Supporting Ashland’s kids and our growing bike culture.
There’s a burgeoning bike culture here in Ashland: lots of kids joining the bike bus to school, First Friday revelers exploring town on two wheels, and bike racks at local pubs and restaurants frequently filled to capacity.
Ashland Climate Collaborative and other local groups frequently offer fun group bike events, and we’re thrilled to see more and more community members joining the fun. Choosing to ride a bike for some short trips is not only fun and climate-friendly, it’s a choice that helps to slowly change our culture. As more of us choose to ride, it helps normalize this mode of transportation so that even the non-riders among us see it as a safe and convenient choice. And there’s safety in numbers — with more wheels out on the streets, cyclists become more visible to drivers.
We understand that a bicycle is not the best choice for every trip and for every person. There are real barriers that keep many of us from choosing to ride. Our Streets For Everyone action team is committed to reducing these barriers. Two formidable barriers include a lack of access to a decent bike and a lack of training to ride near car traffic. The Pedal Power Community Bike Program addresses both.
With help from Rogue Valley Transportation District (RVTD) and Ashland Parks and Recreation (APR), Pedal Power serves the community in three ways:
We fix and distribute bikes
There’s a great need in our community for free or inexpensive bikes — bikes that Ashlanders use every day to get to school, work, and run errands. Fortunately, there’s no shortage of bikes — we just need to get our supply into the hands of those who need them!
Our program collects bikes from many sources, including personal donations from local residents like you. Volunteers regularly convene at our community bike shop at the Grove to refurbish and clean these bikes. Most of these, we give away to folks in need via community organizations, while a few of the fancier bikes get sold at the annual Bike Swap. Funds from these sales help us purchase the parts we need to keep the program going.
We invite any not-for-profit, community social service agencies and organizations to request bicycles; we do not issue bikes to individuals. And we need more volunteers to help in the shop! No experience necessary.
We organize the annual Rogue Valley Bike Swap
For more than three decades, Ashland has hosted a community Bike Swap: a marketplace where community members can sell their bikes or snag a great deal, all in a festive environment.
The Bike Swap is a lively, volunteer-driven community event that celebrates all things bike. This year’s event featured a youth bike rodeo, educational opportunities, and free tune-ups. And Proceeds go to a good cause: the Pedal Power Youth Bike Program. If you missed this year’s Bike Swap, make sure to pencil it in for next year — it’s always held on the last Saturday of April.
We educate kids in bike safety
No one is going to ride in Ashland if they don’t feel safe. The Pedal Power Youth Bike Program gives Ashland students the skills and practice they need to safely ride our streets. While our schools have a long and commendable tradition of providing bike safety training, that effort slowed down following COVID shutdowns. Fortunately, Ashland Climate Collaborative is offering the expertise and fundraising muscle to deliver a robust program going forward.
Our first goal for the coming school year: provide all 4th and 5th-graders in the district a 2-week training that includes traffic principles, on-campus blacktop drills, and some off-campus riding with a provided fleet of brand new bicycles. We’ll need volunteers to ride with us, so stay tuned for opportunities to join us!
To inquire about volunteering, to donate bikes, or if you have any other questions about Pedal Power, contact us.