1 00:00:05,120 --> 00:00:07,320 Speaker 1: Hey, this is Emily and this is Bridget and you're 2 00:00:07,360 --> 00:00:21,080 Speaker 1: listening to stuff Mom never told you. And today we're 3 00:00:21,120 --> 00:00:26,920 Speaker 1: so excited to be here at Breakout Atlanta and this 4 00:00:27,000 --> 00:00:31,360 Speaker 1: is actually kicking off our very first live podcast recording. 5 00:00:31,400 --> 00:00:34,519 Speaker 1: Ain't that right? Be It's that's so right. Um. I'm 6 00:00:34,560 --> 00:00:36,360 Speaker 1: a little nervous. I'm not gonna lie. This is our 7 00:00:36,400 --> 00:00:39,440 Speaker 1: first you know, live taping, But glasses of wine on 8 00:00:39,479 --> 00:00:41,720 Speaker 1: the table to help us through those nerves. Calm the nerves. 9 00:00:41,840 --> 00:00:43,879 Speaker 1: But I think it's going to be great. And one 10 00:00:43,880 --> 00:00:45,720 Speaker 1: of the reasons why we're so excited is because we 11 00:00:45,760 --> 00:00:48,600 Speaker 1: have an amazing guest here to talk through an issue 12 00:00:48,600 --> 00:00:50,519 Speaker 1: that I think is near and dear to both of 13 00:00:50,560 --> 00:00:54,840 Speaker 1: our hearts as urban cyclists, which is women and bike riding. 14 00:00:55,120 --> 00:00:57,320 Speaker 1: And we're so excited to be joined here in Atlanta 15 00:00:57,520 --> 00:01:01,560 Speaker 1: with Rebecca Sanna uh. Becca is the executive director of 16 00:01:01,640 --> 00:01:05,039 Speaker 1: Atlanta the Atlanta Bicycle Coalition. She has a master's degree 17 00:01:05,080 --> 00:01:09,200 Speaker 1: from Georgia State University. Go Panthers, shout out to the Panthers. 18 00:01:09,319 --> 00:01:12,960 Speaker 1: And really she has probably one of my dream jobs, 19 00:01:13,000 --> 00:01:16,600 Speaker 1: which is all about making cities like Atlanta more bikeable 20 00:01:16,640 --> 00:01:19,039 Speaker 1: and sort of better places to walk and bike and 21 00:01:19,080 --> 00:01:21,080 Speaker 1: better places to just sort of be a pedestrian and 22 00:01:21,120 --> 00:01:23,319 Speaker 1: making these cities more livable. So we're so excited to 23 00:01:23,319 --> 00:01:27,000 Speaker 1: have you here. Thank you. I'm excited, awesome, So why 24 00:01:27,000 --> 00:01:29,920 Speaker 1: don't we I think a good place to start is 25 00:01:30,000 --> 00:01:34,279 Speaker 1: talking a little bit about the radical history behind women 26 00:01:34,600 --> 00:01:38,560 Speaker 1: and biking. And really biking was in so many ways 27 00:01:38,600 --> 00:01:42,520 Speaker 1: part of the women's emancipatient movement. We know that suffragettes 28 00:01:42,880 --> 00:01:46,759 Speaker 1: marched for rights with bicycles, that some of the earliest 29 00:01:46,800 --> 00:01:50,480 Speaker 1: bikes that were created, once they were deemed kid friendly, 30 00:01:50,600 --> 00:01:53,600 Speaker 1: not that giant wheel and little wheel bike, that first model. 31 00:01:53,840 --> 00:01:56,880 Speaker 1: Once they had a safe bike that was more balanced, 32 00:01:57,280 --> 00:02:00,920 Speaker 1: deemed kid friendly. It was also deemed for women to 33 00:02:01,040 --> 00:02:04,200 Speaker 1: be women friendly. Yeah, and so there's actually a really 34 00:02:04,240 --> 00:02:07,440 Speaker 1: interesting history of biking and and and women's rights. In 35 00:02:07,480 --> 00:02:10,440 Speaker 1: the eighteen hundreds, when sort of biking became more like 36 00:02:10,200 --> 00:02:12,519 Speaker 1: a like a craze and everybody was doing it, it 37 00:02:12,600 --> 00:02:15,160 Speaker 1: sort of forced fashion for women to be a little 38 00:02:15,200 --> 00:02:17,240 Speaker 1: bit less restrictive, because you know, in order to bike, 39 00:02:17,280 --> 00:02:19,639 Speaker 1: you have to be able to move your legs, you 40 00:02:19,639 --> 00:02:21,400 Speaker 1: have to be able to show your legs, your ankles, 41 00:02:21,440 --> 00:02:23,480 Speaker 1: and so ankles were pretty radical, and that was a 42 00:02:23,480 --> 00:02:25,640 Speaker 1: pretty radical I know, it's kind of hard to to 43 00:02:25,840 --> 00:02:28,559 Speaker 1: imagine now what I found to be a really fascinating 44 00:02:28,680 --> 00:02:32,520 Speaker 1: article from the San Francisco Call published in eight this 45 00:02:32,560 --> 00:02:35,320 Speaker 1: little like blur about women, all these women who were 46 00:02:35,360 --> 00:02:37,680 Speaker 1: bike riding, and how they were sort of riding their 47 00:02:37,720 --> 00:02:40,600 Speaker 1: way to equality. It really doesn't matter much where this 48 00:02:40,639 --> 00:02:43,080 Speaker 1: one individual young lady is going on her wheel, and 49 00:02:43,160 --> 00:02:45,280 Speaker 1: maybe that she's going to the park on a pleasure bend, 50 00:02:45,360 --> 00:02:47,600 Speaker 1: or to the store for a dozen hairpins, or to 51 00:02:47,639 --> 00:02:49,400 Speaker 1: call a sick thread at the other side of town, 52 00:02:49,800 --> 00:02:52,720 Speaker 1: or to get a daily pattern of some recipe for 53 00:02:52,840 --> 00:02:56,079 Speaker 1: moving tan lines or freckles. Let that be as it may. 54 00:02:56,440 --> 00:02:59,000 Speaker 1: What the interest in public, which is to know, is 55 00:02:59,000 --> 00:03:00,880 Speaker 1: where are all these young women on wheels going? Is 56 00:03:00,919 --> 00:03:03,400 Speaker 1: there a grand rendezvous somewhere towards which they are all 57 00:03:03,480 --> 00:03:05,800 Speaker 1: headed and where they will sometime hold a meat that 58 00:03:05,800 --> 00:03:07,960 Speaker 1: will cause this wobbly old world to wake up and 59 00:03:08,000 --> 00:03:12,480 Speaker 1: readjust itself. And so very early on you saw publications 60 00:03:12,520 --> 00:03:15,560 Speaker 1: sort of highlighting the fact that women on bikes they 61 00:03:15,600 --> 00:03:17,720 Speaker 1: were all on their way someplace, and they were on 62 00:03:17,760 --> 00:03:21,360 Speaker 1: their way someplace alone. I'm supervised on chaperon, which was 63 00:03:21,400 --> 00:03:25,639 Speaker 1: really not something that genteel women were expected to be 64 00:03:25,880 --> 00:03:28,880 Speaker 1: out and about at all on their own. Totally so 65 00:03:28,880 --> 00:03:31,440 Speaker 1: so long. It's also really funny, is it like, just 66 00:03:31,480 --> 00:03:34,560 Speaker 1: like today, how when women do anything there's always haters 67 00:03:34,600 --> 00:03:37,120 Speaker 1: on the internet wherever? I did find a really funny 68 00:03:37,200 --> 00:03:39,400 Speaker 1: article published in the late eighteen hundreds that was, like, 69 00:03:40,080 --> 00:03:42,280 Speaker 1: I always thought the grossest thing I'd ever see a 70 00:03:42,280 --> 00:03:44,840 Speaker 1: woman do with smoking, but now I'm seeing all these 71 00:03:44,840 --> 00:03:48,520 Speaker 1: women on bikes. But it's like, just just like today, 72 00:03:48,640 --> 00:03:51,920 Speaker 1: still plenty of people. Totally was something to say people 73 00:03:51,960 --> 00:03:55,080 Speaker 1: were upset that women were bucking gender roles at the time, 74 00:03:55,360 --> 00:03:58,360 Speaker 1: and shout out to Kristen Conger, the original creator of 75 00:03:58,360 --> 00:04:01,000 Speaker 1: Stuff I've Never Told You Are, one of the previous 76 00:04:01,040 --> 00:04:03,800 Speaker 1: co hosts. They actually covered an episode that goes way 77 00:04:03,840 --> 00:04:07,920 Speaker 1: deeper into the history of women and biking called do 78 00:04:08,160 --> 00:04:11,480 Speaker 1: Did Women Pedal Their Way to Equality? And in it 79 00:04:11,520 --> 00:04:14,080 Speaker 1: one of the most fascinating things I saw was a 80 00:04:14,160 --> 00:04:17,239 Speaker 1: quote from Susan b. Anthony might have heard of her before, 81 00:04:17,279 --> 00:04:20,719 Speaker 1: who said, at one time, I think bicycling. Bicycling has 82 00:04:20,760 --> 00:04:25,240 Speaker 1: done more to emancipate women than anything else in the world. 