I thought I would take a few minutes to spell out what Bici is and hopes to be about. I hope this clears up any questions you may have about our purpose in Birmingham and our communities.
The word that seems to come up in all of our meetings and encompasses what we want to achieve is this...
Empowerment. We hope to empower Birmingham and her citizens with our 3 pillars: Advocacy, Education and Access.
Advocacy: In order to empower citizens to ride, we need to make sure Birmingham is a safe place for cycling, both as recreation and transportation
Ways to advocate for cycling:
1. Communication with key leaders in the community and State
2. Stay abreast of current Transportation initiatives and trends, both locally and nationally.
3. Have a strong presence in Birmingham (group rides, etc)
4. Increase community involvement in politics by educating them on initiatives, laws, key meetings, etc.
5. Educate the community on the importance of cycling and it’s positive impact on Birmingham
6. Advocate and fight for bike lanes and infrastructure for alternative transportation.
Education: To give both new and old riders, as well as drivers a way to become educated on cycling safety.
Way to educate:
1. Safe cycling practices-share these with new riders and refresh current riders. Monthly safe practices group rides.
2.Educate people on how to maintain their bicycle for optimal and safe riding conditions. Daily people are seen riding bikes that are obviously unsafe
3. Know the state and city cycling laws and communicate these to riders.
4. Youth program-safety, access and fun.
5. Educate the community on the importance of cycling and it’s positive impact on Birmingham (obesity, crime, pollution)
6. Maps of safe routes
Access: To give people of all backgrounds access to reliable transportation and recreation.
Way to provide access:
1. Access to tools
2. Ability to acquire a bike with labor hours and little cost
3. A space in which to maintain bikes
4. Access to a community of like minded people, who can share knowledge, expertise and common experiences.
In his blog,
Welcome to the Fast Lane, Ray Lahood said
"I think everyone, urban and rural alike, needs safe and affordable access. Access to work, to medical services, to schools, to shopping, to recreation, and to other essential activities." We couldn't agree more. This is a crucial time for Birmingham, with crime, obesity, pollution and poverty at astounding levels. We need to get people to work, school and around their communities safely and reliably. Bicycling could be the answer, no...IS the answer. Bici feels so strongly about this that we are all willing to work long hours in addition to our regular jobs to make this happen.
Thanks for all of your support. We can't do this without the support and encouragement of the community (and money, we need some of that...). In a year, I hope to be sitting here looking at how far we have come and how much of our vision has come to fruition. Hey, that rhymed!
bike love
