared what they learned with others—on average each shared with 3–5 others! Specifically, they shared about proper lane positioning (69.0%), how the experience was different than expected (66.7%), how it made them feel (61.9%) and bicycle traffic law (59.5%). 

COTA and Ride Buddies: a Dream Team if we ever saw one!

So what's the bottom line here? We think it's that significant mode shift can occur via meaningful interactions lasting just two hours or less. With the key here being "meaningful interactions"! It's not enough to throw up a billboard or hand out brochures. If we want to create real change in how people get from here to there, it will require a sufficient investment in people that they feel supported in adopting a new, more active way of life. Because it's hard to undertake all that much change all by yourself, and sometimes you just need a little help from a friend (or, uh, make that a Buddy! ;)!

---

The Ride Buddy program is not currently being offered; we are seeking funding to offer it in the future, and will promote that opportunity when it becomes available.

Contact Meredith to request additional data from this pilot. 

“I was starting to feel like superwoman.” - Shyra's Story

Despite being a little intimidated by what she perceived as the biking culture, Shyra jumped into bicycling and is passionate about sharing her enthusiasm with others.

Name: Shyra Holden-Allen
Lives in: Columbus, East Side
Works in: Downtown Columbus

“The ride hooked me!”

In 2014, Shyra rode Bike the Cbus with her husband. They pedaled throughout the city, eventually jumping off the route a little early because the weather was scorching. As they walked their bikes to their cars, a man – then Yay Bikes! Board President Ray George - ran after them. He wanted to know whether they enjoyed the ride and if they had any feedback. “I thought it was so cool he considered our feelings,” Shyra said.

Not knowing the organization behind Bike the Cbus, Shyra scoped out her swag bag finding a brochure for Yay Bikes! After that ride, Shyra was enamored with both bicycling and Yay Bikes! Though she was a little worried about being accepted, she decided to check out a Year of Yay! ride.

“I remember thinking, I’m just jumping into this and I’m not an athlete. I was worried that I wasn’t the rider I felt I needed to be to ride the roads.” Shyra said. “But, the ride hooked me. It was so exhilarating!”

“After that first ride, I couldn’t wait for the next one.”

Soon after her first Year of Yay! experience, Shyra became a regular at the monthly rides. She loved exploring the city by bike and the different approach ride leaders take to highlight different areas and businesses around Columbus. “It’s exciting to see what they come up with!” Shyra said.

Year of Yay! leaders are hand selected individuals whose passion and enthusiasm for riding has caught the eye of Yay Bikes! leadership. From their own imagination, they create the themes, routes and stops on our monthly bike rides. A few months after her first Year of Yay!, Shyra was invited to lead a ride of her own.

While she was nervous, she was inspired by the confidence Yay Bikes! leadership had in her. “I became a cheerleader! I just kept getting called back to support Yay Bikes!” Shyra said.

“I was starting to feel like superwoman.”

Quickly, Shyra became immersed in; not only the Yay Bikes! community, but also Columbus biking community. As she learned more, her confidence skyrocketed and she felt inspired to begin commuting to-and-from work by bike. For three weeks she rode the 7+ miles from her home on Columbus’ East Side to Downtown. “I was starting to feel like superwoman,” Shyra said.

Then one-day bad weather struck. It was raining, pouring actually, as Shyra rode home at dusk. Untethered, Shyra was committed to get all the way home on her bike. But her concerned husband showed up in the car halfway through her commute home and pleaded her to load up her bike and take the ride home.

This sentiment was shared by her concerned father who Shyra later recalled the incident to. She and her father are close and he is very supportive of Shyra’s passion for biking. In fact, her father was the one to teach Shyra to ride a bike. One of seven children in her family, Shyra was the last to learn to ride a bike. She was eight-years-old and already her younger brother was pedaling up and down the streets of their neighborhood. “I remember my dad being behind me and I told him to let go. After getting the courage to look back, I realized he had let go about three blocks prior.”

Despite his desire to see Shyra happy doing this thing she loves, her father begged Shyra to only commute by bike in the daylight and when the weather is good. Very reluctantly, Shyra made the commitment to PAUSE her solo winter commuting. “But I miss feeling like Superwoman.” Shyra looks forward to the return of longer daylight hours when she will start commuting to work by bike again, and is determined to figure out how to address her husband and father's fear about her safety before next winter.

 “What I really want is to see more bikes on the street!”

Shyra talks to friends, family, neighbors and even strangers about the about the rules of the road and ease of getting place to place on a bike. She invites new people to ride with Yay Bikes! regularly, going as far to travel door-to-door through her neighborhood to do so. On another occasion, she struck up conversation with strangers out to lunch. “My husband and I were at Easton and I saw some people with bikes sitting on a patio at a restaurant so I marched right up to tell them about Year of Yay!” she said. “My husband said I was scaring people!”

“What I really want is to see more bikes on the street!” Shyra said. While she eagerly awaits the end of daylight savings time and the return to her regular bike commute, Shyra will continue to share her passion and knowledge with everyone she comes across as she pedals throughout Columbus.

Behind the scenes of a Year of Yay!

Updated July 2018

Year of Yay! volunteer ride leads and sweeps on their January 2016 route vetting ride. 

Think you're too _____ to ride a Year of Yay!? Nope! We got you—and you got this! 

We are in our 7th (!!!) Year of Yay! ride series with a ride almost every month since January 2012. Over the years, given plenty of mistakes and gracious feedback, we’ve learned a thing or 80 about how to lead a ride so that everyone feels safe, welcome and cared for. Indeed, you might be surprised to know how much intention and preparation happens in the shadows of a Year of Yay!, all in service of helping all participants have a successful, fun ride experience. But we’re revealing some of our ride secrets here, so that you truly know deep down: WE. GOT. YOU. Therefore: YOU. GOT. THIS. Year of Yay! is an accessible ride that supports all comers as they gain the skills, knowledge and confidence to ride roads from place to place. 

On a Year of Yay! ride, you may be challenged, but you will also be supported. Our volunteers are all required to manifest our core values and be trained specifically to support this ride. Here’s how:

Your challenge: We ride roads—and no roads are too difficult for us to ride. This year, for example, our rides all start and end from Lucky's Market in Clintonville (right on High Street).

