Ride of Silence Tonight

Posted on May 16, 2012 by sandygears | No Comments

On Wed. May 16, at 7:00 PM, cyclists across the globe will take to the roads in a silent procession to honor family & friends who have been killed or injured while cycling on public roadways, in the 2012 Ride of Silence.

A free ride that asks its cyclists to ride no faster than 12 mph, wear helmets, follow the rules of the road and remain silent during the ride.

There are no sponsors or registration fees. The ride, which is held during National Bike Month, aims to raise the awareness of motorists, police and city officials that cyclists have a legal right to the public roadways.

The ride is also a chance to show respect for and honor the lives of those who have been killed or injured.

Meet at Riverside Park (Island Shelter entrance): Helmets are Mandatory. Lights are recommended. Please arrive by 6:30 PM.

Grand Rapids wants to Add 100 Miles of Bike Lanes by 2017

Posted on April 19, 2012 by sandygears

The City of Grand Rapids is tentatively proposing expanding the number of bike lanes on Grand Rapids’ streets. The Grand Rapids Press reports that city budget documents show that Grand Rapids hopes to have 100 miles of bike lanes by 2017:

The plan, detailed in budget documents, would spend $71,100 in the fiscal year set to begin Oct. 1 on 26 additional miles of bike lanes.

City Manager Greg Sundstrom said that would boost the current 7-mile network to 33 within the next year, if the city commission ultimately approves the plan in coming months.

After the $71,100 request for the next fiscal year, Sundstrom said the city hopes to net $90,900 each year until 2017 to build and maintain the network.

The funds would help Grand Rapids add 17 miles of bike lanes each year until 2017, Sundstrom said.

The city hopes to add lanes to major thoroughfares, Sundstrom said. He said the city likely would work on adding lanes to streets that are already painted with a white shoulder line but are not officially designated bike lanes, such as Plainfield Avenue.

BIKEGR.ORG also has a map of bike lanes in Grand Rapids.

Spoke Folks Working on Cooperative Bike Shop

Posted on April 2, 2012 by sandygears

Over at The Rapidian, there is a nice article about a new biking cooperative called The Spoke Folks that is starting up in Grand Rapids. It sounds like a great project that will definitely fill a gap in the biking community:

In planning for the future, The Spoke Folks has considered a variety of resources to support the biking community in Grand Rapids. Niewiek talks of developing a collaborative space or community bike shop where the general public can turn for all things biking: repairs, affordable bikes, advice, classes, and simply a place for community.

“With the idea of having a space, we’d hope to always have an answer or reference for everyone,” said Niewiek. “There should be no reason for people to come in and say ‘I can’t afford it,’” he continues. “How exactly we will do that is yet to come, but that’s how we hope to continue.”

Read the whole article: The Spoke Folks: Cooperative Biking Community

Welcome to BIKEGR.ORG

Posted on March 13, 2012 by sandygears | No Comments

BIKEGR.ORG is a website with a simple goal: to encourage more people in Grand Rapids, Michigan to ride bicycles.

In recent years, there has arguably been an increase in the number of people riding bikes. However, until now there wasn’t a comprehensive website that you could point people towards to persuade them to ride a bike, to give them the information they need (for example, maps of bike lanes, information on bicycle laws, basic “how to” ride information, and suggested equipment) to start riding a bike.

This site is very much still a work in progress, so get in touch if you have ideas.