83 00:04:25,640 --> 00:04:29,600 Speaker 1: So it really created freedom of mobility. Uh. It started 84 00:04:30,000 --> 00:04:33,359 Speaker 1: fashion trends to change, especially beginning in Paris, where women 85 00:04:33,400 --> 00:04:36,520 Speaker 1: were the first Parisian women led the way for the 86 00:04:36,560 --> 00:04:39,920 Speaker 1: women's bicycle revolution, and just the concept that you could 87 00:04:39,960 --> 00:04:42,480 Speaker 1: get around on your own. And I honestly don't think 88 00:04:42,520 --> 00:04:45,400 Speaker 1: it's that different today. Right. Do you feel like there 89 00:04:45,480 --> 00:04:49,000 Speaker 1: was a moment in your life, Rebecca where biking opened 90 00:04:49,040 --> 00:04:51,520 Speaker 1: up a door for you to be more sort of 91 00:04:51,560 --> 00:04:54,440 Speaker 1: free or feel free, Because I feel my freest when 92 00:04:54,440 --> 00:04:57,200 Speaker 1: I'm zooming through traffic on a bike. I don't know 93 00:04:57,200 --> 00:05:00,320 Speaker 1: about y'all, but not being stuck in a car yields 94 00:05:00,360 --> 00:05:04,000 Speaker 1: pretty darn free. Yeah. Absolutely. I think for me it 95 00:05:04,040 --> 00:05:06,400 Speaker 1: was in college where I did go to the University 96 00:05:06,440 --> 00:05:08,400 Speaker 1: of Georgia undergrad, and you know, I didn't own a 97 00:05:08,440 --> 00:05:10,280 Speaker 1: car and I wanted to get around town. Mathens is 98 00:05:10,320 --> 00:05:12,920 Speaker 1: a really cool college town and a lot of people 99 00:05:13,000 --> 00:05:15,120 Speaker 1: ride bikes, so you know, I picked up a bike 100 00:05:15,160 --> 00:05:18,000 Speaker 1: and started riding around and it was this tremendous sense 101 00:05:18,000 --> 00:05:19,640 Speaker 1: of freedom. And I was in college, so there was 102 00:05:19,680 --> 00:05:22,120 Speaker 1: also that side of the freedom. Um. But when I 103 00:05:22,120 --> 00:05:24,400 Speaker 1: got back to Atlanta just was not really in the air. 104 00:05:24,560 --> 00:05:27,320 Speaker 1: People just weren't really doing it around me. But then 105 00:05:27,400 --> 00:05:29,240 Speaker 1: a couple of years later, a couple of years went 106 00:05:29,240 --> 00:05:32,320 Speaker 1: by and some women that I knew were riding around 107 00:05:32,320 --> 00:05:34,839 Speaker 1: my neighborhood and they weren't dressed up to do it. 108 00:05:34,920 --> 00:05:36,800 Speaker 1: So going back to the clothing, you know, they didn't 109 00:05:36,839 --> 00:05:40,200 Speaker 1: have on spandex. They weren't wearing anything that I wouldn't wear, 110 00:05:40,240 --> 00:05:43,520 Speaker 1: the just in normal clothes and skirts and dresses, And 111 00:05:43,640 --> 00:05:45,240 Speaker 1: that really spoke to me. It's like, Okay, I can 112 00:05:45,279 --> 00:05:47,080 Speaker 1: do that. That looks like something I can I can 113 00:05:47,120 --> 00:05:50,960 Speaker 1: get with. Yeah, so it doesn't look like competitive racing 114 00:05:51,080 --> 00:05:53,760 Speaker 1: on your bicycle. It looks more like the European model 115 00:05:53,800 --> 00:05:56,560 Speaker 1: of bicyclists, which is like the functional, everyday use of 116 00:05:56,600 --> 00:05:59,719 Speaker 1: your bike that doesn't require a specific outfit or clip 117 00:05:59,720 --> 00:06:02,919 Speaker 1: in pedals, which are kind of intimidating to me, even 118 00:06:03,000 --> 00:06:05,280 Speaker 1: though I have clipping pedals and I don't use them 119 00:06:05,360 --> 00:06:08,920 Speaker 1: nine percent of the time. It's interesting how I think 120 00:06:08,960 --> 00:06:12,400 Speaker 1: as bicyclists, we all have a thing or a moment 121 00:06:12,440 --> 00:06:16,200 Speaker 1: that made us sort of become avid bicyclists. It's interesting 122 00:06:16,240 --> 00:06:19,840 Speaker 1: like for you, So for me, mine was kind of 123 00:06:20,080 --> 00:06:23,920 Speaker 1: a downer just to level set um. I've always been 124 00:06:23,960 --> 00:06:26,840 Speaker 1: a big bicyclist. My dad is you know, my dad 125 00:06:27,000 --> 00:06:29,000 Speaker 1: has a chronic illness and it is pretty sick, but 126 00:06:29,080 --> 00:06:31,520 Speaker 1: he rides its bike every day like clockworks. And so 127 00:06:32,080 --> 00:06:33,920 Speaker 1: you know that's something I just sort of grew up doing. 128 00:06:34,279 --> 00:06:36,280 Speaker 1: And so I always had bikes. I pretty much had 129 00:06:36,360 --> 00:06:38,680 Speaker 1: had them since like high school college. And I also 130 00:06:38,720 --> 00:06:42,520 Speaker 1: always had a car. And I remember when Sandra Bland 131 00:06:42,680 --> 00:06:45,560 Speaker 1: was killed that was really kind of a thing that 132 00:06:45,760 --> 00:06:50,000 Speaker 1: really struck me because you know, something about Sandra Bland's 133 00:06:50,040 --> 00:06:53,240 Speaker 1: death that I that sticks with me is that she 134 00:06:53,400 --> 00:06:57,320 Speaker 1: was so much like myself, right, like an activist, an organizer, 135 00:06:57,839 --> 00:07:00,719 Speaker 1: kind of like someone who speaks for mind, has a 136 00:07:00,720 --> 00:07:04,280 Speaker 1: lot to say. Maybe it doesn't always you know, um 137 00:07:04,560 --> 00:07:06,560 Speaker 1: dive well with authority or like if you know, a 138 00:07:06,600 --> 00:07:09,039 Speaker 1: police officer says something wouldn't maybe would not be the 139 00:07:09,200 --> 00:07:12,360 Speaker 1: be quick to sort of just go along with it. Yeah, 140 00:07:12,440 --> 00:07:15,000 Speaker 1: and you know, someone who has something to say. And 141 00:07:15,160 --> 00:07:18,480 Speaker 1: I really saw a lot of myself in her. And 142 00:07:18,560 --> 00:07:21,000 Speaker 1: something that I could have always stuck with me is 143 00:07:21,040 --> 00:07:23,800 Speaker 1: this idea that like those qualities that I love about 144 00:07:23,840 --> 00:07:26,600 Speaker 1: myself and that I see in Sandra Bland, those might 145 00:07:26,640 --> 00:07:29,200 Speaker 1: be the same qualities that like lad, Like I could 146 00:07:29,200 --> 00:07:31,360 Speaker 1: not help thinking that that could have been me, right, 147 00:07:31,440 --> 00:07:33,960 Speaker 1: Like I could see myself getting stopped in my car 148 00:07:34,560 --> 00:07:36,760 Speaker 1: um by a police officer. And I live I live 149 00:07:36,760 --> 00:07:38,360 Speaker 1: in d C. But my folks live in Virginia, So 150 00:07:38,360 --> 00:07:39,960 Speaker 1: I'm in Virginia a lot, which is a kind of 151 00:07:39,960 --> 00:07:44,520 Speaker 1: a state that's not notorious for over zealous traffic stops. 152 00:07:44,680 --> 00:07:47,440 Speaker 1: And I just weer thinking like I don't want I 153 00:07:47,480 --> 00:07:51,720 Speaker 1: want to minimize my contact, my everyday contact with police, 154 00:07:52,160 --> 00:07:54,160 Speaker 1: and the best way to do that is to give 155 00:07:54,240 --> 00:07:56,800 Speaker 1: up driving and to bike exclusively. So I no longer 156 00:07:56,920 --> 00:07:59,360 Speaker 1: like I have not really had a car for a 157 00:07:59,360 --> 00:08:02,880 Speaker 1: while since then, and my main method of transportation is biking. 