Our support: One week before each Year of Yay! ride, our team of volunteer leads and sweeps—1 of each for every 20 riders we anticipate—rides the draft route to see how it works on the ground and discuss how they’re going to usher the group though its particular challenges. No one is allowed to lead or sweep unless they’ve been on this ride! That way, when the group breaks during our ride, as it always does (see: “We follow traffic law”, below), each sub-group retains a lead and a sweep who know the route and will help you navigate it. You got this!

Your challenge: We follow traffic law. We don’t “cork” intersections (i.e., block cars from proceeding until all our riders have made it through), we don’t ride six abreast, we don’t roll through crosswalks when pedestrians are there. Etc., etc., etc.

Our support: Oh, so you’re not a bike law expert? Well, then. No ride for you! (jokes…) Seriously, though. Just about anyone you ask can answer your questions or point you to someone who can. On the ride, we provide several trained “Cruise Directors” who watch for and gently correct any behavior that’s unsafe or unlawful. You got this!

Your challenge: We ride 15–20 miles. Sometimes, when the weather is nice, we may even ride slightly more. When the weather is really cold or rainy, we'll likely ride less. And there will be hills, sweat and mechanical issues, yes.

Our support: Year of Yay! is a NO-DROP RIDE, and we mean it. We ride at a conversational pace (approximately 10–12mph) and make frequent stops at which you can rest. But if you’re still struggling we have an emergency sweep who will stay with you, no matter what. We also have volunteer wrenches who have signed on to help fix the minor mechanical problems that occasionally pop up. That’s right: you got this! We've hosted riders of all ages and abilities, and while not everyone has finished a ride, they've all felt very much supported as they decided whether and how to proceed. 

Year of Yay! rides are truly a blast. You'll meet great people, see parts of the city you never knew existed and become confident riding roads of all kinds. It'll all seem quite effortless, joyful, carefree! But behind the scenes is a vast network of support that makes it so. And we got you!

'TAKING' ride recap

January’s theme of “TAKING” was a “TAKE” on December’s theme of “Giving” (courtesy Ride Leader Jeff Gove, smart-ass extraordinaire). It was intended to “TAKE into consideration" our new starting point at Whole Foods Market Easton, the possibility of inclement weather and potential first-time riders. We were pleasantly surprised that the weather was grand and 60 folks “TOOK the challenge" to ride with us that day! 

“TAKING time” to greet one another at our new start location, Whole Foods Market Easton. Photo credit: Craig Clark

On the first leg of our 4.4-mile journey, we greeted Easton Town Center shoppers with a chorus of “Hello’s” and bike bells as we cruised by. 

"TAKING the breath away" of Easton shoppers with our huge group. Photo credit: Craig Clark

We headed from the shops of Easton to a surprisingly accessible section of the Alum Creek Greenway Trail, where our first stop—its newly completed bridge—offered a lovely backdrop for a Central Ohio Greenways Board Member to discuss the future of our region's trail network. 

"TAKING refuge" on the Alum Creek Trail. Photo credit: Craig Clark

"TAKING it all in" on the recently completed Alum Creek Trail bridge. Photo credit: Craig Clark

Our return to Whole Foods Easton included Morse Road, a busy Columbus thoroughfare that everyone navigated with ease—partly because the drivers were super patient with us and partly because we understand the importance of taking the lane. One driver even rolled down her window to ask who we were, and said she'd like to join us for a future ride!

"TAKING the lane" on Sunbury Road. Photo credit: Craig Clark

Back at Whole Foods Market, most of us squeezed onto a fire-warmed patio to enjoy the food, drink and company. 

"TAKING a load off" post-ride at Whole Foods Easton Market's outdoor, fire-warmed seating area.

What a great start to our 5th Year of Yay! ride series! Thanks to everyone who helped us "TAKE it up a notch" this month, especially our Ride Leader, Jeff Gove. See you next month!

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

Getting to commitment

Catherine Girves, Yay Bikes! Executive Director

'From the Saddle' is a monthly note from our Executive Director. 

There was a script I used to deliver to dubious fair-weather cyclists and bike curious loved ones, as recently as last month, in which I'd talk about that first mile. For me, that first mile was the worst. I whined to myself it was too hot, too cold, too wet, or I was too late. If I could just manage to get my butt on the bike and get through that, I could get myself to the point of actually enjoying the rest. But that "if" was a force! Every day presented a new opportunity to struggle over whether to ride, with lots of excuses for why not to weighed against "yeah, but as the Executive Director of a BIKE ORGANIZATION...". It was exhausting.

But I am here today to tell you that at long last, after 12 years of riding my bike for transportation, my script has flipped. Utterly, absolutely, totally. The "if factor" is resolved; my ambivalence has evaporated. I'm enjoying EVERY mile on my bike.

The crummy Key West rental bike that helped awaken me to change.

I realized something had shifted with some shock upon my return from a Key West vacation. While there I rode every day, on a ridiculous single speed rental bike that fit terribly and was maintained even worse. Some days I wanted to ride and others I rode because I made a goal to ride every day this year. So ride I did, up and down the island on that hot mess. And somehow, upon my return to Ohio and my perfectly-crafted-for-me bike, things were different. But why?? Was it the relief of homecoming after riding that broken alien steed for some 80 miles? Maybe.

But I'm guessing that my new and unexpected love of riding began not with Key West but with a commitment I made at the beginning of 2016—that I was going to ride every single day this year, no matter what. Declarations like that are very powerful, I'm learning anew in my bike life. Less than one month in and there is no more "if". There's only riding for me, from here on out. How about you? 

Join me—commit today!

Happy February! 
—Catherine

Emily's Yay Bikes! Journey

Posted 1/26/16 by Tiffany Dixon, updated 5/22/17 by Meredith Reed

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Yay Bikes! Journeys recount how Yay Bikes! is transforming lives and communities, from the perspective of those we’ve impacted. In this installment, we hear from board chair Emily Monnig about how Yay Bikes! is providing a way for her to create a better future for her daughter. 

Emily riding with her young daughter.

““Yay Bikes! is working so comfortably to influence infrastructure because we are so good at fostering relationships. We’re having success because we’re not fighting and battling, we’re working with people.””

