The other day I saw this wonderful post by Jordan Ferney of “Oh Happy Day” titled: Happy Things in Paris: Vélib. What I liked about this post is how Jordan writes about the things she enjoys about riding a bicycle – how it makes her feel physically and mentally, and how easy it is for her to use a bicycle as part of her everyday life. The additional layer is that she is using a bicycle that is part of the Vélib’ bicycle share program in Paris. A bicycle share program has made bicycling for Jordan easy and accessible, how wonderful is that?
When I read this I thought about how the easier and more convenient you make it for people to ride bicycles, the more inclined they are to do so. And with that come all the benefits (physical and mental).
And I also thought about our bicycle share program in Minneapolis: Nice Ride. I volunteered for Nice Ride the Summer before it launched because I believed it would be a good thing for our city. I am pleased to see two successful seasons later how people are using the NR bicycles in Minneapolis just like Jordan does in Paris – as part of their everyday lives.
I would love to hear your stories about using Nice Ride and how it has made your everyday life better. I would also love to hear about what has made your rides on Nice Ride easier in Minneapolis, or more challenging, in regard to the bicycle infrastructure of our city. Please also feel free to share links to your pictures. I know there are people just like Jordan in Minneapolis ~ let us know.
