The first ‘Ohio Women’s Bicycling Summit,’ was a success.

About eight months ago, I had my two friends Mimi Webb and Jeannie Martin join me for a beer so that I could present them with an idea.  I went to California the end of last summer for two separate Bicycle Conferences.  At both conferences, there were specific ‘women forums’ to continue to forward efforts of increasing women ridership here in the U.S.  Leaving California, I was both inspired and new what I had to do in Ohio.  Fast forward to the evening with Mimi and Jeannie.  I told them I planned to organize the first statewide ‘Ohio Women’s Bicycling Summit’ and would they be interested in joining me in this effort.  Immediately, they said ‘hell yes!”  So, for eight months, Jeannie, Mimi, and myself met and planned out this Summit.

Interest and excitement generated, immediately.  Our main sponsors, ROLL and Trek were absolutely incredible.  Then, Detroit’s ‘Autobike’ got in touch with us.  ARC Imaging donated printing costs for us.  And last but not least, food trucks!  OH! Burgers! and Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams sponsored and killed it during lunch time  Green Bean Delivery covered all of the yummy fruits during the Summit.  Thank you to all the talented and incredible speakers:  Lisa Hinson, Tammy Krings, Marjorie Shavers, Lindsay Sherman, Lindsey Bower, Emily Burnett, Ohio’s First Lady Karen Kasich, Julie Walcoff, and Rep. Teresa Fedor.

72 women from around the state of Ohio and two women from Indiana.  The overwhelming positive responses from both the attendees and the presenters was absolutely amazing.  The Summit ran without any huge hiccups.  Women were learning, asking questions, laughing, meeting new women, and just enjoying themselves.

I’m grateful for such an amazing first Summit.  This will turn into an annual event.  My main focus is making our city inviting and safe to more modes of transportation.  Men, women, and children deserve ‘choice’ to be able to move about our cities and feel safe doing so.  Us advocates can provide the education; can organize bike rides to build confidence; but there are other components in making people feel that ‘choice,’ in moving around is priority:  political will and infrastructure.  Our wide, arterial streets need to be road dieted and designed with protected bike lanes.  The perception of safety is what I feel a lot of our engineers are missing.  I’ll say it until the light bulb goes off, ‘sharrows do not invite families to ride and feel safe on arterial streets that are four + lanes across and each lane 12+ wide.  Road diets, the narrowing of lanes, and an integrated bicycle network of green lanes, protected lanes, bike boxes, etc. will announce that our leaders are serious about inviting people of all ages to move around the city.  Our leaders making decisions need to be okay with hearing complaints instead of trying to please everyone.  When you create change, you’re gonna hear complaints but the only way to change behavior is to change the infrastructure.  You’re NOT changing the infrastructure when you lay down sharrows.

We have a long way to go and we’re doing better but…  we could be doing even MORE.  We can be building and piloting innovative and bold infrastructure that IS WORKING in other cities.  If we continue to remain status- quo as a city, we’ll continue to get left behind.

Some photos from the first ‘Ohio Women’s Bicycling Summit.’

Be safe and keep riding!

Read Full Post »

‘Girls in Gear.’ A girls-specific, youth empowerment program through the bicycle

If you follow my blog or just have seen some of my recent blog posts, you can gauge that I’m passionate about empowering women and providing them with the tools to feel confident to ride their bikes more.  I’ve began this great monthly ladies ride ’2 Wheels & Heels’ which spun from the original up in Cleveland via Lindsey Bower.  There is a niche that’s been missing here in Columbus, Ohio and it’s this inclusive group that I’ve initiated and just with word of mouth and social media, seems to grow like wildfire.

Aside from bringing together all levels of women riders, I wanted to empower younger girls.  Over the summer, I read this amazing research paper by Elizabeth Jose discussing how there really weren’t any girls-specific youth empowerment programs through the bicycle.  The light bulb went off and I knew after reading that paper that I was the right woman for the job; hence – ‘Girls in Gear.’

It is an eight week program held once a week.  There are four areas of study that this program encompasses:

1.  Bicycle Safety.  Learning the basics of bicycle safety over a two week period (lighting at night, hand signals, proper helmet fitting, ABC quick check of bike, door zone, etc.

