It was only a few months ago that Stephen Bach had 100 bright yellow bicycles sitting in his backyard.
The Charlottesville resident had no problem turning his personal space into a parking lot if it meant getting a pet project off the ground.
Extend mass transit. Reduce car use. Promote bike riding.
Bach heads the Community Yellow Bicycles of the Piedmont, a volunteer venture that he co-chairs with Bruce Dembling and Becky Billingsly. The trio wants to make Charlottesville a more livable area, one paint job at a time. Hence, the yellow bike program.
The idea is to recycle used and abandoned bikes for community use - get them out of garages and landfills, and back on the street. After refurbishing the bicycles, many of which are not operational, volunteers convert the bikes to one-speed and paint them yellow.
There are six vibrant yellow hubs - also known as bike racks - between the Downtown Mall and the Corner district. These serve as what Bach terms "release points" for the bicycles. People can pick up a bike at these locations but don't necessarily have to drop them back at one of these six points. Rather, residents may pick up a yellow bike, use it for the day and then drop it at one of the hubs, a bus stop or a major thoroughfare.
"The idea is to leave the bike at a location where people will come along and have use for it," Bach said.
The bike program works well with the Charlottesville Transit System because all buses are equipped with bicycle racks.
The issues of car usage and road expansion are growing concerns for both Bach and Dembling. The two, who bike to work, said residents who live near their offices should think of methods of transportation outside the automobile realm.
"We'd like to see people bike, but even walking would be better than driving," Dembling said.
Dembling realizes there won't be an all-out rush for drivers to trade in steering wheels for handlebars. Yet similar projects have functioned effectively for years in Europe and cities such as in Portland, Ore. and Boulder, Co.
Satyendra Huja, the Charlottesville director of strategic planning, envisioned a version of the program 10 years ago. His dream finally crystallizedin 2000 with help from Bach and John Boyle, coordinator of the Charlottesville Albemarle Bicycling Association.Bach took over the program from Huja and a small group of people came up with a proposal based on Huja's plan to get funding from the city.
Days before Huja was set to show the plan to the city, he received an unexpected call - and word of a generous donation. Dave Matthews Band manager Coran Capshaw told the planners that the band had seen similar projects enacted in Europe and wanted to donate $5,000 for start-up costs. Since the money came from an outside source, the city didn't have to worry about being liable for accidents or injuries.
Capshaw didn't stop there.Recently, he donated a room to the program from a building he purchased off West Main Street. The additional space has allowed volunteers to move operations outside their basements, driveways and backyards.
The Dave Matthews Band funding will help Bach put another 100 bicycles in hubs this September. From then on, he said he hopes to set out 100 refurbished yellow bicycles every six months.
Even with the program's major momentum, there always are small setbacks. Some bikes disappear or others turn up vandalized. There have been a few initiatives taken to try to combat these problems.
The bright yellow color of the bikes is one method to deter theft, but Dembling also took a secondary precaution. The Medical School researcher, who is also a blacksmith, came up with a way to bend a red-hot steel collar around the bicycles so that it could never be removed. That way, even if the bicycle was repainted, there will always be a reminder that it was once community property.
But Bach said he still hears the occasional bad news bulletin. Sometimes the bicycles turn up in dumpsters. Sometimes, they are left in secluded wooded areas. Yet Bach's view on yellow bicycle "theft" remains optimistic. Since these bikes do not technically belong to a person, he said, it's not really possible to steal them. In fact, if someone steals a bicycle in order to use it, Bach has accomplished his goal.
"We want these bikes to get used," he said. "That's what we really care about. I am giving people something they didn't have before, and that's transportation."
While Bach and Dembling have tried to keep track of the number of bicycles still on the street, it is virtually impossible with the various drop-off points. As bicycle donations continue to roll in, Bach and Dembling agree that the program has been a huge success so far. Some donated bicycles are in such good shape, Bach simply can't paint them yellow. Instead he refurbishes and sells them to raise funds for the program.
Yellow bike volunteers are pleased with their progress, although Bach admits that converting drivers to pedalers is a slow process. He has been involved in a number of transportation committees, and said he has noticed a recent push for new roads.
But Bach said an increase in bike use would make city officials reevaluate any future planning to include more bike lanes or paths for cyclists.
"They'll materialize for the next generation," Bach said. "Not in five years, but maybe in 30 or 40 or even 70. It all starts with efforts like this."
Bach, Dembling and Billingsly hold shop hours from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m. every Saturday, when volunteers can drop in and help, or drop off used bikes.
Read More
It’s okay not to be okay
By Mai Hukuoka | 22 hours agoWhether talking to a friend, a loved one or a professional, it is so necessary, and human, to need more than you can provide for yourself.
Taking a break at Tangerines Kitchen
By Charley Thomas | 2 days agoWhat the restaurant somewhat lacks in ambiance, it compensates for in tasty dishes and prompt service.
Virginia Policy Lab — a hub for student-led policy action
By Katherine Haden | December 9, 2024Students propose their own projects and collaborate with other members to research their issues of interest, brainstorm solutions and write policy proposals.