— Emily Monnig

CRUISING WITH BIKE NERDS: “Biking is in my bones. My grandparents were total bike nerds back in the day!”

Biking is in Emily’s bones. Her grandparents, graduates of The Ohio State University, were what Emily calls “bike nerds". In the 1930s and 40s they cruised up and down High Street, and all around the Columbus of their day. Growing up in Northeast Ohio, Emily remembers when her grandparents would visit, load bikes and all the grandkids into the car and take the whole family to explore nearby trails. Their love of life on two wheels was infectious, and eventually their grandchildren caught on.

When Emily moved to Flagstaff, AZ, she met her future husband, Dan, at a bike shop he co-owned. Soon after meeting, the pair were looking for a change and settled on a move to Denver for its walkability, bikeability and liveability. “I just like to live in places where I can walk or bike,” Emily said. Their plan was to start a business. But just weeks before their scheduled move, Dan and Emily found themselves in Columbus, where they had family nearby. And their plans changed.

Emily's grandmother (pictured) and grandfather influenced her early passion for biking.

SETTING UP SHOP: “I had visited other cities and knew it was possible to get people commuting by bike.”

Having traveled from city to city experiencing various bike cultures first-hand, Emily knew the possibilities for a bike friendly community. “I had visited other cities and knew it was possible to get people commuting by bike,” Emily said. She understood the benefits biking could bring to the people who live within a city, its businesses and community at large. She and Dan wanted just that for the place they decided to grow their roots, the place they called home: Columbus!

In 2008, Emily and Dan opened their commuting-only bike shop on High Street...right before the economy tanked. The business in which they had invested their hopes and dreams was no longer sustainable. If they wanted to succeed, their whole approach had to change. So, they focused on serving the urban commuter, and helping foster a new community of transportation cyclists here.

Emily helps organize many bike events

COMBINING FORCES: “Being involved with Yay Bikes! is an extension of everything I do. It completes it.”

Over the years, Emily firmly believes that Paradise Garage has thrived through giving back to Columbus’ bike community. The shop started small by hosting community rides. Eventually they began hosting bike themed art exhibits, sponsoring film screenings and getting more involved in advocacy. In 2011, Emily joined the Yay Bikes! Board of Directors; in 2016 she became its Chair.

“I joined the board because it was like, 'I have a passion, you have a passion, let’s get together and see where it goes',” Emily said. “I liked that there was thought and intention behind the organization. Change had to happen because there was a balance between teaching people to use bikes and teaching our community how to embrace bikes.” 

Emily and Dan (right) at the first Year of Yay! ride in 2012. Photo credit: Bill Ferriot

The whole fam, storefront at Paradise Garage. Photo credit: Barb Seckler

WITNESSING CHANGE: “I grew up where bikes were strictly recreational, but my daughter will grow up in a different era, where we ride on roads for transportation!”

Emily has been excited to continue supporting transformational experiences for people who ride in Columbus. One development—the protected bike lanes Yay Bikes! helped facilitate on 4th and Summit—is particularly thrilling for Emily. Now she and Dan, with toddler in tow, can easily and safely commute from their home in Clintonville to their shop in the Short North. In her leadership role, Emily plans to continue developing Yay Bike!' strengths to deepen relationships and evolve Columbus’ bike infrastructure. “It’s a great thing to be in the middle of Columbus and to see the evolution of cycling here,” she says. "These are exciting times for our city, and our organization!"

Yay Bikes! is grateful to Emily for her wicked smarts, her steady leadership, her thoughtfulness and generosity. We appreciate her vast and often unsung contribution to the Columbus bike scene, and for her contribution to building a sustainable bicycle advocacy organization through service to Yay Bikes!

Helmets off to you, friend!

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To share your Yay Bikes! Journey, contact Meredith to set up a chat!

Taking the next step with Yay Bikes!

Volunteers chillaxin' after their Bike the Cbus shifts. 

So you’re looking to get more involved in Yay Bikes!, eh? Sweet! Here’s how:

BECOME A MEMBER

Regardless of how you see yourself being involved with Yay Bikes!, step one will always be to become a member. When you invest in an annual membership—which, at $25/year, is eminently accessible to most (not to mention, if you really can't afford it, we’re open to trade for some in-kind services)—it serves as a declaration that this cause and this community matters to you. In fact, it matters so much that you’re willing to fund full-time staff members to make full-time bicycle advocacy happen. We want people on our team who are passionate at that level, because a sizable and engaged membership predicts advocacy outcomes.

VOLUNTEER

The “what” of volunteering, i.e., our available entry-level opportunities, is not nearly so important as the “who”, i.e., the “who we should be to be an effective Yay Bikes! volunteer”. Our volunteers consistently manifest our core values—because “meaningful relationships” are key to our theory of change. What this looks like in practice is:

• Committing to a job by registering in advance on our website or emailing staff
• Fulfilling that job as defined, or communicating well in advance if you cannot
• Upholding our core values at all times throughout the process

Members who have demonstrated an ability to manifest our core values, either outside the organization or by volunteering in our entry-level jobs—like parking bikes in the corral, assembling buttons for Year of Yay! or registering people for Bike the Cbus—are eligible to manage part of a bigger job. That might entail leading or sweeping a Year of Yay! ride, greeting cyclists at the bike corral or designing a Bike the Cbus route, etc. Members who manifest the core values and have special skills or training may be invited to take even greater leadership roles—for example, to join our board or assume accountability for an entire project, such as the Ride of Silence, a Yay Bikes! fund-raising event, Year of Yay!, bike corral site supervision, etc. That's right. Yay Bikes! members have a unique opportunity to explore ourselves as a leaders and get the support needed to be successful. Reach out to someone on staff and grab it!

GIVE

When you give to Yay Bikes!, what you’re doing in practical terms is providing us with discretionary funds—i.e., funds we can use at our discretion, without the need to attach them to any particular program. Basically this funding stream goes to funding our operations—non-program staff, technology, rent, office supplies, etc. That's right: our overhead. Overhead has gotten a bad rap in the philanthropic world, but it seems some people have (thankfully!) begun to come back around to the idea that (gasp!) it costs money to run an effective organization.