158 00:08:03,720 --> 00:08:05,760 Speaker 1: I just that was like a wake up call to 159 00:08:05,760 --> 00:08:08,680 Speaker 1: me where I was like, I want to minimize my 160 00:08:09,720 --> 00:08:14,040 Speaker 1: the the times where I'm involuntarily interacting with police officers. Yeah, 161 00:08:14,080 --> 00:08:17,000 Speaker 1: and talk about freedom, Like who I mean? I think 162 00:08:17,000 --> 00:08:20,880 Speaker 1: that's such an important story to tell, um, because there's 163 00:08:21,120 --> 00:08:23,160 Speaker 1: we have to look at this intersectionally, right, driving a 164 00:08:23,200 --> 00:08:26,480 Speaker 1: car doesn't look as dangerous for all of us as 165 00:08:26,520 --> 00:08:29,520 Speaker 1: it does for some. And just to for anyone who 166 00:08:29,520 --> 00:08:32,240 Speaker 1: who who, for whom the name Sandra Bland doesn't ring 167 00:08:32,280 --> 00:08:35,280 Speaker 1: a bell um. Just to to go back to Sandra's 168 00:08:35,280 --> 00:08:37,040 Speaker 1: story for a second, she was the twenty eight year 169 00:08:37,080 --> 00:08:41,280 Speaker 1: old black woman who uh, you know, in some ways 170 00:08:41,280 --> 00:08:45,560 Speaker 1: there's still some mystery around her death. Um, and of 171 00:08:45,559 --> 00:08:48,360 Speaker 1: course I think I'm pretty sure the police walked on 172 00:08:48,880 --> 00:08:52,280 Speaker 1: her wrongful death suit. Yes, so she was found, she 173 00:08:52,440 --> 00:08:56,840 Speaker 1: was arrested for frankly some bsum was not arrested for 174 00:08:56,960 --> 00:08:59,440 Speaker 1: in my mind, any good cause. And then the viral 175 00:08:59,520 --> 00:09:02,040 Speaker 1: video of her being what thrown to the ground in 176 00:09:02,679 --> 00:09:06,160 Speaker 1: a traffic stop right every Traci She's on the way 177 00:09:06,200 --> 00:09:08,760 Speaker 1: to her new job in another state, exactly, And I 178 00:09:08,800 --> 00:09:11,560 Speaker 1: just think that, you know, so she was the official 179 00:09:12,240 --> 00:09:15,800 Speaker 1: cause of death, you know, according to the story that 180 00:09:15,840 --> 00:09:17,680 Speaker 1: we were told as suicide, which I'm not you know, 181 00:09:17,840 --> 00:09:20,280 Speaker 1: I wasn't there, I don't know. But even still, the 182 00:09:20,320 --> 00:09:22,760 Speaker 1: fact that she was, even that that interaction with police 183 00:09:23,080 --> 00:09:29,600 Speaker 1: escalated in that way is in my mind and many 184 00:09:29,720 --> 00:09:33,600 Speaker 1: many have rightful reason to believe it led to her death. Correct. Yeah, 185 00:09:33,640 --> 00:09:36,000 Speaker 1: So did you want to answer, Yeah, I'm just going 186 00:09:36,040 --> 00:09:38,320 Speaker 1: to be even more of a downer and say, you know, 187 00:09:38,520 --> 00:09:41,440 Speaker 1: I agree that biking is freedom in so many ways, 188 00:09:41,440 --> 00:09:43,520 Speaker 1: but at the same time. There's been some recent news 189 00:09:43,520 --> 00:09:47,360 Speaker 1: reports that in cities like Tampa and Minneapolis that people 190 00:09:47,400 --> 00:09:51,880 Speaker 1: of color are being racially profiled on bikes. I've been, 191 00:09:52,200 --> 00:09:53,920 Speaker 1: I mean, I have been stopped by police on my 192 00:09:53,960 --> 00:09:56,760 Speaker 1: bike before. So, which is do you get lessons your 193 00:09:56,760 --> 00:09:58,920 Speaker 1: exposure because you don't get caught up in as many 194 00:09:59,280 --> 00:10:02,640 Speaker 1: um the drag net kind of traffic stops. Um, but 195 00:10:02,720 --> 00:10:05,520 Speaker 1: you know, that's still part of the reality and out 196 00:10:05,520 --> 00:10:07,000 Speaker 1: on the road. And when I tell people that that 197 00:10:07,080 --> 00:10:09,360 Speaker 1: I've been stopped by police on my bike, they find 198 00:10:09,360 --> 00:10:12,480 Speaker 1: it shocking, like, what, like, you ran stops? I mean, 199 00:10:12,520 --> 00:10:14,280 Speaker 1: and you shouldn't. You shouldn't be running stop signs on 200 00:10:14,280 --> 00:10:17,080 Speaker 1: your bike, but like wink wink, we all do it. Um, 201 00:10:17,120 --> 00:10:19,240 Speaker 1: you know, but people find that to be very shocking. Wow. 202 00:10:19,880 --> 00:10:23,520 Speaker 1: So let's let's drive more into this concept around safety 203 00:10:23,640 --> 00:10:27,080 Speaker 1: and biking because I think that's a really important, uh 204 00:10:27,240 --> 00:10:30,959 Speaker 1: condition that is a prerequisite to getting more women on bikes, 205 00:10:31,040 --> 00:10:34,160 Speaker 1: right because we know that um, more and more women 206 00:10:34,200 --> 00:10:37,720 Speaker 1: are picking up the two wheel option over the past 207 00:10:37,760 --> 00:10:40,440 Speaker 1: few years, but there isn't too much data out there 208 00:10:40,920 --> 00:10:43,880 Speaker 1: really that's shown even in the past two hundred years. 209 00:10:44,200 --> 00:10:47,080 Speaker 1: It's not radical or revolutionary anymore for women to be 210 00:10:47,160 --> 00:10:50,760 Speaker 1: on two wheels. But we still haven't seen equal numbers 211 00:10:50,840 --> 00:10:54,880 Speaker 1: of women biking as compared to men nationally here in 212 00:10:54,920 --> 00:10:57,280 Speaker 1: the United States. I'm not sure if that's different abroad, 213 00:10:57,320 --> 00:11:00,560 Speaker 1: but there's very it is different abroad. Yeah, there. I 214 00:11:00,600 --> 00:11:02,560 Speaker 1: haven't found a lot of data on that, have you 215 00:11:02,679 --> 00:11:06,040 Speaker 1: been able to UM, I can't find anything specifically, But 216 00:11:06,080 --> 00:11:08,240 Speaker 1: in cities like Copenhagen, where it's more of a norm, 217 00:11:08,400 --> 00:11:11,560 Speaker 1: you actually sometimes we'll see more women on bikes because 218 00:11:11,640 --> 00:11:13,880 Speaker 1: a lot of times they have their kids with them. Yeah, 219 00:11:13,960 --> 00:11:15,560 Speaker 1: that's a great way to get your kids around. I 220 00:11:15,600 --> 00:11:18,600 Speaker 1: love it. So let's let's talk more about the element 221 00:11:18,640 --> 00:11:20,959 Speaker 1: of safety and women on bikes when we come back 222 00:11:21,080 --> 00:11:31,920 Speaker 1: from a quick break and we're back, and let's dive 223 00:11:32,000 --> 00:11:36,040 Speaker 1: right into women and biking and what those numbers really 224 00:11:36,080 --> 00:11:39,120 Speaker 1: look like. So, according to a two thousand and fifteen 225 00:11:39,240 --> 00:11:43,960 Speaker 1: study UM, there were a hundred and four million Americans 226 00:11:44,000 --> 00:11:47,280 Speaker 1: who rode a bicycle at least in that one year, 227 00:11:47,320 --> 00:11:52,240 Speaker 1: including forty million women. So that made up about of 228 00:11:52,240 --> 00:11:57,440 Speaker 1: bike riders. What I found really interesting is that, UM, 229 00:11:57,480 --> 00:12:00,800 Speaker 1: you know, fifty three of women riders cited that biking 230 00:12:00,840 --> 00:12:02,360 Speaker 1: was a good way to get around, and I would 231 00:12:02,360 --> 00:12:04,880 Speaker 1: agree with that. Right. I'm biking at work, I'm biking friends, 232 00:12:04,920 --> 00:12:08,720 Speaker 1: I'm biking to the gym. Women be biking, but the 233 00:12:08,800 --> 00:12:15,680 Speaker 1: majority of bicycling women bike for recreation for exercise. And 234 00:12:15,679 --> 00:12:18,559 Speaker 1: I'm looking at you, soule cycle, I'm looking at y'all 235 00:12:18,600 --> 00:12:23,040 Speaker 1: spinners out there, like, I wonder how the outdoor versus 236 00:12:23,080 --> 00:12:27,160 Speaker 1: indoor cycling numbers breakdown for testinating, So I I do both. 237 00:12:27,280 --> 00:12:29,120 Speaker 1: I do. I don't do soule cycle because it's not 238 00:12:29,200 --> 00:12:32,080 Speaker 1: for me, but I do a class at Off Road 239 00:12:32,160 --> 00:12:34,240 Speaker 1: d C, which is all around sort of. It's like 240 00:12:34,240 --> 00:12:37,640 Speaker 1: a precision precision class. It's supposed to make your actual 241 00:12:37,840 --> 00:12:40,600 Speaker 1: like on road biking better. So they think of them 242 00:12:40,600 --> 00:12:44,319 Speaker 1: as like, you know, together, it's fascinating. Yeah, it's