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Boone bicyclists unite: Community program garners support for Bicycle Appreciation Day |
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Tuesday, 23 October 2007 |
 Judy Tincher, an Appalachian alumna and member of the Boone Bike Initiative, rides her bicycle down Howard Street in Boone Sunday. Photo by Anna Donlan
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by BRANDON BROWN
Lifestyles Reporter
The Boone Bicycle Initiative is getting the wheels rolling on bicycle awareness by offering donated bikes to in-town commuters and encouraging members of the community to park their rides and hop on a bike.
“[The Boone Bicycle Initiative] wants to help make bicycles an accepted alternative form of
transportation,” said Alan C. Watts, leader of the initiative and senior appropriate technology and
construction major.
Watts helped write the grant proposal for the Boone Bicycle Initiative last December, which rewarded
his cause with $10,000 from the Environmental Protection Agency’s P3 Award competition.
The national competition enables college students to research, develop and design policy solutions to
sustainability changes, according to www.epa.gov.
Watts said he chose this project because he noticed that a bicycle could be a great combatant to solve
problems with air quality, parking and congestion.
The organization’s bike loan program will allow commuters to rent bikes on a three-week, library
card-type rental system or on a long-term deposit system with no set date for return.
“We really just want to get more people on bikes,” said Watts. “We have the potential to make Boone a
more bike-friendly place.”
According to the Transportation Quarterly, the United States has the lowest percentage of bicycle trips
by travel mode of any developed nation in the world.
All bicycles rented out by the Boone Bicycle Initiative come equipped with a helmet, lock and
odometer.
The odometer is part of the initiative’s research program that is set to calculate emission offsets and to
compare distribution methods, Watts said.
The Boone Bicycle Initiative headquarters and distribution center is located on Howard Street in
downtown Boone and will hold safety clinics and maintenance training for interested cyclists.
The organization has mapped out biker-friendly roads on their Web site for cyclists as they journey
through the streets of Boone.
The Boone Bicycle Initiative is working closely with the community and its leaders to promote the
usage of bicycles in Boone through bicycle awareness signs - donations from the Boone Police
Department.
The Boone Bicycle Initiative will be celebrating the first official Bicycle Appreciation Day by launching
the inaugural “Biketoberfest” Saturday from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the covered bridge on Greenway Trail.
“Biketoberfest” will feature live music, small bike adjustments, a bicycle costume contest, safety
information and other activities.
For more information on “Biketoberfest,” a map of bike routes or contact information about the initiative,
visit www.bikeboone.org.
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