racing union... revolutionary ideas


racing union


the racing union has some revolutionary ideas

their ideas spawn other ideas
a post by the racing union brought an idea of mine to surface
an idea that I wish was more than an idea

need a bike
you gotta bike


that would be a great urban program

the best way to improve bicycle and pedestrian safety would be to increase the numbers of bicyclists and pedestrians
unify the masses
let the people stand and be counted
if more people walked and rode
then more people would walk and ride
it is a pretty simple concept

so many people are taking the Metro Train or the Metro Bus when they could just as easily be riding a bicycle
that option just needs to be presented to them
money could be saved
healthier lifestyles could be lived

years ago I met a guy named Gabe who lived in the neighborhood
Gabe was a program director at the Latin American Youth Center
we got to talking on the corner and I shared with him this sort of idea
this you need a bike- you got a bike sort of idea

following my suggestion Gabe contacted the DC Metropolitain Police and the Park Service asking for bicycle donations
sure enough... Gabe was able to go and pick up as many beaters as he could carry away
then we tried to get the kids on the bikes
there were no mountain bikes
there were no bmx bikes with pegs
there were just a mess of old "ten speed" style bicycles
ten speed meant something different than it does now

a number of teen age boys came over one at a time to my Mount Pleasant group house
we would meet up on my porch with my tool box
there were flats to repair and chains to be lubed
it was my intention to not only get a bicycle into these kid's hands
but to also teach them how to handle some basic repairs
it was my hope that these young boys (no girls got involved) would have the bicycle enter their lives
that they would travel by bicycle rather than bus
that they could get to work, their friend's house, or school via bicycle

the program did not explode
the bicycles did not entice these teens
for the most part the kids that came over were not so concerned about learning to fix the bikes
they wanted the bikes fixed so that they could roll away
which worked for me... as I wanted them on bikes
that was my primary objective
figuring that if they started riding the other ideas would follow

the times have changed
the bicycle has changed
what was new then... is old now
now the old beater 10 speeds are antiques and the garages are filled with old and unused hybrids and mountain bikes
this program could occur on a larger scale

easy enough
there could be a bicycle drop off day at a suburban elementary school
double up the bicycle drop off with a Bike Swap and a Kid's Bicycle Safety Event
there can be the bicycle rodeo
it can be a fun event as well as a way to clean out the garages and bring dormant bikes back to life
put bicycles into the hands of people who can not afford one
bicycles for adults and children
no one should be without the bicycle as an option in their life
no child should grow up without the experience of riding a bicycle

how do we get this started?
we need to get this started!