Mayor kicks off event with bike ride

By Nanci Bompey

Mayor Terry Bellamy jumped on her borrowed electric-assisted bicycle Monday morning and sped out of the Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce parking lot onto Montford Avenue, taking the lead at the head of a small group of cyclists on a five-mile ride around downtown Asheville.

The annual bike ride helped to kick off the 19th annual Strive Not to Drive, the week-long event designed to encourage people to leave their cars at home and experience the benefits of walking, biking, riding the bus, carpooling and other alternative forms of transportation.

Event organizer and co-owner of Liberty Bikes Claudia Nix said that she has seen an increase in people using alternative transportation in the community, partly as a result of the downturn in the economy, and that she expects to see more people riding their bikes as a form of transportation in the future.

“There's a lot of enthusiasm this year,” she said. “As things change in our community and we get more facilities, we'll see more people doing it.”

Bellamy said this year's event is not only about encouraging adults to use alternative forms of transportation, but that Strive Not to Drive should also be about helping children get outside and get active. She pointed to a study by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation that said the current generation of children may not live as long or as healthy lives as their parents.

“I challenge you not only to Strive Not to Drive this week,” Bellamy told a small group at a press conference at the Chamber of Commerce, “but I challenge you also to make sure a child is part of your strive.”

Sheriff Van Duncan, UNC Asheville Chancellor Anne Ponder, Asheville City Councilwoman Robin Cape, Montreat Mayor Letta Jean Taylor, along with representatives from the YMCA, Activate Asheville, local bike shops and bike clubs, joined Bellamy in her ride around downtown.

Buncombe County commissioners Chairman David Gantt encouraged those present to push elected officials for infrastructure that would make commuting by bike, foot or bus easier, including building more bike paths and creating better public transit systems.

“Let's catch up with the rest of the world,” Gantt said. “The government needs to catch up with what people want.”