a 243 00:12:44,400 --> 00:12:47,120 Speaker 1: lot of fun. Have you ever spun as just like list, No, 244 00:12:47,280 --> 00:12:49,720 Speaker 1: I haven't. I had to have some weird aversion to it, 245 00:12:49,840 --> 00:12:52,240 Speaker 1: like I just love being outdoors and start of biking 246 00:12:52,280 --> 00:12:53,640 Speaker 1: for me, I gotta fill the wind in my hair 247 00:12:53,679 --> 00:12:56,240 Speaker 1: in my face totally. Oh that was I was a 248 00:12:56,240 --> 00:12:59,000 Speaker 1: long and no shade to anybody who does soul cycle, 249 00:12:59,040 --> 00:13:01,920 Speaker 1: but I was a long time skeptic of those classes 250 00:13:01,960 --> 00:13:04,360 Speaker 1: because I guess I almost felt like they were rooted 251 00:13:04,360 --> 00:13:07,800 Speaker 1: in a kind of this is gonna sound awful, like 252 00:13:07,800 --> 00:13:10,079 Speaker 1: it's gonna sound like I'm trashing people who take those classes, 253 00:13:10,080 --> 00:13:12,120 Speaker 1: but I'm one of those people now, so I'm talking 254 00:13:12,120 --> 00:13:15,400 Speaker 1: about myself. It always felt like, you know, if you like, 255 00:13:15,440 --> 00:13:17,120 Speaker 1: I feel like biking is such a great way to 256 00:13:17,320 --> 00:13:19,880 Speaker 1: explore a community, and it feels like those classes are like, 257 00:13:20,000 --> 00:13:21,800 Speaker 1: I don't want to explore the community. I want to 258 00:13:21,840 --> 00:13:24,000 Speaker 1: be in an air conditioned room. And so for a 259 00:13:24,000 --> 00:13:27,520 Speaker 1: long time I thought those were like not cool, but 260 00:13:27,559 --> 00:13:30,760 Speaker 1: now I do it, so I find them totally different experiences, right, 261 00:13:30,800 --> 00:13:33,199 Speaker 1: And I would also venture to guess, and I'd love 262 00:13:33,240 --> 00:13:34,880 Speaker 1: to hear from y'all on this, and I'd love to 263 00:13:34,880 --> 00:13:38,760 Speaker 1: hear from our audience on on who's listening to this 264 00:13:38,840 --> 00:13:42,760 Speaker 1: on their earbuds. You know, is is there overlap between 265 00:13:42,920 --> 00:13:45,679 Speaker 1: spinners and cyclists? I bet there's not a whole lot. 266 00:13:45,720 --> 00:13:49,640 Speaker 1: I don't think there is. Yeah, you do both cool. 267 00:13:49,880 --> 00:13:51,920 Speaker 1: I think they're both different kinds of communities. You know, 268 00:13:51,920 --> 00:13:54,120 Speaker 1: you've got the community that's right around you and spin 269 00:13:54,200 --> 00:13:56,520 Speaker 1: class and then kind of the I get to know 270 00:13:56,559 --> 00:13:58,959 Speaker 1: my neighbors because I'm not on a bike that I've 271 00:13:59,000 --> 00:14:01,520 Speaker 1: met Otherwise, I can stop and talk to someone when 272 00:14:01,520 --> 00:14:03,400 Speaker 1: I'm riding my bike home. I can't really do that 273 00:14:03,440 --> 00:14:07,160 Speaker 1: in my car, really inconvenient around me. You stopped your 274 00:14:07,160 --> 00:14:10,880 Speaker 1: car and was like, Hey, I know right here in 275 00:14:10,920 --> 00:14:12,640 Speaker 1: the road, but I can do that on my bike 276 00:14:12,679 --> 00:14:15,959 Speaker 1: and I love that. Yeah. And so over the past 277 00:14:16,000 --> 00:14:19,400 Speaker 1: few years, I found as a woman. I really started 278 00:14:19,400 --> 00:14:21,960 Speaker 1: biking when I moved to d C in two thousand 279 00:14:21,960 --> 00:14:25,320 Speaker 1: and twelve, and I just found it to be the 280 00:14:25,400 --> 00:14:27,240 Speaker 1: best way to get rid of my car that I 281 00:14:27,280 --> 00:14:30,400 Speaker 1: no longer wanted and to get around the city of Washington, 282 00:14:30,480 --> 00:14:34,600 Speaker 1: d C. I also, over the past five years spent 283 00:14:34,640 --> 00:14:37,320 Speaker 1: a couple of months in Portland, Oregon, and that was 284 00:14:37,400 --> 00:14:41,000 Speaker 1: when I noticed a significant uptick in women on bikes. 285 00:14:41,360 --> 00:14:44,320 Speaker 1: And there's just something so fierce about being amongst the 286 00:14:44,320 --> 00:14:47,960 Speaker 1: community of women bicyclists. And I've seen at least this 287 00:14:48,000 --> 00:14:51,200 Speaker 1: is totally anecdotal evidence, but I've seemed to have seen 288 00:14:51,520 --> 00:14:53,680 Speaker 1: over the past few years an uptick and the overall 289 00:14:53,760 --> 00:14:57,920 Speaker 1: number of women urban commuter cyclists. Would you say that's 290 00:14:57,920 --> 00:15:00,840 Speaker 1: true for Atlanta, Absolutely, it's totally an total But I 291 00:15:00,880 --> 00:15:03,040 Speaker 1: definitely see that on my daily commute. I used to 292 00:15:03,240 --> 00:15:05,040 Speaker 1: know everyone that I saw around me, and there were 293 00:15:05,080 --> 00:15:07,120 Speaker 1: mostly men. And then I looked up one day and 294 00:15:07,120 --> 00:15:08,840 Speaker 1: I was at an intersection and there was a woman 295 00:15:08,880 --> 00:15:10,720 Speaker 1: on a bike at every corner of the intersection, and 296 00:15:10,720 --> 00:15:12,280 Speaker 1: we all kind of looked around at each other, like, 297 00:15:12,440 --> 00:15:14,480 Speaker 1: this's weird. Is this the new normal? I hope it's 298 00:15:14,480 --> 00:15:17,480 Speaker 1: the new normal, and I think it really is. Um. So, 299 00:15:17,520 --> 00:15:19,240 Speaker 1: there's a lot of different groups in Atlanta, like we 300 00:15:19,280 --> 00:15:22,080 Speaker 1: have a Heel's on Wheels group. Can find us on Facebook, 301 00:15:22,640 --> 00:15:25,840 Speaker 1: tell us about Heels on Wheels. Well, I like to 302 00:15:25,960 --> 00:15:28,160 Speaker 1: have a bike in heels, and I would get comments 303 00:15:28,160 --> 00:15:31,360 Speaker 1: from people constantly, just this constant commentary of you didn't 304 00:15:31,440 --> 00:15:33,920 Speaker 1: ride your bike here? What are you doing? That's unsafe. 305 00:15:34,240 --> 00:15:35,880 Speaker 1: It's like, actually it's unsafe for me to walk in 306 00:15:35,960 --> 00:15:39,800 Speaker 1: heels that I'm fine on my bikes. Isn't actually that difficult? 307 00:15:39,800 --> 00:15:41,760 Speaker 1: It keeps your foot on the pedal, Yeah, it totally does. 308 00:15:41,920 --> 00:15:44,760 Speaker 1: It's like a bit of a lockni um. So we 309 00:15:44,760 --> 00:15:47,520 Speaker 1: started this group called Heels on Wheels and bike rides Together. 310 00:15:48,320 --> 00:15:50,200 Speaker 1: But there's a lot of other groups too, of women 311 00:15:50,280 --> 00:15:52,680 Speaker 1: in Atlanta and around the country who are really getting 312 00:15:52,680 --> 00:15:55,800 Speaker 1: together and bonding over biking, So I think that's important. 313 00:15:55,840 --> 00:15:58,160 Speaker 1: I love that. So one of the things that reminds 314 00:15:58,160 --> 00:16:00,000 Speaker 1: me so much of one of the experiences I feel 315 00:16:00,040 --> 00:16:02,240 Speaker 1: like is a specific thing to women on bikes, which 316 00:16:02,240 --> 00:16:05,440 Speaker 1: is people they're commentary, so you know, if you're biking 317 00:16:05,440 --> 00:16:07,800 Speaker 1: in heels or biking in a skirt, I feel like 318 00:16:08,000 --> 00:16:11,040 Speaker 1: people might have something to say about it. And I 319 00:16:11,080 --> 00:16:13,760 Speaker 1: have certainly had my fair share of cat calls and 320 00:16:13,800 --> 00:16:16,960 Speaker 1: etcetera on bikes. Do you think that is a an 321 00:16:17,120 --> 00:16:19,800 Speaker 1: issue that women find that like keeps them off the 322 00:16:19,840 --> 00:16:21,960 Speaker 1: bike or do you think it's impacting the levels of 323 00:16:21,960 --> 00:16:24,640 Speaker 1: women that are biking. I do think it's a deterrent. 