Diverse not Splintered

the Bicycle Alliance of Washington (BAW) was in spokane for a reception last month. this is a picture of louise mcgrody from the BAW and a happy supporter.

we spent a few minutes at the start of the evening introducing ourselves and saying how we’re connected with bicycling. we heard from local BAW folks, Bicycle Advisory Board members, an REI outreach represenative, INW Trails Coalition members, and other bike folks. it was great to see so many of us out on a cold thursday night, talking about biking in spokane.

one topic that came up was if our city needs a full or part-time BAW representative. we were all excited about that prospect. someone to help organize events around bike-to-work month? someone to help get a bike boulevard or two in our city? someone to possibly work with the city on other bike-related issues? oh, hell yeah!!!

later, there was another question. there we were, a diverse bunch of biker/hikers, roadies, mtn bikers, commuters,educators,advocates, etc. as a rapidly growing city, how do we work together to maximize our influence? how do we stay connected and in touch with what we’re all trying to do?

diversity is fantastic. it’s evident in nature when you have a more diverse populations (bugs, plants, animals, trees species), the whole ecosystem benefits. the system is stronger, more resistant to destructive influences, more productive, more better : )

diversity is a strength when it comes to our budding bike culture and our city as well. we have several bike shops, bike clubs, trails, trail supporters, and cyclists. what we don’t want to do is become splintered. maybe the BAW can be the group that brings us all together. i love the idea of an annual reception. let’s have more pizza, more drinks, more bike rides, more meet-and-greets. bring it on bicycle alliance of washington! i think we’re ready.

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