2.  Bicycle Mechanics.  Two women professionals will come in over a two week period and go over the anatomy of the bicycle, fixing a flat exercises, gear shifting, bike cleaning and maintenance, and brakes.

3.  Urban Design.  Two women professional will come in over a two week period and discuss the basics of urban design and planning.  We’ll be conducting an audit of two streets in which the girls will then have the opportunity to re-create these two streets into their ideal, ‘safe’ street for all.

4.  Public Speaking.  The girls will then discuss in the class how they came up with their street designs.

Upon full completion of their eight weeks, the girls will be awarded a bicycle along with the opportunity to meet Mayor Coleman.  The idea is to not only discuss ‘Girls in Gear’ but to also present their newly designed streets to the Mayor and talk to him about their creations.

I want this program to continue to flourish and expand as far as it can go.  Middle school age is very tough age.  Developmental changes, physical changes, peer pressure – all these components that over consume a young girl.  Girls in Gear empowers them to learn how to fix things, problem solve, communicate, design streets to which maybe one or two them will end up going to school for City Planning or Urban Landscape Architecture – all professions that are still heavily male dominated.  The four areas of focus in this program revolve around the bike however, these development tools can be manipulated to fit into any part of a young girls life and well into adulthood.

I’m just finished my fourth week yesterday and as each week progresses, the girls just impress me more and more.

Enjoy the photos.

Stay safe and keep riding

 

Keegan created a ‘bike safety poster on ‘Sharing the Road.’

 

Lindsey’s poster was on ‘reflective clothing.’

 

Abigail’s was also on ‘Share the Road,’ the ‘do’s’ and ‘dont’s.’

Anna from Roll and Emily from Paradise Garage were the two mechanics teaching the girls the basics.  They did fabulous!

 

 

Showing the girls the ‘bare bones’ of the bicycle

 

 

After Emily and Anna went through the steps of changing a flat, the four girls practice.  All four changed a flat by themselves.  It was fantastic!

 

 

 

Abigail pumping up the tire she just changed.

Alijah and Lindsey changing another flat.  These girls ARE impressive!

 

Alijah and Lindsey both practicing releasing the brake, using the quick release and removing both front and rear tires.

 

 

Read Full Post »

’2 Wheels & Heels’ Columbus Ladies Basic Bike Mechanics – part deux

So, back in November, I organized my monthly ’2 Wheels’ night to be a basic mechanics evening.  Ladies were very interested and asked if I could set something up and of course I did.  It was a super successful evening at Paradise Garage.  Emily Burnett and Sarah Elizabeth were fantastic in teaching the ladies the basics about their bicycles.

Well, post holidays, I received requests about another basic mechanics evening since folks missed the first one as well as folks just learning so much from the first one – they wanted another.

So this time, Trek Bicycle Store off of Lane Ave hosted us.

42 women showed up last night.  Women ranging from 11 yrs old to 50′s and older.  Numerous ethnic backgrounds and riding abilities.  All women wanting to know best practices, the ‘dos’ and ‘don’t's’ when riding your bike.  Trek’s Raeda and Rhonda took the ladies through the basics of changing a flat, shifting gears, lubing your chain, cleaning your bike due to weather, riding clothing, as well as a few safety tips.  I’m very conscious of ending these events around 9pm.  We’re women and we have numerous responsibilities let alone, we seem to always over extend ourselves.  Well, last night women were asking such wonderful questions that even after the event, women stayed to continue to ask questions.

This kind of an environment was so humbling to be a part of.  It was comfortable, and nobody felt foolish when asking their questions.  The environment and the experiences that took place last night are exactly why I do this.  There IS a need for empowering women and providing women with these kinds of environments so they can build their confidence to ride more.

I feel like women left last night really excited about what they learned and about what’s to come for Women on Bikes -2013 in Columbus.  I look forward to weather being beautiful and the ’2 Wheels & Heels’ ride being out of control, over populated with women coming from all over wanting to become more confident in their riding.

Women make up over 85% of the decision making within families today.  We are the majority when it comes to volunteering in our communities as well as when it comes to taking our kids to school.  If women are confident and excited about riding their bikes, its going to be that much easier to funnel that excitement to their kids.  The bike needs to be ‘normalized’ and women will be the one’s to do this.

