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Thursday, March 28, 2024

Brilliant biking

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More than 250 golden bicycles line the streets of downtown and often, while strolling the streets, one may hear the high-pitched ringing of the bike bell as the rider gleams a friendly smile.

The Pacers Bikeshare program may have become a popular mode of transportation among Indy residents, but biking in general is no longer an activity for children. It has become a way to stay healthy and encourage others to learn more about environmental safety.

The My City Bikes project has teamed up with local bike shop, DG Bicycles to improve environmental health in the city. My City Bikes is a national public health project aimed at focusing on obesity, heart disease and ways to make cities more bike friendly.

By using the smartphone application available on Android and Apple devices by searching ā€œIndianapolis Bikes,ā€ riders are able to choose what style of biking they wish to partake in, such as recreation and touring or mountain and trail. From there, riders are given a series of paths within the city, which are best for riding that specific bike. For example, one could choose the recreation and touring style of biking and then they are provided with 10 different routes and trails to explore. Each pathā€™s mileage is also displayed for accurate tracking.

According to Transportation Researchā€™s article titled ā€œBicycling renaissance in North America? An update and re-appraisal of cycling trends and policies,ā€ bicycling is becoming more diverse.

ā€œBetween 2001 and 2009, cycling rates rose fastest among African-Americans, Hispanics, and Asian Americans. Those three groups also account for a growing share of all bike trips, rising from 16 percent in 2001 to 21 percent in 2009,ā€ they said.

Unfortunately, the American Lung Association gives Marion County a grade of ā€œFā€ both for its number of days of high ozone and year-round particle pollution. According to My City Bikes, the average passenger car produces about one pound of pollutants per mile. Swapping a car for a bike just once a week can significantly improve air quality and save about $10 for every 10-mile round trip commute made by bike.

Not only are vehicles polluting cities, the lack of exercise is also impacting residentsā€™ health.

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention said 63.9 percent of residents in the Indianapolis-Carmel metro area are overweight or obese. Biking is something people of all ages can engage in and with the free My City Bikes application, riders can also learn about bike maintenance thanks to DG Bicycles. YouTube videos guide bikers on how to inflate a tire, clean a bike chain, adjust a bike seat and many other maintenance tips.

Scott Dunwoody, owner of DG Bicycles located at 1536 E. 86th St., said he has seen an increase in biking over the past several years.

ā€œI think it is due to the increase in fuel,ā€ he said. ā€œThere was a big pop when (gasoline) jumped to the $4 mark and I think it has carried over.ā€

He adds that biking is a great method to keep the cardiovascular system healthy and keeping weight off. When asked why he took on the opportunity to pair with the My City Bikes project he said it simply felt right.

ā€œI felt we were on common ground in the sense of promoting cycling and doing something for the community to make cycling better. Indianapolis was the largest bicycle manufacturer and weā€™ve lost our roots. We need to change our mind set about cycling.ā€

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