324 00:16:24,680 --> 00:16:26,960 Speaker 1: I think it kind of depends on your experiences too. 325 00:16:27,080 --> 00:16:30,800 Speaker 1: If you're someone who's experienced sexual assault, for example, it's 326 00:16:30,840 --> 00:16:34,200 Speaker 1: a way bigger deal for you than if you haven't. UM. 327 00:16:34,240 --> 00:16:35,800 Speaker 1: So I think that's something that a friend of mine 328 00:16:35,840 --> 00:16:39,600 Speaker 1: actually who works for the state wide organization Georgia Bikes NADRA, 329 00:16:39,640 --> 00:16:41,880 Speaker 1: pointed out to me recently. I was kind of blasse 330 00:16:42,040 --> 00:16:44,920 Speaker 1: about the issue. On another panel, was asked about street 331 00:16:44,920 --> 00:16:47,000 Speaker 1: harassment if I experienced it, and I was like, yeah, 332 00:16:47,040 --> 00:16:48,600 Speaker 1: I always just tell them, you know, go get your 333 00:16:48,600 --> 00:16:51,480 Speaker 1: own bike. You know, the most common question is hey, 334 00:16:51,520 --> 00:16:54,280 Speaker 1: can I ride? And there's kind of overtones and undertones 335 00:16:54,320 --> 00:16:57,680 Speaker 1: to that. And she she just pointed out, you know, 336 00:16:57,720 --> 00:16:59,320 Speaker 1: it might be not a big deal to you, but 337 00:16:59,360 --> 00:17:01,920 Speaker 1: it might be a bigger deal to other prooples. So, UM, 338 00:17:01,920 --> 00:17:04,919 Speaker 1: I think that's important to recognize. And then just you know, 339 00:17:05,040 --> 00:17:08,640 Speaker 1: it ranges from just a little commentary, like the constant 340 00:17:08,680 --> 00:17:10,800 Speaker 1: commentary that you get when you're a woman on the 341 00:17:10,800 --> 00:17:13,280 Speaker 1: bike on a bike, like you're inviting it, um, when 342 00:17:13,280 --> 00:17:15,560 Speaker 1: you're really not you have no interest in being commented 343 00:17:15,600 --> 00:17:19,679 Speaker 1: on all the way to you know, more extreme violent 344 00:17:19,720 --> 00:17:21,560 Speaker 1: acts like I've had people threatened to kill me with 345 00:17:21,600 --> 00:17:24,840 Speaker 1: their cars and run me off the road and gross 346 00:17:24,960 --> 00:17:26,960 Speaker 1: someone who just decided to stop behind me and hunk 347 00:17:27,000 --> 00:17:30,560 Speaker 1: for five minutes late on the horn and then she 348 00:17:30,640 --> 00:17:34,400 Speaker 1: drove away. It was a woman woman. Her license plate 349 00:17:34,480 --> 00:17:39,439 Speaker 1: said too blessed to be stressed. I guess there's not 350 00:17:39,480 --> 00:17:43,919 Speaker 1: too on that day. And what's your experience with this? 351 00:17:43,960 --> 00:17:45,560 Speaker 1: I feel like as a as a lady biker, you've 352 00:17:45,560 --> 00:17:50,400 Speaker 1: told me some stories about street harassment and commentary. Um, well, 353 00:17:50,440 --> 00:17:52,600 Speaker 1: first of all, I will admit to having more than 354 00:17:52,600 --> 00:17:55,360 Speaker 1: my fair share of biking accidents, which we can talk 355 00:17:55,400 --> 00:17:59,199 Speaker 1: about some more. Um, let's see, there's so many. But 356 00:17:59,320 --> 00:18:03,200 Speaker 1: I think one of the most exceptional experiences of commentary 357 00:18:03,520 --> 00:18:08,560 Speaker 1: was benevolent sexism on display in the most insane way. 358 00:18:09,280 --> 00:18:11,880 Speaker 1: Uh in that I was locking up my bike with 359 00:18:12,040 --> 00:18:14,320 Speaker 1: a T shirt dress that I am known to wear 360 00:18:14,359 --> 00:18:17,320 Speaker 1: on occasion, including right at this very moment, because I 361 00:18:17,359 --> 00:18:19,840 Speaker 1: love the ease of a T shirt dress and I 362 00:18:19,920 --> 00:18:22,159 Speaker 1: had I probably had like boots with a heel on 363 00:18:22,720 --> 00:18:24,600 Speaker 1: and a T shirt dress. And as I'm locking up 364 00:18:24,640 --> 00:18:27,040 Speaker 1: my bike, someone who's dining al Fresco happened to be 365 00:18:27,119 --> 00:18:30,040 Speaker 1: an older male UM told me, Hey, I just want 366 00:18:30,080 --> 00:18:34,520 Speaker 1: to warn you biking in a dress can be risky 367 00:18:34,560 --> 00:18:37,439 Speaker 1: because there might be some guys out there who are 368 00:18:37,480 --> 00:18:40,080 Speaker 1: trying to get a peek up your skirt while you're biking, 369 00:18:40,640 --> 00:18:42,840 Speaker 1: and so you probably shouldn't do that was his sort 370 00:18:42,880 --> 00:18:45,960 Speaker 1: of implication. And I had one of those moments where 371 00:18:45,960 --> 00:18:48,120 Speaker 1: I had my words with me right when I needed them, 372 00:18:48,200 --> 00:18:51,159 Speaker 1: which you gotta save for those moments, right, And I 373 00:18:51,200 --> 00:18:53,040 Speaker 1: said to him, you know, you should probably go tell 374 00:18:53,119 --> 00:18:56,520 Speaker 1: them that they should lock it up and not do that, 375 00:18:56,680 --> 00:19:00,359 Speaker 1: right because that's not my problem. I'm fine. The problem 376 00:19:00,359 --> 00:19:03,560 Speaker 1: is the people who are hollering at me, including you, totally. 377 00:19:04,359 --> 00:19:07,159 Speaker 1: And he was just like dumbfounded. And I locked up 378 00:19:07,200 --> 00:19:09,800 Speaker 1: my bike and was on my way, and I felt 379 00:19:09,800 --> 00:19:12,040 Speaker 1: pretty good about myself, and most of all, kudos to 380 00:19:12,080 --> 00:19:14,879 Speaker 1: you for having the right words. That would have I 381 00:19:14,880 --> 00:19:18,240 Speaker 1: would have smiled and giggled and in my mind and 382 00:19:18,440 --> 00:19:20,920 Speaker 1: like this jerk, And then I would have gotten home 383 00:19:20,960 --> 00:19:22,920 Speaker 1: and been like, oh, I had the perfect thing to say. 384 00:19:23,040 --> 00:19:25,000 Speaker 1: Let me see. If I would have, I literally would 385 00:19:25,000 --> 00:19:27,920 Speaker 1: have made a Craigslist misconnection of like, did you talk 386 00:19:27,960 --> 00:19:30,720 Speaker 1: to thumb girl on a bike? Well, here's my my comments, 387 00:19:31,000 --> 00:19:34,359 Speaker 1: here's my retter, just in the hopes that he would 388 00:19:34,359 --> 00:19:37,400 Speaker 1: have been But the entitlement of talking to a woman 389 00:19:37,440 --> 00:19:41,000 Speaker 1: on a bike, it seems similar to street harassment in general, 390 00:19:41,080 --> 00:19:43,560 Speaker 1: that for some reason a woman in public is therefore 391 00:19:43,640 --> 00:19:46,200 Speaker 1: there for your entertainment. And to me, that was never 392 00:19:46,280 --> 00:19:49,159 Speaker 1: more prevalent than when I got into an accident in 393 00:19:49,200 --> 00:19:53,680 Speaker 1: a circle. DC's known for its many traffic circles, And 394 00:19:53,840 --> 00:19:57,639 Speaker 1: there was a bright red Ferrari to my left. We 395 00:19:57,640 --> 00:20:00,359 Speaker 1: were both at a stop sign. We'd both stopped, and 396 00:20:00,400 --> 00:20:02,600 Speaker 1: I went straight to continue on my way because he 397 00:20:02,640 --> 00:20:05,800 Speaker 1: had not used a blinker of any kind, and he 398 00:20:05,840 --> 00:20:09,560 Speaker 1: decided at the last minute, without looking, to take a 399 00:20:09,600 --> 00:20:13,520 Speaker 1: hard right hand turn, and in doing so, I ended 400 00:20:13,600 --> 00:20:18,000 Speaker 1: up rolling over the roof of this Ferrari, totally scratching 401 00:20:18,160 --> 00:20:20,560 Speaker 1: his right door with my bicycle, which I thought my 402 00:20:20,560 --> 00:20:23,119 Speaker 1: bike was totaled. It was pretty dramatic and I'm like 403 00:20:23,200 --> 00:20:25,840 Speaker 1: flopping over onto the ground. And the first thing he 404 00:20:25,880 --> 00:20:28,840 Speaker 1: does is get out of his car and scream expletives 405 00:20:28,880 --> 00:20:31,680 Speaker 1: at me, saying what the