Membership is always, as noted above, step one. But gifts above that $25/year make a huge difference to our efficiency and effectiveness, because they allow us to invest in the essential organizational functions that program grants simply do not cover. Even better? Giving a regular amount on a regular basis (an option that you can set up to run automatically through your bank) allows us to predict our monthly cash flow and just might make the difference between whether we feel like we can increase investment and expand existing programming or invest in new services. This is a no-joke proposition—we are an extremely lean organization and YOUR GIFT could be what it takes to move us to the next level.

SHARE

We have lots of love to go around, and we transform lives. Bring a friend along for the ride, literally (ha)! Neither of you will regret it!

Biking as transformation

Catherine Girves, Yay Bikes! Executive Director

'From the Saddle' is a monthly note from our Executive Director. 

You may be surprised to know that I don't care whether you ride a bike. In fact, no one at Yay Bikes! really cares whether you ride a bike or don't ride a bike. While most of us like to ride bikes, and help other people like to ride bikes too, our organization doesn't exist just to get people to ride bikes. I know, I know: part of our mission is to get people to ride bikes! So—huh?!?!

See I happen to think riding a bike is an important thing people can do to feel profoundly connected—to their best selves, to their fellow (wo)man, to their place and the environment, to their version of The Divine. I think it's an entirely unique experience in that regard, different from, say, the experience most of us have playing chess. And because it can offer us such a sense of connectedness in an increasingly disconnected world, I truly believe, because I've experienced it myself and witnessed it in countless others, that bicycling transforms lives. 

So no, Yay Bikes! does not exist because we think people should ride bikes, as if we were instigating an arbitrary, moralistic finger wag for the lapses of modern (wo)man. Yay Bikes! exists because we know that bicycling provides access to transformation.

So yes, Yay Bikes! does want you to ride a bike! But if you have another access to connection and transformation, go for it. Regardless of your orientation to actually getting on a bike and riding it, I hope you'll support the type of transformation we're up to. Because I tell you with certainty that we at Yay Bikes! are creating a beautiful world for all of us, cyclist or not: from the experience of "badassery" in a woman who overcomes fear to ride roads, to the safe streets that allow a grandpa to take his time in a crosswalk, to the quiet traffic that encourages a family to play on their front lawn.

This work matters.

Read our stories.

Join us.

Happy January!
—Catherine

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"

Ray's Yay Bikes! Journey

Posted by Tiffany Dixon 12/21/15, updated 4/26/17 by Meredith Reed

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Yay Bikes! Journeys recount how Yay Bikes! is transforming lives and communities, from the perspective of those we’ve impacted. In this installment, we hear from board member Ray George about how his leadership with Yay Bikes! has changed the city he moved to and fell in love with 10 years ago. 

Ray served Yay Bikes! as Board Chair for several years.

“Yay Bikes! is pulling together the public-at-large, private business and government, to create a safer environment for cycling in Columbus. And doing it in a way that other cities should really be learning from.”

— Ray George

MOVING TO COLUMBUS: “I had never ridden in a city, so it was completely magical.”

In 2007, Ray moved to Columbus from West Virginia for his wife to attend law school here. “She was in school so I had a lot of time on my hands…a lot of time.” To pass it, he befriended a group of retirees who happened to be avid cyclists, and they helped Ray overcome the fear he'd had since a bad crash at age 17. He eventually found himself alongside dozens of fellow riders in Downtown Columbus near midnight on a Monday Night Ride. The streets were empty, nearly silent as the group of rowdy riders breezed past old, abandoned buildings under the night sky. Ray was captivated; he was in love. 

FILLING GAPS: “You don’t see the whole city unless you’re on a bike.”

As Ray became more involved with the local bicycling community, and began to explore regionally as well, he noticed that Columbus was lacking some things that made other cities' bike scenes sizzle—a citywide ride, for one, and a powerful bicycle advocacy group for another. Ultimately, he stepped up to do something about both. 

Bike the Cbus was born out of Ray’s desire to get people out on bikes so they could really experience Columbus. “Every time you get on a bike, it’s an adventure. You don’t see the whole city unless you’re on a bike.” Celebrating its 10th anniversary in 2017, Bike the Cbus introduces hundreds of riders each year to Columbus' unique and evolving inner-ring neighborhoods. 

After working together on Bike the Cbus and several other initiatives, Yay Bikes! founder Meredith Joy invited Ray to join the organization's board in 2011. His natural leadership tendencies soon got him elected as Chair, a position he held through 2015. “I felt it was something I could do to help change for the positive,” he said of the experience. “Whether it’s for their health, the environment or something else, biking can be the answer. I see bicycling as the lowest hanging fruit to get people out of the car.” .

Meredith Joy with Ray at the first-ever Year of Yay! ride in January 2012.

A rare photo of Ray heading up the first-ever Bike the Cbus in 2008.

LEAVING A LEGACY: “Leading in this organization has shown me that small groups of people can make big change.”

Although others will say Ray is a natural leader, he sees himself as the creator of tools to help others create their own experiences, and always defers to the magic of the group effort. “I think my attitude has been to support programs or events that help change behavior,” he says. "I just want the organization to succeed." By all measures, it has, thanks in no small part to Ray's contribution (see more about that, below)!

Bike the Cbus 2016

Ride the Elevator 2016

A note from our Executive Director, upon Ray's resignation as Board Chair in December 2015:

It’s no coincidence that the ascendancy of Central Ohio’s Golden Age of Bicycling (in my estimation: right now, into infinity) coincides with Ray George’s move to Columbus 8 years ago. Because regardless Ray’s insistence on remaining behind the scenes, and the fact that most people don’t realize it: all of us in Central Ohio’s cycling community owe a debt of gratitude to this man. If you’re not yet inaugurated into the Cult of Ray, well pay your dues; read up on Columbus Rides Bikes; check out Tuesday Night Rides, a gravel grinder or bike camping trip; and get with it. I mean, can you imagine? Columbus didn't have a citywide bicycle ride before Ray! And because that’s just who he is, he rolled up his sleeves, got to work and made Bike the Cbus happen. 

