Help Us Name our Bike/Walk Initiative (and Get it Going!)

In January, we started a community conversation about encouraging biking and walking.  Many, many ideas have been generated and I will summarize these in this blog post.  Most exciting to me is the way someone’s eyes light up and I can very nearly see the gears of their brain turning as they start to consider how to make our towns bike and pedestrian friendly.  The enthusiasm is infectious.  What we now need are two major things:  1) help in naming our initiative and 2) help implementing some of these programs.  Please read on and put your naming ideas in the comment box below or send them to bike@greentownlosaltos.org. The ideas for the bike/walk initiative generally fall into one of the following four categories:

1. Fun/Participatory  Bike Events

2. Awareness / Promotion /Incentives

3. Educational Events

4. City Infrastructure and Support

In the Fun Events category, ideas include:

1. scavenger hunts on bicycles, bike parties or soirees (like the San Jose Bike Party)

2. a troop of lighted bikes in the Festival of Lights parade

3. ciclovias or weekly closures of certain streets to vehicle traffic (as in Cambridge, Massachusetts)

4. making a bid to earn the “Longest Bike Parade” title in the Guinness Book of World Records (the U.S. record is currently held by the City of Davis, California)

5. supporting Bike to Work Day on 5/12/11

6. participating in the Drive Less Challenge (a 2-week “get out of the car” challenge that starts on Earth Day, 4/22/11)

7. buddy rides program for seniors

Residents have proposed many ideas to generate awareness of and incentivize biking and walking as an alternative to driving in cars.  These include:

1. Drive Less Challenge, mentioned above

2. merchant incentives for bicycle riders

3. “Think Globally, Bike Locally” bike “bumper stickers”

4. “One Trip a Week” promotional campaign

5. art/essay contest

6. pedi-cab service downtown during special shopping days or holiday events

Suggested educational events might include:

1. safety talks and bike training

2. bike maintenance workshops

3. inspirational speakers

4. a community forum (World Café format)

5. “Bike the Creek” docent-led bike tour

6. screening of bike-related films

7. senior-focused programs – to help our senior citizens continue to ride bikes and walk or to get back to biking and walking again

And, lastly, many residents have suggested that we request support from our cities to provide services such as:

1. more bike racks

2. safer sidewalks and bike routes through town

3. becoming an official “Bicycle Friendly Community”

4. following the 08-80 city guidelines to make our towns safe for people to walk and ride whether they are 8 or 80 years old

These are just some of the ideas that have been generated since we started this conversation.  What other ideas do you have?  What should we call this initiative?  Can you help us get it moving?  Comment below or contact us at bike@greentownlosaltos.org.

KJ