Enjoy the photos from last night’s mechanics.  Thanks again to Trek Bicycle Store of Lane Ave.  If you’re a fb user, be sure to search ’2 Wheels & Heels’ and ‘LIKE’ us.  Also, search for ‘Ohio Women’s Bicycling Summit’ as myself and two other colleagues are organizing the first statewide women’s bicycling summit – here in Columbus, Ohio.

Be safe and keep riding.

Read Full Post »

The Need for Tweed

So, finally the clouds parted – the sun was shining and the temperature wasn’t bone chilling.  This past Saturday was our winter Tweed ride  which was a fantastic success.  I’m guessing there were close to forty riders eagerly wanting to get back on their bikes.  Prior to the Tweed ride, I hadn’t ridden my bike in five days b/c of the ice still coating the side streets of where I live.

Beginning at Cup o’ Joe in the Short North we then hit off to Franklinton Cycle Works.  We hung out, I took more photos, and had coffee and fruit that was donated by Green Bean Delivery.  On to German Village we rode.  Every Tweed ride, we have a group photo at Schiller Park.  This group photo was one of my favorites taken b/c of the snow covered grounds.  It set a nice tone to our ride and of course, the picture.

Thanks to everyone who joined in on the ride.  I think everyone had a wonderful time.  One of the things I absolutely love about bikes and social bike rides is how it brings people together and how it creates friendships.  I notice that immediately and it puts a smile on my face.

Another Tweed ride will happen in the Spring so stay tuned.  Enjoy the photos

Be safe and keep riding.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Read Full Post »

‘Swoop and Scoop.’

One of the handful of phrases a bunch of us learned last night at the ’2 Wheels & Heels’ Columbus Ladies Night.  Last night, I organized this month’s ’2 Wheels’ event at Paradise Garage.  A handful of ladies have brought up how much they would love to learn more about their bikes.  So, with winter surely upon us, why not learn the basics about your bike so that you can be prepared and as safe as possible.

Emily and Sara of Paradise Garage were pumped to educate these women.  Immediately, when I walked into the shop, I felt comfortable and welcomed as I always do at Paradise.  Women of all ages and backgrounds started showing up and the ‘meet and greet’ hour began.  Right around seven, twelve of us women went into the back repair area where chairs and pairs of tire levers were laid out for all of us.  The backroom setup was immediately inviting and it made me even more eager for the education session to begin.

The 1.5 hr session went through everything from PSI pressure, to brake pads, to chain lube, frayed cables, to learning how to fix a flat.  Fantastic questions were asked throughout the entire session.  I would look around and see women taking notes and being completely focused on what Emily or Sara were saying.

After the session, the girls changed a few flats and realized how easy it is to take the back wheel off if you have your chain in the smallest ring  It was such an empowering evening for everyone and again, SUCH a comfortable and inviting environment.  If all bike shops provided this type of comfortable and relaxed feel, women feeling intimidated when in bike shops would be minuscule.

Last night was another absolute pleasure.  Enjoy these incredible and empowering pictures.

Be safe and keep riding.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Read Full Post »

2 Wheels & Heels – Bicycle Mechanics Style

So, the weather has been a bit of a roller coaster for us.  I personally love it that its mid – high 50′s during these months.  It makes winter less ‘meh’ for me.  Every year I think I say, ‘I need to move’ and each year its been staying milder and milder so we’ll see.

Anywho, through out the awesome rides we’ve done, I’ve asked a handful of ladies if they’d appreciate a ‘basic mechanics’ class and each of them RAVED.  So, before winter DOES hit (if it does), I thought it would be swell to hold a little class for ladies to get to know their bicycles a little more.  Like I always say ‘knowledge is power.’

This Wed. we’ll convene at the lovely Paradise Garage in the Short North where I asked a couple of my favorite bicycle ladies to teach the ladies a thing or two.  We’ll meet at our usual time – 6pm at Paradise Garage.  You can bring your bike or not.  There is a parking lot just South of Paradise Garage as well.

If you have any questions, shoot me an email.  My email address is found under the ‘About’ tab of my blog.

Be safe and keep riding!

New air pumps have been installed at certain bike shelters around Cbus.  I LOVE it.