Then there’s the whole matter of Yay Bikes!, an organization that went from nothing to our region’s premier bicycle advocacy organization in just a few short years. Under Ray's leadership, Yay Bikes!:

• Launched a membership program that, 3 years later, boasted more than 850 members
• Hired 5 staff members and tripled our budget
• Brought Bike the Cbus into the fold, started Year of Yay! and created Ride the Elevator
• Prioritized the communications strategy that helped position us as the region’s thought leader
• Positioned the Board for its next transition in composition and leadership

But it is, as they say, the end of an era: after 4+ years as Board Chair, Ray George led his last Yay Bikes! board meeting last night.  

We’d be devastated, of course, except that he’s agreed to stick around for a bit to serve as Immediate Past Chair on our Executive Committee, and he’ll carry on with leadership of Bike the Cbus, Ride the Elevator and other fun bike rides he will no doubt soon be dreaming up.  

So things have changed, as they do, but some will stay the same. That’s right—you’ll find the two of us most Thursday mornings at Upper Cup Coffee from 7–9am just like always, dreamin' and schemin' and plottin' world domination. Come say hi!

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To share your Yay Bikes! Journey, contact Meredith to set up a chat!

"It's all new for me this year, everyday biking." - Will's Story

Will with his wife, Diana, and daughter, Avril, explore Columbus by bike whenever weather permits.

Name: Will Koehler
Lives in: Clintonville
Works in: Clintonville

“My interest was piqued.”

Will’s love affair with bikes and biking started early. He’s been riding since he was 8-years-old, or 10, he can’t quite remember. His Dad got Will and his friends out on bikes at an early age. Together they pedaled the one-lane country roads near their home in Oxford, Ohio. Quickly, Will was enamored. He joined a bike club and became a regular recreational cyclist.

When he relocated to Columbus in 1986 Will found himself cycling the “big city” recreationally on his way out to less populated country roads. It was a client who lived in Connecticut who helped Will see bicycling a little differently. During a visit to Connecticut, Will’s client invited him to travel in to work by bike. The 30-mile commute served as training ride for upcoming bicycle races and was a better option to driving through rush hour. What was a long, congested commute by car became a scenic morning bike ride. During this trip “I realized that biking could be transportation,” Will said.

Will’s revelation left him inspired. For years he continued to ride recreationally, but started mixing recreational bike rides with occasional 12-mile commutes to work. Then, about seven years ago, Will was left without a car to get around. Building on his foundation of recreational riding and occasional commuting, Will started biking as his main source of transportation.

Hungry to learn how Columbus could make traveling by bike an option for more people, he started digging into blogs, articles, books, news, anything that could help him teach him how cities can make the roads safer. “I knew about Yay Bikes! for years. It wasn’t until the engineer rides came along that my interest was piqued.”

“I watched them begin to see things differently.”

In October 2014, Will met Yay Bikes! Executive Director, Catherine Girves. During their conversation, Catherine mentioned an upcoming bike ride with engineers from the City of Columbus. A firm believer that better road infrastructure is the key to change the way people travel, Will was excited. “I didn’t invite myself on that ride which is what I really wanted.” Luckily, Catherine saw Will’s passion and knowledge. She invited him to ride with Yay Bikes! and the engineers.

Catherine and Will showed up with bike lights and the attitude to foster a productive relationship with city engineers. “It was a great opportunity to get our voices heard and to be in front of people who can change the way our roads are designed,” Will said. For the first time the engineers experienced the road from a bicyclist’s perspective on downtown streets during rush hour.

“I watched them begin to see things differently.” This shifted Will’s perspective even more and opened up the possibilities of biking in Columbus, especially as improvements to Columbus’ bike infrastructure were made.

“It’s everyday biking.”

He still trains and rides with old teammates, but Will is learning bit by bit that biking is actually simpler than he realized. “There’s no need for fancy equipment or special clothes – slowly I’m letting go of all this baggage and the perception that biking needs to be complicated and athletic. I’m learning that a bike is a simple tool you can use in your daily life.” Will said. “Taking it to the core essence, biking is as easy as walking, only faster.”

Just in the past few years, Will’s lengthy recreational rides on country roads have morphed into weekend family excursions. “It’s all new for me this year, everyday biking.” Will and his family use bikes not only for daily transportation, but also as a way to explore the city.

On Sunday’s, Will, his wife and young daughter load up on their bikes and travel throughout the city. “As long as weather permits, we’re going to be on a bike. We can get all over Columbus pretty easily,” Will said. With help from Yay Bikes! and city-wide infrastructure improvements Will sees riding the streets of Columbus differently. He’s learned favorite routes for travel, but he and his family have also found a new kind of adventure.

Will sees this shift nationwide. People are moving away from the notion that clothes, shoes, a certain kind of bike, or specific routes are requirements to biking. Will thinks – and hopes – this trend will continue as more people start to adopt everyday biking into their lives.

'Giving' ride recap

{Ed note: Thanks to ride leader and guest blog post contributor Rob Hendricks!}

Saturday's ride was one of the longer ones this year, but the weather was so nice it was hard to tell (60s, say what?!)!

From Whole Foods Market on Lane Avenue we rode our loaded cargo bikes, recumbents with full trunks, commuters with full panniers, and every other type of bike imaginable, and headed southwest to Lutheran Social Services' West Side Food Pantry. They had to bring carts out to haul the food our riders brought to donate!

After some miles and a few climbs, we came across the Charity Newsies volunteers at an intersection. Riders were quickly pulling out their wallets and handing over donations before the light could turn green.

We continued on to WCMH NBC4 Studios on Olentangy River Road, where Firefighters for Kids was having a massive toy drop off campaign. We rode our bikes through, dropping off a large number of toys and meeting the Channel 4 news team. Jim Ganahl expressed amazement at all of the different types of bikes!

We then headed back to Whole Foods to enjoy their hospitality, with food and drinks, one last time. Thanks for the memories, Whole Foods Market Lane Avenue! We'll miss you, but we're looking forward to a new start at the Easton store next year.

“Yay Bikes! gave us a whole new perspective.”

City of Columbus Department of Public Service Engineers:

• Bud Braughton, Downtown and Special Projects, Division of Design and Construction
• Daniel Moorhead, Division of Infrastructure Management
• Steve Wasosky, Design Section Manager, Division of Design and Construction
• Richard Ortman, Project Manager and Bridge Engineer, Division of Design and Construction (NOT PICTURED)

“How can we continue to improve and take the next step to make Columbus one of the top biking cities in the nation?” 

