It teaches. Our education work creates new bike riders and teaches important life skills to middle school kids. We’ve been improving our program for more than 7 years, get rave reviews, and would like to grow to other campuses and student groups.
It persuades. Our advocacy work helps determine what gets built in Asheville and Buncombe County. Our work includes tactical urbanism projects where we build bike and pedestrian facilities on our streets with volunteer help and donations. We also write a lot of public comments, but we are a small nonprofit that attempts to shadow the work of the French Broad River MPO, the North Carolina DOT, the City of Asheville, and Buncombe County. We can do more and be better matched to influence these well-funded institutions.
It creates happiness. Our events increase the number of people biking and create joy. We love to celebrate riding a bike. Help us improve the events we host and get more people out on their bikes.
Asheville on Bikes won a major national award in 2020, Advocacy Organization of the Year from the League of American Bicyclists? Check it out.
We have been asked to serve on the Governor’s MVC & Health Data Advisory Group?
Our after-school program at Asheville Middle School employs paid instructors and directly serves lower-income kids, some of whom are learning to ride a bike for the first time? It has been the most popular after-school program since the inception of In Real Life (IRL) and we altered the program to run safely during the pandemic last summer. Video.
We were the first to publish a plan for low-speed streets and pedestrian priority zones, intended to help limit the spread of Coronavirus and help local businesses? Our work includes a petition signed by more than 300. Signatories include individuals, businesses, and other groups, including the City of Asheville Bicycle and Pedestrian Task Force. Right here.
We make public comments on each transportation project in Asheville, as well as posting comment guidance for the public? Read some of our work.
We helped build the largest tactical urbanism project in NC, on Coxe Avenue? Read the resulting study.
We lobbied for the design change to get the protected two-way cycle track built as part of RADTIP? Reminisce here.
We’ve had thousands of people participate in our events over the years? Ride with us.
$500 can put a kid on a bike at Asheville Middle School in our after-school program, including all the gear.
$1,000 can power the work to research and write additional advocacy documents, make public information requests, and publish public comment guidelines.
$5,000 can run an election year candidate forum or upgrade a public ride or event.
$7,500 can build a study with user feedback, like the Riverside Railroad Crossing Study, aimed to force the City to fix dangerous conditions.
$10,000 can power scholarships and grants made to other groups, selected for their ability to solve specific bicycle and pedestrian problems.
$20,000 could expand our middle school bicycle program at Asheville Middle School and to other campuses.
$50,000 would build an additional tactical urbanism project or allow us to partner directly with the City on projects like trail networks.
$100,000 would allow us to hire a second staffer and dedicate more staff time to advocacy and direct input on public projects.
$250,000 could change the scope of our work for years to come, allowing us to become a meaningful partner with regional land trusts. We could help avoid a future where key connectors disappear before a government entity can get up to speed.
Donate now. We have the capacity to put your donation to work.
We welcome larger donations! Please contact us for more info.