basically, what the heck did 406 00:20:31,720 --> 00:20:34,280 Speaker 1: you think you were doing? And I just turned my 407 00:20:34,320 --> 00:20:36,560 Speaker 1: back and sad and said exactly what he said to me. 408 00:20:37,200 --> 00:20:39,080 Speaker 1: And that's when he calmed down and said, it's okay. 409 00:20:39,119 --> 00:20:42,240 Speaker 1: I'm a doctor. Let me take a look. And my dad, 410 00:20:42,320 --> 00:20:45,199 Speaker 1: the the attorney, the workers comp attorney, later was like, 411 00:20:45,400 --> 00:20:47,800 Speaker 1: didn't I teach you to roll on the ground writhing 412 00:20:47,880 --> 00:20:51,639 Speaker 1: in pain in an experience like that? And he was kidding, 413 00:20:51,680 --> 00:20:56,120 Speaker 1: of course, but I was fine and nothing ever really 414 00:20:56,119 --> 00:20:57,879 Speaker 1: came of it. But he didn't see this guy for 415 00:20:58,240 --> 00:21:01,000 Speaker 1: you didn't say give me that fer our. My dad 416 00:21:01,119 --> 00:21:02,439 Speaker 1: me how it went. He was like, did you go 417 00:21:02,480 --> 00:21:04,080 Speaker 1: to the hospital. I was like, no, I really needed 418 00:21:04,119 --> 00:21:07,240 Speaker 1: to go play this volleyball tournament down by the Linking Memorial. 419 00:21:07,320 --> 00:21:10,040 Speaker 1: He's like, well, there it goes. So I went on 420 00:21:10,080 --> 00:21:12,280 Speaker 1: to play a volleyball tournament after that. It was a 421 00:21:12,280 --> 00:21:14,800 Speaker 1: little shaken up, but I love that. I mean, yeah, 422 00:21:14,840 --> 00:21:16,639 Speaker 1: I think I. Have you had a close call, Rebecca 423 00:21:16,720 --> 00:21:18,920 Speaker 1: on a bike or have you been involved in an accident. 424 00:21:19,040 --> 00:21:21,840 Speaker 1: I have not been knocked off my bike, but car 425 00:21:21,880 --> 00:21:24,400 Speaker 1: I've been slow motion hit by a car and actually 426 00:21:24,400 --> 00:21:27,560 Speaker 1: managed to not get knocked down. Um, there's a chamba 427 00:21:27,560 --> 00:21:35,080 Speaker 1: womba hit. But you're never going to keep Rebecca down. Yeah. 428 00:21:35,080 --> 00:21:37,840 Speaker 1: I lived in d C for maybe a week until 429 00:21:37,880 --> 00:21:39,600 Speaker 1: I had an accident, so it was it was pretty 430 00:21:40,280 --> 00:21:42,439 Speaker 1: it was pretty early on. I was it's like an 431 00:21:42,440 --> 00:21:44,720 Speaker 1: initiation in DC. Everyone I know who bikes in DC 432 00:21:44,840 --> 00:21:47,040 Speaker 1: has had a close call or they've been doored, which 433 00:21:47,040 --> 00:21:48,320 Speaker 1: if you don't know what that is is when you're 434 00:21:48,640 --> 00:21:51,280 Speaker 1: biking and it's it's honestly, it's like the worst. There's 435 00:21:51,280 --> 00:21:53,040 Speaker 1: not a there's not a worst thing you can imagine 436 00:21:53,080 --> 00:21:55,720 Speaker 1: for a cyclist when someone opened someone's parallel park and 437 00:21:55,760 --> 00:21:57,920 Speaker 1: they opened their door and you're going too fast and 438 00:21:58,240 --> 00:22:00,840 Speaker 1: just slam right into it. It's like the absolutely worse things. 439 00:22:00,920 --> 00:22:03,399 Speaker 1: So p s A. If you're parking, if you're parallel parking, 440 00:22:03,640 --> 00:22:06,640 Speaker 1: please look out your left mirror, your rear view mirror 441 00:22:06,680 --> 00:22:08,359 Speaker 1: before you open your door. And if you're going to 442 00:22:08,480 --> 00:22:10,720 Speaker 1: ride a bike in a city, it's a great idea 443 00:22:10,760 --> 00:22:15,480 Speaker 1: to take a bike class, confidence class or there's all different. 444 00:22:15,480 --> 00:22:17,639 Speaker 1: Every city has these. I took one before I started 445 00:22:17,640 --> 00:22:20,919 Speaker 1: by commuting, or like maybe six months in and I 446 00:22:21,000 --> 00:22:24,040 Speaker 1: really attribute that to why I haven't had a serious crash, 447 00:22:24,119 --> 00:22:27,160 Speaker 1: because it's it's basically like defensive driving, but on a bike. 448 00:22:28,200 --> 00:22:32,400 Speaker 1: Clearly we knew nothing. You guys learned the hard way. 449 00:22:32,480 --> 00:22:36,280 Speaker 1: I learned the easy way should be taking urban um 450 00:22:36,320 --> 00:22:39,600 Speaker 1: In Atlanta, we call it urban Confidence Ride Confidence Ride. 451 00:22:39,680 --> 00:22:41,679 Speaker 1: Shout out to Urban Confidence. In d C, they have 452 00:22:41,720 --> 00:22:45,480 Speaker 1: Confidence City Cycling. Okay, you know you're you're like, yeah, 453 00:22:45,520 --> 00:22:47,920 Speaker 1: we need to get out on this. So I really 454 00:22:47,920 --> 00:22:50,240 Speaker 1: want to get into more of Rebecca's background and some 455 00:22:50,280 --> 00:22:51,840 Speaker 1: of the work that she's doing here in Atlanta, And 456 00:22:51,840 --> 00:23:01,440 Speaker 1: we're going to do that after a quick break and 457 00:23:01,600 --> 00:23:04,080 Speaker 1: we're back with our lovely Yes Rebecca. And one of 458 00:23:04,080 --> 00:23:05,920 Speaker 1: the things I was so kind of thrilled about with 459 00:23:05,920 --> 00:23:08,440 Speaker 1: Rebecca's at work is how she's really fighting to make 460 00:23:08,520 --> 00:23:12,359 Speaker 1: biking more safe in cities like Atlanta. So, Rebecca, can 461 00:23:12,400 --> 00:23:14,960 Speaker 1: you talk us through, um the state of play of 462 00:23:15,040 --> 00:23:18,800 Speaker 1: biking and safety here in Atlanta. Absolutely, so, biking in 463 00:23:18,800 --> 00:23:22,000 Speaker 1: Atlanta is actually safer than people think. It's not very 464 00:23:22,320 --> 00:23:25,280 Speaker 1: obvious that it's safer than than you might think. Where 465 00:23:25,280 --> 00:23:28,399 Speaker 1: I think number eighteen among the top fifty U S 466 00:23:28,400 --> 00:23:32,160 Speaker 1: cities in bike safety. So what that means is that 467 00:23:32,240 --> 00:23:34,320 Speaker 1: a lot of years no one dies on their bike, 468 00:23:35,200 --> 00:23:38,920 Speaker 1: but a lot of serious injuries do happen um at 469 00:23:38,920 --> 00:23:41,679 Speaker 1: the same time. So it's not to discount those um. 470 00:23:41,760 --> 00:23:44,400 Speaker 1: So let's have a huge impact on everyone. But the 471 00:23:44,440 --> 00:23:47,160 Speaker 1: biggest and best way that we can make biking safer 472 00:23:47,240 --> 00:23:49,760 Speaker 1: is to create safe spaces for biking. And that's what 473 00:23:49,840 --> 00:23:52,600 Speaker 1: other cities that have much safer records when it comes 474 00:23:52,640 --> 00:23:55,480 Speaker 1: to these things have done. Anytime you can put some 475 00:23:55,560 --> 00:23:58,600 Speaker 1: kind of physical separation between the person on the bike 476 00:23:59,240 --> 00:24:03,240 Speaker 1: and the two thousand pound vehicle that can be also 477 00:24:03,320 --> 00:24:09,119 Speaker 1: used as a weapon car, so you know, you can 478 00:24:09,200 --> 00:24:11,160 Speaker 1: ride in traffic and you can mix it up. And 479 00:24:11,280 --> 00:24:14,040 Speaker 1: in my twenties that was great, and then I had kids, 480 00:24:14,040 --> 00:24:15,800 Speaker 1: and I realized someone needs me to be around for 481 00:24:15,840 --> 00:24:20,120 Speaker 1: a long time. And protected bike lanes and things that 482 00:24:20,320 --> 00:24:24,160 Speaker 1: keep you um safer by slowing down car speeds are 483 00:24:24,160 --> 00:24:26,800 Speaker 1: a really good thing. So fun fact, if you get 484 00:24:26,880 --> 00:24:28,840 Speaker 1: hit by a car going twenty five miles an hour, 485 00:24:28,920 --> 00:24:31,280 Speaker 1: you're going to live. If you get hit by a 486 00:24:31,320 --> 00:24:33,440 Speaker 1: car going thirty five miles an hour, you might live. 487 00:24:33,520 --> 00:24:35,680 Speaker 1: If you get hit a car going forty five miles 488 00:24:35,720 --> 00:24:38,240 Speaker 1: an hour, you're probably gonna die. So the thing to 489 00:24:38,280 --> 00:24:42,439 Speaker 1: do is avoid streets where cars are going for And 490 00:24:42,480 --> 00:24:44,760 Speaker 1: this is definitely one of the barriers to getting more 491 00:24:44,760 --> 00:24:48,440 Speaker 1: women on bikes, is this perceived danger and real danger 492 00:24:48,480 --> 00:24:53,600 Speaker 1: of bicycling. The same study from found that four percent 493 00:24:53,720 --> 00:24:56,840 Speaker 1: of women are concerned about being hit while on their bikes, 494 00:24:57,200 --> 00:25:02,320 Speaker 1: and of women would ride more with protected bike lanes. 