Under Mayor Michael B. Coleman’s leadership, the Columbus Department of Public Service in October 2014 escalated its commitment to supporting bicyclists and enhancing the city’s bike infrastructure. At that time, Public Service Director Tracie Davies reached out to Yay Bikes! for a meeting with City staff. With maps of the city splayed over their tables, they asked us “How can we improve and take the next step in making Columbus one of the top biking cities in the nation? They wanted feedback from real, everyday bicyclists. Our response: let’s ride!

“I need to experience it.”

A few weeks after that meeting, engineers Bud Braughton, Richard Ortman, and Daniel Moorhead, each with a different infrastructure specialization—downtown and Ohio Department of Transportation projects, bridges, and bikes respectively—found themselves riding the roads with representatives from Yay Bikes!.  “I want to use good engineering judgment and keep it safe for everyone, so I need to be back on a bike and experience it,” Bud said.

Each engineer had his own previous experience with bicycling. Bud hadn’t ridden much since his teenage years when he cruised through his neighborhood on the west side before gaining his driver’s license and “freedom.” Richard biked sometimes for recreation and even to work on occasion, using the Olentangy bike path. Daniel was a seasoned bicyclist, having picked it up when he was hired by the Department of Public Service as a bike transportation engineer.

Despite different levels of comfort and experience, most of the engineers were apprehensive of this approach. None of them expected the results that came out of the initial ride. They each vividly recall that first experience riding with Yay Bikes!.

“Because I like to ride on bike paths, I typically would not ride alone on downtown streets,” says Richard. “I had some trepidation, but I never turn down a learning opportunity.”

“Yay Bikes! gave us a whole new perspective.”

“It was a lot different than we expected,” Bud said. “As engineers, we’re focused on making it work, but Yay Bikes! gave us input from a customer perspective.” This feedback has helped the engineers and their team grow in their understanding of needs for bike infrastructure and how it related to the details of their ongoing projects.

“It was nice to have Yay Bikes! share their concerns, which factor into our decisions,” Bud said. The collaboration yielded a first for Columbus. “One of those decisions was to add protected bike lanes to our roads,” Richard said. “You’ve [Yay Bikes!] enhanced our previous understanding of the danger of a door zone and the need for a buffer,” Richard added. “It’s good to see what works well in Columbus.”

“Biking is important.”

The success from their relationship with Yay Bikes! has translated to a more collaborative working environment and a bike-centric office culture. “This is the next step in the evolution of meeting Mayor’s goal of making this one of the top biking cities in the nation,” Daniel said. “The department and Yay Bikes! are part of a culture shift in Columbus. It’s really refreshing.”

The engineers now ride city streets at least monthly to check in on their projects. Representatives from the Columbus Recreation and Parks Department and the Columbus Public Health Department often join them to offer input on projects in the planning phase. And each has incorporated more bike trips into their non-work lives as well. “We just want our projects to be the best they can be for all users,” Bud said.

Looking to the future: bike design involvement is growing

You can see the evolution, the culture shift, all around Columbus. Since the City implemented its Bikeways Plan in 2008, investments in bicycle infrastructure have blossomed. The City has installed 34 miles of bike lanes, 2,400 sharrows on 60 miles of streets, constructed 11.6 miles of shared use paths, installed 320 Share the Road signs, 460 bike racks and 23 queue boxes. The City has also introduced the CoGo bike share program, with 390 bikes at 41 bicycle stations across the city.

In an effort to accelerate the addition of bike facilities and their delivery time, the Department of Public Service Design Section has begun generating plans for new bike facilities in-house. This allows for ideas to be implemented much more quickly and provides better oversight of consistent standards being used throughout the City.  It is an exciting time.  On-street bike facilities are an evolving part of roadway design, and new ideas are being implemented in Columbus and across the country. That’s why it is critical to make these facilities safe and understandable to all right of way users. Department of Public Service Design Section Manager Steve Wasosky joined the Engineer rides in the Spring of 2015. 

“Riding these locations has been an essential tool to see conflicts and concerns that may not have been noticed when looking at only a two-dimensional plan view on paper,” Steve said. “Most of us already have a perspective on driving the roadway and the many concerns, but having the biking perspective on the same corridors dramatically helps the design provide a safer more user friendly ride,” Steve said.

Where to ride on the road

Updated January 2018

Cyclists in the correct lane position: a beautiful sight to behold.

Cyclists may have a right to the road, but how that right translates into actual road riding is not inherently clear. And a theoretical right can become an actual wrong if you end up flattened by a car!

Ironically, in our experience the mistake that cyclists most often make is being too accommodating of motor vehicle traffic. Of course! Because cars are loud and fast and we can feel the danger on our skin! And it's rude hogging the road when motorists could be using it so much more efficiently! But when we ride too far to the right of the road—or worse, on the sidewalk—we become invisible and unpredictable to motorists. You can see why in this video we created (with funding from ODOT) for practitioners of youth bicycle programming statewide:

WHERE TO RIDE

Where we ride on the road is the single best tool we have for averting crashes with motor vehicles. Cyclists inadvertently encourage motorists' bad behavior by maintaining lane positions that invite them to squeeze their cars alongside us when there's really no room to spare. While it's true that bad driving causes most crashes, when cyclists position ourselves to be visible and predictable to motorists we have a safer and more peaceful experience.

We have some quick tips below for how to position yourself on the road, but check out the EXCELLENT this, this and this for more in-depth coverage of the topic. Now, then:

Ride on the road.

Riding on the sidewalk is illegal in the City of Columbus, but more than that—it’s dangerous to ride on the sidewalk. Paradoxically, cyclists are more likely to be hit by a car riding on the sidewalk than they are riding on the road! This is because cyclists are most vulnerable at intersections, and every curb cut—4-way light-regulated stops with crosswalks, of course, but also alleys, driveways, garage entry/exit points, etc.—is an intersection. A motorist's view can be blocked by buildings, plants or other cars, and particularly those making a turn may not be able to stop in time when they do finally register your presence, because you're going faster than the pedestrians they expect to see. Riding in the street puts you within motorists' lines of sight and gives them time to react to you.

Ride at least 3’ from the curb. 