 

Read Full Post »

You gotta get out and RIDE

Opinions are like assholes – everyone has one.  When it comes to bicycle infrastructure, assholes seem to be the reigning force.  I, of course have my opinions as well.  However, a big deal for me when I discuss my ‘opinions’ is that I do the research first.  I ride the current topic of infrastructure discussion instead of just ‘winging’ it.  I’ll go to that area, ride around, sit and look at human interactions with that area, desire lines, parking, signage, lighting, speeding, speeding, and speeding.  Once, I’ve finished my research, I’ll make my conclusions and give my ‘opinion.’  I’d rather give you m opinion based on actual experience than sitting behind a desk and thinking I know what I’m talking about b/c I live in the next neighborhood over and drive through it everyday.

Change is the number one constant in life.  People HATE change.  People get really sensitive when you come into their neighborhoods advocating for better streets; safer and slower streets.  I’m car-free and so are many of my friends and more and more are choosing to take this way of life.  I can’t live in all neighborhoods but I sure as hell bicycle through many of them.

I don’t think I need to remind anyone who reads this that we have an obesity issue here in our city; adults AND kids.  When it comes to playing outside, its night and day difference when I was young.  Its sad.  I work with youth therefore, I’m attending Elementary Schools and Middle Schools regularly and there are days I’ll get home and just become a pile of sadness b/c of how overweight some third grader is and they are already getting their fair share of fellow student heckling.

Our streets in our neighborhoods need to be updated so families and kids can feel safe playing and WANT to be outside.  Bicycle infrastructure helps.

If you all have been asleep with regards to what I’m passionate about, open your eyes and read this:  I’m passionate about making our streets enjoyable, slower, and safer in order for more families and women to feel confident enough to make the choice to ride their bikes to the YMCA instead of driving (arbitrary destination I chose).

Engineers still design roads in the mindset of men, why – b/c most engineers ARE men.  Another profession still heavily dominated by men.  We need to alter that to where they are thinking:  Will my grandmother feel safe riding this street to get to church?  Can Molly take her two kids on this street to get to Magic Mountain?  8 to 80 – the age range that engineers need to have burned in their brains when redesigning streets.

So…..  along with my bigger ’2 Wheels & Heels’ ladies ride, I’ve come up with another more intimate ride.  Lots of new infrastructure is being built here in Columbus and a lot MORE will be popping up -very soon.  I thought a good idea would be to take small and intimate groups of women to experience the new infrastructure around town.  I take them there, we ride and then at the end we discuss.  They discuss.  They tell me how THEY feel – as mothers, as sisters, as grandmothers – as WOMEN.  I actually write up their experience as detailed as I remember and submit them to our city engineers which they HIGHLY appreciate.

This recent ride was experiencing the newly built and very contested Tamarack Circle roundabout bike lanes.  Residents are saying that congestion is happening b/c a travel lane has been removed in order to have a dedicated bike lane built.

I’m from this area, I was raised on the north side of town.  When the new infrastructure was built, my mum drove me over here so that I could see it.  Again, driving next to it and actually experiencing it – two different animals.

So, this past Tuesday, myself and four other women were able to make time and ride over to the area to get a feel of this new infrastructure.  We parked at the YMCA and rode down the new lanes on Sandalwood and then took our time and rode the roundabout. The final result in our evening was overwhelmingly unanimous.  The ladies were extremely pleased with the infrastructure.  The bike lanes were a comfortable six feet in width.  There is a buffer throughout the roundabout that separates the parked cars from the bicycle lane.  That buffer is a comfortable six feet.  This gives not only the person on a bike comfort that they won’t be door’d but it gives peace of mind to the driver who gets out of their car as they have ample room to get out and not immediately be in the bike lane and worry about any conflicts.  The cars were courteous.  They slowed and yielded to us when they needed to make any right turns.

I think the successor of the evening was the buffer.  Normally, you see three feet buffers between parked car lanes, bike lanes, and / or travel lanes so have six feet of buffer was like riding on puffy clouds.  Buffers give off that extra sense of safety that so many folks are looking for.  Again, this isn’t just directed towards people on bikes, its directed towards the drivers exiting / entering their cars as well. The drivers who need to keep their door open to strap in their child to the backseat child seat.  Even with three foot buffers (which is about the length of a car door) they don’t need to feel rushed in order to not impede a bike lane.

