LOCAL NON-PROFIT ALLIANCE AWARDED $50,000
TO BRING BIKE SHARE TO THE UPPER PENINSULA!
Enough Pie, along with partners Charleston Moves, Gotcha Bike and the City of Charleston, is thrilled to receive a grant from the Better Bike Share Partnership to form a mobility alliance called Just Ride. The Just Ride program will launch in May 2018 as a part of AWAKENING: MOTION, a series of public art projects that aims to transform the streets of Charleston’s Upper Peninsula by showcasing what’s possible when communities unite to create safe, connected, dignified transportation. The grant offers low and moderate-income levels of Charleston residents the ability to purchase an annual bike share membership for five dollars at select community centers in the upper peninsula. Additional stations will also be placed in new locations in the upper peninsula neighborhoods for easier access to the system.
Just Ride will be a primary initiative in the expansion of the already successful Holy Spokes Bike Share system, which launched in May 2017 with 26 stations and 250 bicycles. The system has more than 7,500 members who rode nearly 60,000 miles, burned over two million calories, saved more than $35,000 in gasoline, and prevented approximately 55,000 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions. “Just Ride will allow us to connect to a more diverse membership, which is vital for successful bike share,” says Megan McNamara, Senior Manager of Holy Spokes. “We want our system to be a barrier-free option for anyone to be able to move around the peninsula.”
Just Ride will hire ambassadors from upper peninsula neighborhoods to help their neighbors learn about the new program. “Just Ride will kick off on the first day of our annual AWAKENING, a community-driven public series of artwork that shines a light on key issues affecting our community,” explains Cathryn Zommer, Executive Director of Enough Pie. “AWAKENING: MOTION uses creativity to address the need for safe, reliable streets for our community. Incorporating Just Ride into this year’s AWAKENING will connect the art to action, helping ensure residents know about opportunities to sign up for a membership while experiencing mobility installations and artwork across the Upper Peninsula, like a linear installation of sculptures and photography adjacent to the future Lowline and artist-fabricated bus stops across Morrison and Meeting Streets.”
“We are grateful for the Better Bike Share Partnership grant, and the timing could not be better,” says Katie Zimmerman, Executive Director of Charleston Moves. “It comes on the heels of the development of People Pedal Charleston, the downtown bike plan, which identifies infrastructure needed throughout the peninsula to complete a safe bicycle network. We can work with the City to fill in these gaps on the streets while more people are able to use bike share around town.”
Keith Benjamin, Director of Transportation for the City of Charleston, assures the community that, “Our focus is on implementing equitable access for all people for all modes and that includes biking. Acknowledging that good transportation equals the safe movement of people, we will continue to make riding a bike throughout the city safer with proper engagement and education.”
When AWAKENING: MOTION concludes in June, Just Ride’s ambassadorial outreach and membership opportunities will continue. Just Ride will use survey and ridership data to assess station location success, whether a more diverse membership has been reached, and opportunities for expansion.
The Better Bike Share Partnership is a collaboration funded by The JPB Foundation to build equitable and replicable bike share systems. The partners include The City of Philadelphia, Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia, the National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO) and the PeopleForBikes Foundation.
This grant was successfully submitted with letters of support from the City of Charleston’s Mayor Tecklenburg, Councilmember Mike Seekings, and the city’s Department of Transportation.
Just Ride Equitable Mobility Alliance:
Enough Pie is a non-profit using creativity to connect and empower our community in Charleston’s Upper Peninsula. www.enoughpie.org
Cathryn Zommer, Executive Director: 843-972-3253, Cathryn@EnoughPie.org
Charleston Moves encourages mobility by bicycle and on foot for the improved health and well-being of greater Charleston — our people, neighborhoods, business districts and overall economic competitiveness. www.charlestonmoves.org
Katie Zimmerman, Executive Director: (843) 732-4178, Katie@CharlestonMoves.org
Gotcha Bike provides real-life, real-time brand experiences through sustainable transportation, targeted placement, and trusted community influencers. charlestonbikeshare.com
Megan McNamara, Senior Manager, 843.804.6992, megan@thegotchagroup.com[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