Riding closer to the curb than 3' puts you at risk of having to swerve into traffic to maneuver around hazards like glass, trash, potholes, storm grates, etc. etc. etc. And depending on the width of the road, you could end up squeezed if a car happens to be passing while another is approaching from the opposite direction (i.e., the passing car has no room to cross the double yellow line). So even though sometimes there seems to be enough space to ride near the curb, it's safer for us to force drivers to slow down and maneuver safely around us.

Ride at least 6’ from parked cars.

Riding in "the door zone" is a sure way to get a car door flung into your path. If you're within 3–4’ of a car, you're in danger of ramming the door itself; if you're within within 4–6’ of a car, you're in danger of swerving into traffic to avoid ramming the door. Ride 6' from parked cars to have full clearance and room to maneuver—and maintain a straight line! Every time you retreat to the curb at a break in a line of parked cars you create a need to merge back into traffic—and weaving in and out of traffic is unpredictable behavior that puts you at risk.

Ride in the middle of a narrow lane.

Physics exists! Which means that narrow lanes simply can't accommodate both you and a motor vehicle at the same time. In this situation—regardless of your speed or traffic conditions—you simply must ride in the center of the lane to prevent cars from passing too closely.

Ride in a bike lane…or don’t.

Bike lanes can reduce crash rates, but they can also be poorly designed, littered or otherwise putting you at risk. Luckily we have no legal requirement to ride within bicycle facilities! If you feel unsafe riding in a bike lane, or need to leave the lane to make a left turn, that is a legitimate and lawful choice.

Ride to prepare for your destination.

Just as when you're driving a car, you always want to choose the rightmost lane that serves your destination. That lane might indeed be the far-right lane, if, for example, you're headed straight and there are no turn lanes or bus- or taxi-only lanes in your path. But it might just as well be the middle lane, if, for example, you're  on a 3-lane road during rush hour and you're preparing to make a left turn in two blocks. It could even be the far-left lane, if you're approaching two left turn only lanes and the leftmost turn lane best positions you to turn left again immediately after the intersection. Always be preparing for your next move and choose your lane based on where you want to end up.

DECIDING WHERE TO RIDE

All of the above does not suggest you need to rock the middle lane of Sawmill Road at rush hour. Yes, you will want to follow the advice above regardless of the road or its traffic conditions (no, really!), but no doubt there are several routes to your destination. Read our advice on planning a route and be on your way!

HOW YAY BIKES! CAN HELP

This whole lane positioning thing is TOTALLY OUR JAM! This is what we do—we teach people where to ride on the roads. Let us help you. Come on a ride with us* and we'll teach you the ways of urban bike zen (oooommmmmmmm!). And you will be transformed!

*Our on-road educational rides are $300 for up to 5 people. Gather your friends for a fun 2-hour ride showcasing Downtown Columbus—any time that works for you! Contact us to schedule a ride today!

Cyclists' legal rights

Updated July 2017

Cyclists on a Year of Yay! ride claim their right to the road, and stay safe.

There’s no bike law expert like the guy shouting at you out their car window, amiright?

…sigh…

It may surprise you (no it won’t) to know that most people have no clue how cyclists are supposed to conduct themselves on the road. Everyone is pretty clear that “Hey, you gotta stop at red lights too, man!”, but beyond that they’re making it up—uncharitably. In general, people tend to emphasize cyclists’ responsibilities and de-emphasize or outright ignore cyclists' right to the road. Often cyclists themselves don’t fully appreciate their rights or how they translate into lawful riding practice. But in terms of your personal safety, it’s confusion about your rights, more so than a sometimes-failure to uphold the law, that contributes to bike/car altercations. So let’s learn some bike law, y’all!

KNOW YOUR RIGHTS

Knowing your rights will fundamentally change how you ride. Which is a good thing! You probably ride like a big, fat, slobbering apology, and it’s putting you in harm’s way! 

The first thing to know is that bicycles are classified as vehicles in the Ohio Revised Code (ORC)—just like cars, big rigs, motorcycles and scooters, tractors, RVs, Amish buggies and more.

OK, but so what?

Well, see, anyone who chooses to travel in road-legal vehicle, as defined by the ORC, has the exact same right to the road as anyone else. Period. Size and speed are irrelevant to the question of who can claim the most fundamental of all transportation-related rights: the right of way. In legalese, right of way is defined as:

“The right of a vehicle…to proceed uninterruptedly in a lawful manner in the direction in which it…is moving in preference to another vehicle…approaching from a different direction into its…path.”—Ohio Revised Code 4511.01

Translated, via analogy: Imagine yourself at a public water fountain. As long as you’re using it legally (not, say, poisoning the water supply), no one is allowed to tackle you in order to take their turn. Everyone must stand in line to wait until you’re done, regardless of how long it takes. They may have strong feelings about that, but regardless, assault is a no-no. Similarly, use of public roads is a case of first come, first served—which has some pretty radical implications for cyclists:

We cannot “impede traffic”.

The State of Ohio Court of Appeals ruled in State v Selz that requiring cyclists to travel at the speed of motor vehicle traffic would effectively ban them from public roadways, which is not what the law intends. This ruling is important because it affirms the idea that cyclists impeding traffic is nonsensical; we are traffic! Vehicle operators can’t be expected to maintain speeds faster than the inherent speed of the vehicle in/on which they’ve chosen to travel. And just as farm equipment can’t be expected to maintain a speed of 55mph, bicycles can’t be expected to maintain a consistent 25mph.

We do not have to “share the road”. 

“Share the road” is a horrible, terrible made-up phrase meant to help cyclists assert their right to a lane. But it is commonly misinterpreted by motorists to mean that cyclists should share our lane with (ahem, defer to) them. Again—size, speed and traffic volume are irrelevant when it comes to who’s got right of way, and nothing in the law requires us to yield to other traffic, for any reason apart from the usual (e.g., merging, stop signs, etc.). In fact, it can be extremely dangerous to do so!

We need not ride “as far right as possible”.  

