"We were walking around Mass Ave, looking for a story, when we saw a bunch of cyclists going in one direction. We thought, 'Huh, that's strange - it's snowing; why are there so many cyclists?' So we followed them here"
- Yaoming, Northeastern University
What's so cool is that the more we run our bike safety events, the bigger our PN2K community becomes -- even when it's snowing outside. On Friday, January 30, our organizers walked into the Student Center to set up the tables. We were expecting maybe 2-3 cyclists (perhaps 5 at best) given the cold, wintry state of affairs and the fact that most bikes abandoned outside are now doused in snow. Well, around 1:50 pm, there were already 3-4 cyclists in line, awaiting the start. Hm... I thought. Perhaps this event will be more successful than I thought.*
Indeed.
Cyclists showed up, they waited, they got free bike valve lights, they made new friends and greeted old, and they ate Bertucci's while jamming to music and chowing down snacks. Even the little ones.
Susan, our product designer volunteer, put together two pages of random accessories (anything from water bottles, scarves, gloves, etc. - even umbrellas!), and we asked cyclists to vote for which ones they'd purchase.
We also had David from MIT Parking & Transportation Office Commuter Connections for free bicycle registrations. The benefit to this? Track your bike if it's lost, stolen, or abandoned -- and you get your registration ticket immediately! You can also register your bike online (the ticket to be placed on your bike will be mailed to you after completing the online form).
Bike Boom did a fantastic job whizzing through the line. For those just learning about us, Bike Boom is PN2K's main bike pro partners - they come out to each of our events, completely dedicated to the cause of bike safety and getting cyclists in and out with working brakes, non-flat tires, and oiled chains. Cyclists come in with a whoooooole range of problems and a whooooole range of bikes! Road bikes, mountain bikes, broken bikes, non-oiled bikes, squeaky bikes, neglected bikes, abandoned bikes, put-it-together-myself bikes, fat-tire bikes, definitely-not-new bikes! And our volunteers do an awesome job speeding up the process (shout outs to Izzy and John this time for helping out!)
If we've learned anything, it's that even during the winter, while the snowflakes pour down, the cyclists will still come pouring in! We won't go into our tangent about how the prominence in the numbers of winter cyclists is a high indicator of cyclists' reliance on biking as their main mode of transportation (Biking is not an "alternative," it is a necessary mode of transport for some! Biking can be the most sensible, reliable, efficient, and cost-effective form of transport from getting to point A to point B for many), and therefore why cyclists deserve improved cycling infrastructure just as much as the next pedestrian or motorist. They have their sidewalks and car lanes - cyclists want their bike lanes! Nope we'll save that tangent for another time.
We ride, organize, and have fun.
(above) Julie and Alpha from PN2K
Till next time, cyclists! And Happy Riding in 2015!
- PN2K
*We thank Mike F. from MIT CAC for letting us hold this event indoors and giving us the space needed on short notice!