495 00:25:02,560 --> 00:25:05,119 Speaker 1: And it sounds like that's a huge part of the 496 00:25:05,160 --> 00:25:07,280 Speaker 1: initiatives that you're really working on here in Atlanta. What 497 00:25:07,320 --> 00:25:10,240 Speaker 1: does that look like. Well, a couple of years ago 498 00:25:10,280 --> 00:25:12,000 Speaker 1: we rode a grant and got the city to hire 499 00:25:12,080 --> 00:25:15,560 Speaker 1: what we called a Chief Bicycle Officer. Um So the 500 00:25:15,600 --> 00:25:18,320 Speaker 1: one requirement was that she'd been named Rebecca. Also, so 501 00:25:18,400 --> 00:25:22,920 Speaker 1: her name is Becky cats. Um, she's amazing, and she's 502 00:25:23,000 --> 00:25:26,119 Speaker 1: just all about building out this network of safe, connected 503 00:25:26,240 --> 00:25:29,720 Speaker 1: bike ways. Um. And she's also shepherded into town a 504 00:25:29,800 --> 00:25:31,919 Speaker 1: bike share system, which a lot of cities around the 505 00:25:31,920 --> 00:25:37,000 Speaker 1: world have. Speaking of things, UM, so we have relay 506 00:25:37,040 --> 00:25:39,120 Speaker 1: bike share now and it's amazing because you see people 507 00:25:39,119 --> 00:25:40,800 Speaker 1: on the blue bikes. You know, now that I've mentioned it, 508 00:25:40,800 --> 00:25:43,359 Speaker 1: you'll probably see a bunch of stations around. There's one 509 00:25:43,400 --> 00:25:46,359 Speaker 1: right across this from where we are now exactly. And 510 00:25:46,440 --> 00:25:48,240 Speaker 1: the great thing about it is that it just makes 511 00:25:48,480 --> 00:25:50,960 Speaker 1: makes biking accessible to everyone. So it's a ten dollar 512 00:25:51,040 --> 00:25:53,840 Speaker 1: monthly past. It's very affordable. Um. You can use it 513 00:25:53,880 --> 00:25:56,400 Speaker 1: for short little trips just to get from here to there, 514 00:25:56,760 --> 00:25:59,280 Speaker 1: get to the train station, to your hotel. And I 515 00:25:59,320 --> 00:26:01,520 Speaker 1: love no. I love that and I one of the 516 00:26:01,560 --> 00:26:03,800 Speaker 1: things I was so fascinated and like happy about with 517 00:26:03,800 --> 00:26:06,359 Speaker 1: your work is that the way that y'all plan out 518 00:26:06,480 --> 00:26:08,360 Speaker 1: where you're gonna do these initiatives and where you're going 519 00:26:08,359 --> 00:26:12,400 Speaker 1: to sort of advocate for bike infrastructure, You're thinking about 520 00:26:12,400 --> 00:26:14,479 Speaker 1: it in a holistic way so that like there's not 521 00:26:14,640 --> 00:26:18,080 Speaker 1: a disproportionate impact to some parts of the communities, like 522 00:26:18,119 --> 00:26:20,440 Speaker 1: low income parts of communities where you really want it 523 00:26:20,480 --> 00:26:23,399 Speaker 1: to be. All of Atlanta is better served when we 524 00:26:23,680 --> 00:26:26,439 Speaker 1: invest in this kind of bike infrastructure. UM in d 525 00:26:26,560 --> 00:26:30,040 Speaker 1: C and perhaps in other cities, and perhaps in Atlanta, 526 00:26:30,280 --> 00:26:33,879 Speaker 1: maybe you can let us know. UM, biking has become 527 00:26:33,960 --> 00:26:36,840 Speaker 1: a kind of symbol of gentrification, the same way that 528 00:26:36,880 --> 00:26:43,760 Speaker 1: like maybe soul cycle places are there, Joe's Whole Foods, Starbucks, UM, 529 00:26:43,800 --> 00:26:46,879 Speaker 1: other places things like that, like they become these symbols 530 00:26:47,000 --> 00:26:50,120 Speaker 1: for gentrification. And I think in d C, you there 531 00:26:50,240 --> 00:26:53,600 Speaker 1: is the feeling that when UM people get bike lanes, 532 00:26:53,720 --> 00:26:57,720 Speaker 1: that that means that they're investing in in certain communities 533 00:26:57,760 --> 00:27:01,320 Speaker 1: for certain kinds of people and specific not investing in 534 00:27:01,400 --> 00:27:03,520 Speaker 1: other kinds of people. And so I'm happy to see 535 00:27:03,560 --> 00:27:06,240 Speaker 1: that your work UM here in Atlanta kind of wants 536 00:27:06,280 --> 00:27:10,680 Speaker 1: to make all of Atlanta a more bikable, pedestrian friendly place. Yeah, 537 00:27:10,720 --> 00:27:12,840 Speaker 1: that's really important to us. And I think understanding the 538 00:27:12,920 --> 00:27:16,639 Speaker 1: role that transportation projects have played historically. UM. You know, 539 00:27:16,720 --> 00:27:20,280 Speaker 1: during the urban Renewal area era, a lot of big 540 00:27:20,359 --> 00:27:24,640 Speaker 1: public investments, including things like highways, were actually used specifically 541 00:27:25,119 --> 00:27:30,200 Speaker 1: to segregate population. So UM, the people that we're developing 542 00:27:30,240 --> 00:27:33,360 Speaker 1: downtown actually had this document back in where they said, 543 00:27:33,400 --> 00:27:34,920 Speaker 1: you know, we're going to build this highway and let's 544 00:27:34,920 --> 00:27:38,600 Speaker 1: place it so that this black neighborhood is separated from 545 00:27:38,720 --> 00:27:42,760 Speaker 1: downtown and the business community. So that was an intentional thing. UM. 546 00:27:42,800 --> 00:27:45,000 Speaker 1: So I think you have to keep that history in mind. UM. 547 00:27:45,000 --> 00:27:47,439 Speaker 1: But something really cool about Atlanta, and I think d 548 00:27:47,520 --> 00:27:51,080 Speaker 1: C as well, is that there's a really um strong 549 00:27:51,160 --> 00:27:54,880 Speaker 1: and amazing black community. Lots of black communities in Atlanta. Um. 550 00:27:54,880 --> 00:27:58,640 Speaker 1: We're sometimes called the Black Mecca. And there are cycling 551 00:27:58,640 --> 00:28:01,919 Speaker 1: clubs because cycling is so social, that have popped up. 552 00:28:02,480 --> 00:28:05,000 Speaker 1: So for example, the Metro Atlanta Cycling Club was founded 553 00:28:05,000 --> 00:28:08,160 Speaker 1: by African Americans and everyone's welcome, but you know, that's 554 00:28:08,200 --> 00:28:09,760 Speaker 1: really part of their history and they're proud of it 555 00:28:09,760 --> 00:28:12,000 Speaker 1: and they've been around for twenty five years. And then 556 00:28:12,000 --> 00:28:14,800 Speaker 1: there's Red Bike in Green Atlanta, which is all about 557 00:28:14,800 --> 00:28:17,199 Speaker 1: black empowerment. And I think, you know, just some of 558 00:28:17,240 --> 00:28:21,520 Speaker 1: the history is really fascinating and it's what makes biking 559 00:28:21,680 --> 00:28:25,199 Speaker 1: so much fun in different in different cities. I love it. 560 00:28:25,280 --> 00:28:29,360 Speaker 1: And just like the bicycle was a symbol of female 561 00:28:29,400 --> 00:28:33,560 Speaker 1: freedom during the Suffragets marches and the early start of 562 00:28:33,560 --> 00:28:36,720 Speaker 1: the women's emancipation movement. We were talking off air a 563 00:28:36,720 --> 00:28:39,560 Speaker 1: little while ago about how bikes were relied upon during 564 00:28:39,600 --> 00:28:42,960 Speaker 1: the Montgomery bus boycott in the like heat of the 565 00:28:43,000 --> 00:28:45,840 Speaker 1: civil rights movement of the nineteen sixties, Isn't that right? 