The law says to ride “as far to the right as practicable”, NOT “as far to the right as possible”. The distinction is everything. To ride as far right as possible would keep cyclist forever in the rightmost lane, close enough to the curb and parked cars to clip them. But to ride as far right as practicable is to ride as far to the right as is safe and reasonable for you. In fact, there are many reasons to avoid a far-right position on the road, and no one—not cops*, not judges, not fellow cyclists, not your mom, not crazed motorists—can dictate otherwise. We decide where we ride. Here again is the ORC:

This section does not require a person operating a bicycle to ride at the edge of the roadway when it is unreasonable or unsafe to do so. Conditions that may require riding away from the edge of the roadway include when necessary to avoid fixed or moving objects, parked or moving vehicles, surface hazards, or if it otherwise is unsafe or impracticable to do so, including if the lane is too narrow for the bicycle and an overtaking vehicle to travel safely side by side within the lane.—Ohio Revised Code 4511.55, Section C

THE BOTTOM LINE

As A cyclist, YOU can ride literally anywhere on the road, going any speed, regardless of traffic conditions.

CLAIM YOUR RIGHTS

At this point your mind very well may be blown. You may be thinking, “yeah well, that’s all fine and good but how does my theoretical right to the road translate into actual not getting killed?!” Or maybe, "That is THE! RUDEST!" Or, "Yeah, but I'm sure she's not accounting for...". Or perhaps you’re feeling empowered in a way you never have before.

Ironically, to the extent that cyclists can control safety outcomes vis-a-vis motor vehicle drivers, the safest way to ride is to assert your right to the road (indeed, it's downright dangerous not to). This is because excessively accommodating motor vehicle traffic renders a bicyclist invisible and unpredictable to drivers. It is therefore critical that you take a lane when necessary, refuse to yield when it’s not safe to do so and ride far enough from the curb that you can safely maneuver around hazards. It’s true that drivers may have all sorts of feels about that. But it’s not “rude” to exercise your right of way, to take up time and space on the road. It’s your right and you need to claim it—not for the sake of it or to be a jerk, of course, but to keep yourself safe! 

HOW YAY BIKES! CAN HELP

It tends to surprise people how much they can influence motorists’ behavior by exercising their right of way and riding visibly and predictably in the proper lane position. Join us on an educational ride to gain the confidence you need to assert your rights and stay safe out there! Yay Bikes! members ride free on our monthly How We Roll educational bike rides, but space is limited so register now!

In the meantime, for some easy reading, check out Bob Mionske's classic Bicycling and the Law: Your Rights as a Cyclist to learn ALLLLL the nuances of bike law.

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*If you’re given a ticket for failure to yield, impeding traffic, being too far from the curb, etc.—be polite to the officer, but fight it in court. Because you will win.

Cyclists’ legal responsibilities

Following the rules of the road? Pure joy!

Around these parts we focus much more on cyclists' right to the road than their legal responsibilities. For one thing, cyclists are at higher risk for not fully appreciating and enacting their rights than they are for failing to uphold the law. For another, most Americans have learned to drive, and most of the rules for driving also apply when we ride. Nevertheless, there are some particulars you'll want to know to stay on the right side of the law and to stay safe. Below is a summary of the biggies outlined in the Ohio Revised Code's (ORC) Chapter 4511. Various local municipal codes tend to vary slightly from the ORC, so always check the code that applies in your 'hood. Now, then...

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TRAFFIC FLOW: ORC 4511.55 Operating bicycles and motorcycles on roadway.

Cyclists riding on a roadway should ride as near to the right side of the road as practicable (not as far to the right as possible). We may travel two abreast but not more. 

PATHWAYS: ORC 4511.051 Freeways—prohibited acts., ORC 4511.07 Local traffic regulations.

Bicycles are permitted to ride on any roadway except freeways. Local authorities may further regulate where bicycles are allowed to operate—for example, some municipalities don’t permit sidewalk riding while others explicitly do—but they may not prohibit the use of bicycles on any public street or highway. 

EQUIPMENT: ORC 4511.56 Bicycle signal devices.

Lights: Bicycles operating in low light or inclement weather must be equipped with: 1) a front white light visible from at least 500’ to the front and 300’ to the sides (this light may also be on the cyclist), 2) a red reflector on the rear visible from 100–600’ when illuminated and 3) a steady or flashing red light visible from 500’ to the rear (which may be combined with the reflector). Red lights should not be used on the front and white lights should not be used on the rear of the bicycle. 

Sounds: Bells are fine; sirens and whistles not so much.

Brakes: Every bike must have a functioning brake (We’re lookin’ at you, Mr Fixie). 

HELMETS

Bicycle helmets are not mentioned within the ORC, but some local codes require their use for at least some members of the populace (e.g., children under age 18).  

YIELDING & OVERTAKING—ORC 4511, many clauses.

No specific bicycle ordinance here, just do precisely as the motorist does—yield when turning left and to pedestrians, funeral processions, emergency vehicles, etc. Stop at red lights and stop signs. Overtake vehicles on the left, not the right. 

SIGNALING—ORC 4511.39 Turn and stop signals.; ORC 4511.40 Hand and arm signals.

Cyclists are required to signal our intention to turn, change lanes OR stop (no, really!), with two exceptions: 1) when we are in a turn-only lane and 2) when we need both our hands on the handlebars to maintain our safety. Left turns should be signaled by extending the left arm horizontally, right turns by extending the left arm upward or right arm horizontally and stops by extending either arm downward. 

SHENANIGANS: ORC 4511.53 Operation of bicycles, motorcycles and snowmobiles, 4511.54 Prohibition against attaching bicycles and sleds to vehicles. 

Cyclists can’t operate a bike: 1) while carrying anything that prevents at least one hand from being on the handle bars, 2) with more than one person on it (unless the bicycle is equipped for that purpose, like a tandem) or 3) that is attached to another moving vehicle. Also, at least in the City of Columbus, it is unlawful to ride with headphones covering both ears. 

PENALTIES: ORC 4511.52 Bicycles—issuance of ticket—points not assessed.

Cyclists found to be violating any provision of traffic law may be ticketed and required to pay a fine and/or attend a bicycle safety course. With the exception of Operating a Vehicle Impaired (OVI) offenses, cyclists who commit traffic violations do not have points assessed against their driver’s license. 

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So now you know! No excuses! :) If you would like to learn more, or practice with experienced riders, join us on an educational ride to gain the confidence you need to assert your rights and stay safe out there! Yay Bikes! members ride free on our monthly How We Roll educational bike rides, but space is limited so register now!