We all rode with leisure.  We rode slow, with no feeling of having to ‘hurry up’ for the cars behind us.  I rode with my hand in my back pocket.  We took our time and laughed.  When you create streets in which people riding bikes can ENJOY, that street then becomes a  destination.  And yes, the street will be the destination and not a ‘pass through.’  That’s what makes city streets come alive – when you make the streets themselves a destination place of their own.

Be safe and keep riding

The lovely ladies who joined me.  Thank you

 

Shot of the six foot wide bike lane down Sandalwood.  ROOMY

 

Clearly marked.  Proper boundary width.

 

Entering Tamarack roundabout

 

You can see above the parking lane and the six foot wide buffer and the bike lane.

 

We all pulled over and discussed how we were feeling and now we’re hoppin’ back on our bikes.

 

 

A shot of the girls with a car next to them.

 

Six foot bike lane with the buffer to the right

Read Full Post »

To The Point

Simple.  Concise.  Clear.  Exercise the freedom you were given to make change.  VOTE

Be safe and keep riding.

Read Full Post »

An intimate ride on the Hilltop bike lanes

Its been three weeks since my last confession.  Oops, I mean post  Sorry ya’ll.  I’ve been uber busy with three big projects and a handful of little ones.  I can’t help but to have my hands in as much possible – all things bikes.

One of those little projects is, beside my monthly ’2 Wheels & Heels’ ladies ride, I thought it would be really beneficial to organize intimate rides with ladies that can make it, and experience current infrastructure that’s already laid on ground.

For a couple years now, I continue to reinforce to our city engineers that when bicycle infrastructure is designed, they need to keep in mind – women and children.  If you design a street with women and children in mind, they will ride it and so will everyone else.  If you do not, then the street needs to be redone until this can happen.  City streets are viewed as ‘safe’ when you have families, women, and children safely riding in them – with big smiles on their faces.

My first intimate ride was the Hilltop Bike Lanes.  I ride these all the time b/c my schools are located in the Frankliton and Hilltop area.

I received great feedback from the eight ladies that rode with me.  Signage in the intersections of the entrance / exit ramps by the freeways, better guidance from bike lane to sharrows, green paint usage, etc.  Eight ladies that ride when they can.  No professionals in planning, bicycle advocacy, engineering – just eight of the many ladies I’ve come to know that love to ride and want our streets to be safer and equipped with better / more smartly designed infrastructure.  Some of these women have kids and while they themselves would ride some of the infrastructure in some places, they would never bring their kids to ride on some of these streets.  We need to change that.

We need to have streets designed for EVERYONE in mind.  Our next ride will be Tamarack Circle and the infrastructure that’s been recently built there.  If you’re interested in partaking, write a comment or send me an email.  My email address is under the ‘About’ tab of my blog.

 

I thank the ladies that participated in this ride and look forward to the next ride with another VERY useful and open discussion.

Be safe and keep riding.

 

 

 

 

Read Full Post »

2 Wheels & Heels Ladies Ride – Columbus HALLOWEEN STYLE

To all you ladies out there – we WILL be riding Oct.30th.  A handful of women asked if we were having a ride on Halloween and the answer is … YES!

The ride will begin at the usual time – 6pm and we’ll meet, once again at Paradise Garage.  They have parking for all you folks that drive with your bike in tow.  Hopefully the weather will be absolutely perfect for us (fingers crossed).

I’d like for us to come up with a group costume for this ride.  How fun would it be to have 40-50 women dressed up in some fun, creative costume for ALL kinds of people to see???  So, put on your thinking caps and ‘comment’ on this blog, your group costume idea.  I have also put this same little contest up on fb and the group costume will be announced on Oct.13th.  This will give enough time for costume preparations.  Please make sure the costume idea isn’t too costly.

We’ll probably just do a fun ride along High St. and a couple of the adjacent neighborhoods.  I also think it would be fun for participants to bring bags of candy where we can also toss out candy to random walkers along our route

If you have any questions, please send me an email.  If not, start thinking creatively and post your ideas below this blog:)

I’ve thrown out the group costume – A HERD OF SHEEP

Be safe and keep riding.

Read Full Post »