GREAT RIDES: PEDICABS RIDE INTO A SECOND YEAR

May, which is National Bike Month, is just around the corner, and so is warmer weather in our area. Two years ago, Great Rides purchased two pedicabs and now for the second season you will see these two bicycle-powered cabs moving people from place to place, especially in the downtown area.

Sara Watson Curry, Director of Operations for Great Rides Fargo, a 501C3 nonprofit organization, says that the pedicabs are one of four ways Great Rides is connecting individuals and the community through bicycling.

Another is management of the Streets Alive program, which has events scheduled on three Sundays -- July 10, August 28, and September 25. A third is the Great Rides Bike Share, those green bicycles you can purchase by the hour in Downtown Fargo and NDSU. Great Rides also works with Great Northern Bicycle Company on a bicycle riders club, with nightly rides and special events.

And for the second year, Great Rides manages a pedicab service, a unique and environmentally conscious way of getting from point A to B. Due in part to low startup costs, pedicabs across the United States are increasingly popular. Most major cities have pedicabs, including Minneapolis-St. Paul, with Twin Town Pedicabs being the largest.

The bicycle-powered cabs are driven by individual contractors. Great Rides maintains the bikes and equips them with blinkers, speakers, and more. Great Rides is training some new pedicab drivers this year. The training focuses on safety, gears, maneuvering the cycles with one to two people, and also about both the physical and social aspect of the job. “We want our pedicab operators to make the journey interesting – to highlight our community, recommend places to people. The pedicab is a way for riders to get a different perspective on our community,” says Sara. “The journey is different on a bicycle than in a car or walking.”

Although most of the drivers focus on downtown, the journey is negotiated with the passengers. “Of course, if the driver takes a passenger a longer distance, they have to keep in mind they have to pedal back, perhaps without a fare.”

A few things to keep in mind when using the pedicab:

• The cabs are not like a taxi that you can call on your phone, you do have to hail them. Look for them Downtown in crowded areas.
• You determine the amount you pay, but please be fair to those who are getting you somewhere safely.
• Be prepared to hear some information about our community, as being a guide is a fun part of the job. Slow down and enjoy the ride.
• Daytime pedicabs will also be available, particularly during events like the Red River Market and Cruisin’ Broadway.

Sara says that Great Rides can also work with special events, if contacted in advance. They have driven wedding party revelers, been a part of a prom photo session, and even pedaled the Concordia College President, William J. Craft, and his wife, Anne, along with the Kernal Cobb mascot during Streets Alive. Sara encourages people to contact her to set up something special.

2015 was a record-breaking year for Great Rides Bike Share and the pedicabs, but the infrastructure for bicycling could improve. Pedicabs and bicycles in general travel more easily in certain areas. Pedicabs won’t go into high-speed traffic. “We want people to feel safe and comfortable,” Sara explains.

In coordination with Great Northern Bicycle Company, the bicycle riders club kicked off the season on April 12 for the first Tuesday Night Ride, and continues every Tuesday at 6 pm. The Tuesday Night Rides are “conversationally paced” rides for “those looking to meld exercising and socializing,” with a pace of 14 to 18 miles per hour. There are different types of rides for varied groups and paces, Monday through Thursday. All rides leave from the Great Northern Bicycle Company.

Sara describes the group rides as important because Great Rides “wants to help people find bicycling and enjoy sharing it with others.” Sara says that many people are attracted to bicycling “for many reasons. Some like speed. There is a built-in fitness aspect. And it is a valid means of transportation. There are lots of ways to feel empowered by a bike.” And on the Monday evening Family Ride, you even get a popsicle or other frozen treat at the end of the ride!

Great Rides is headquartered within the Great Northern Bicycle Company in downtown Fargo, and Great Rides contracts with the GNBC to do tune-ups of the bicycles.

Sara has noticed a cultural shift in our community where there is increased talk about improving the ease of walking and biking in Fargo-Moorhead through better infrastructure. And everyone can get in on the conversation. F-M Metropolitan Council of Governments (FM Metrocog) is updating its Pedestrian and Bicycle Plan from the 2011 version, and you can have your voice heard at several public input meetings.

These will be occurring the week of April 25 – 29, according to Dan Farnsworth, Transportation Planner with FM Metrocog.There will be an open-house meeting about the bike and pedestrian plan April 26 from 5:30-7:30 at the Family Wellness Center and one on April 29 from 11:30 am – 1:30 pm at the Downtown Fargo Library. They will also be setting up information booths at the MSUM Comstock Memorial Union on April 26 from 11:30 am – 1:30 pm and the NDSU Memorial Student Union on April 27 from noon – 2 pm.

YOU SHOULD KNOW:

Great Rides Bicycle Share; Great Rides Pedicab Service

Contact: Sara Watson Curry, 701.280.1202

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