566 00:28:46,200 --> 00:28:50,120 Speaker 1: So there's a strong connection between bikes equal freedom, freedom 567 00:28:50,120 --> 00:28:54,400 Speaker 1: of mobility, self sufficiency and you can cover some serious 568 00:28:54,440 --> 00:28:57,600 Speaker 1: grounds and it's people powered. And there's something really I 569 00:28:57,720 --> 00:29:01,360 Speaker 1: found when I was really in a in a hot 570 00:29:01,400 --> 00:29:05,080 Speaker 1: mess place in my life and wasn't feeling very physically strong. 571 00:29:05,760 --> 00:29:10,640 Speaker 1: I found mental strength through physical strength and being able 572 00:29:10,680 --> 00:29:13,280 Speaker 1: to get on your bike. And at one point I 573 00:29:13,360 --> 00:29:19,480 Speaker 1: biked from DC to Harper's Ferry, Virginia. I had two 574 00:29:19,480 --> 00:29:21,479 Speaker 1: flat tires along the way that I learned to patch 575 00:29:21,520 --> 00:29:24,960 Speaker 1: and replace myself, and like those are not easy things 576 00:29:24,960 --> 00:29:26,800 Speaker 1: to do. It took all day, and then I went 577 00:29:26,840 --> 00:29:28,560 Speaker 1: to being an Harper's Ferry, which is fun and my 578 00:29:28,600 --> 00:29:31,440 Speaker 1: friends drove me back for the record. But just being 579 00:29:31,520 --> 00:29:36,440 Speaker 1: able to cover serious ground and be energy wise self 580 00:29:36,480 --> 00:29:39,760 Speaker 1: sufficient has an environmental impact but also has like a 581 00:29:39,840 --> 00:29:44,320 Speaker 1: personal agency impact where it really made me feel in 582 00:29:44,440 --> 00:29:47,680 Speaker 1: charge of myself and my personal space and my physical 583 00:29:47,720 --> 00:29:49,720 Speaker 1: ability to get where I needed to go. There's just 584 00:29:49,760 --> 00:29:53,560 Speaker 1: something so fundamentally empowering in the most literal sense of 585 00:29:53,560 --> 00:29:56,400 Speaker 1: the word. Definitely. And yeah, and I have these memories 586 00:29:56,440 --> 00:29:58,880 Speaker 1: of being a kid and living in the suburbs, and 587 00:29:59,160 --> 00:30:00,840 Speaker 1: you know, when you live in them, litill of nowhere, 588 00:30:00,840 --> 00:30:02,800 Speaker 1: having a bike is like a pair of winds, right, 589 00:30:02,800 --> 00:30:05,360 Speaker 1: Like it's like you feel like, finally I can go, 590 00:30:05,520 --> 00:30:06,800 Speaker 1: or I want to go. I can. I don't need 591 00:30:06,840 --> 00:30:09,200 Speaker 1: my parents. Yeah, yeah, you don't need your You don't 592 00:30:09,200 --> 00:30:11,400 Speaker 1: need to beg your mom and dad or older brother 593 00:30:11,520 --> 00:30:13,400 Speaker 1: or whatever to give you a ride. You can if 594 00:30:13,480 --> 00:30:17,600 Speaker 1: you have enough, you know, like physical prowess, you can 595 00:30:17,640 --> 00:30:19,800 Speaker 1: do it yourself. And I took some I took some 596 00:30:19,920 --> 00:30:22,040 Speaker 1: rides growing up that I probably shouldn't have to get 597 00:30:22,080 --> 00:30:24,960 Speaker 1: some places probably shouldn't have been going. Helicopter parents and 598 00:30:25,040 --> 00:30:26,800 Speaker 1: today are like, what do you mean I have a 599 00:30:26,840 --> 00:30:31,120 Speaker 1: GPS tracker in my child, you know, oka their cell 600 00:30:31,160 --> 00:30:34,280 Speaker 1: phone right right, right, even go into that, but can 601 00:30:34,320 --> 00:30:37,200 Speaker 1: we talk a little bit more about minority communities or 602 00:30:37,320 --> 00:30:39,600 Speaker 1: people of color and bikes totally. So, I think it's 603 00:30:39,600 --> 00:30:42,400 Speaker 1: interesting that there's a perception that biking is sort of 604 00:30:42,400 --> 00:30:45,480 Speaker 1: a white thing to do, like skiing or like UM, 605 00:30:45,920 --> 00:30:48,960 Speaker 1: I don't know, like putting raisins and potato salad. I 606 00:30:48,960 --> 00:30:50,600 Speaker 1: don't don't know what y'all do whatever, whatever it is, 607 00:30:50,640 --> 00:30:53,960 Speaker 1: i'll we're doing. I don't know. Um. But actually there's 608 00:30:54,000 --> 00:30:56,720 Speaker 1: a lot of no offense. You know, live your life, 609 00:30:56,760 --> 00:30:59,360 Speaker 1: a lot of raisin eaters in the ground tonight. Don't 610 00:30:59,400 --> 00:31:02,360 Speaker 1: hate me. I'm sorry, guys, that was just kidding. UM. 611 00:31:02,560 --> 00:31:06,520 Speaker 1: There actually is evidence to suggest that, especially now, biking 612 00:31:06,720 --> 00:31:08,840 Speaker 1: is a booming thing for folks of color. So I 613 00:31:08,880 --> 00:31:11,440 Speaker 1: found this great study put on by the Sierra Club, 614 00:31:11,760 --> 00:31:14,040 Speaker 1: UM one of the fastest growing communities who are biking 615 00:31:14,080 --> 00:31:16,480 Speaker 1: or communities of color. Between two thousand and one and 616 00:31:16,520 --> 00:31:18,800 Speaker 1: two thousand nine, the growth in percent of all trips 617 00:31:18,880 --> 00:31:22,160 Speaker 1: taken by bike was add percent among African Americans, eight 618 00:31:22,280 --> 00:31:26,600 Speaker 1: percent among Asians, among Hispanics, and among whites. And so 619 00:31:26,920 --> 00:31:29,840 Speaker 1: folks of color are are out there. They're on bikes. 620 00:31:29,840 --> 00:31:32,360 Speaker 1: And that even though we think of biking and bike 621 00:31:32,440 --> 00:31:36,920 Speaker 1: lanes and bike infrastructure as something that you know, young educated, 622 00:31:37,640 --> 00:31:41,320 Speaker 1: like wealthier privileged folks sort of advocate for when they 623 00:31:41,360 --> 00:31:44,400 Speaker 1: move in, and actually biking is is something that that 624 00:31:45,000 --> 00:31:48,080 Speaker 1: does have as as you mentioned before, sort of history 625 00:31:48,080 --> 00:31:51,240 Speaker 1: and grounding in sort of civil rights activism, and also 626 00:31:51,400 --> 00:31:53,280 Speaker 1: just sort of like we're doing it. We're out there, 627 00:31:53,360 --> 00:31:55,600 Speaker 1: we're on our bikes, and it's accessible. Just like you 628 00:31:55,640 --> 00:31:58,400 Speaker 1: were saying, Rebecca, I think bike shares a great example 629 00:31:58,520 --> 00:32:01,720 Speaker 1: of financial excess ability and bikes and the freedom that 630 00:32:01,800 --> 00:32:04,440 Speaker 1: it affords. And just to give a shout out to 631 00:32:04,520 --> 00:32:07,440 Speaker 1: bike shares for those who haven't used them. You can 632 00:32:07,480 --> 00:32:09,240 Speaker 1: actually just rent one for the day, or you can 633 00:32:09,240 --> 00:32:11,160 Speaker 1: get a twenty four hour past to try it out 634 00:32:11,240 --> 00:32:13,200 Speaker 1: and see if it's right for you. You get an 635 00:32:13,200 --> 00:32:15,880 Speaker 1: app that you can download and see where there's a 636 00:32:15,960 --> 00:32:18,440 Speaker 1: spot to park your bike. And the beauty of bike 637 00:32:18,480 --> 00:32:20,560 Speaker 1: share is that it's a one way trip. Like you 638 00:32:20,560 --> 00:32:21,960 Speaker 1: can make it a one way trip or you can 639 00:32:21,960 --> 00:32:25,520 Speaker 1: string them together crazy affordable. Whenever I travel to a 640 00:32:25,520 --> 00:32:28,360 Speaker 1: new city, bike shares how I get around. And I 641 00:32:28,480 --> 00:32:31,400 Speaker 1: biked in l A, New York all over like cities 642 00:32:31,440 --> 00:32:33,640 Speaker 1: that they say you can't bike in because of things 643 00:32:33,680 --> 00:32:35,760 Speaker 1: like bike shair. Yeah, I live out a hill, so 644 00:32:35,880 --> 00:32:38,840 Speaker 1: getting that one way bike is good. I want to down, 645 00:32:39,520 --> 00:32:44,560 Speaker 1: I want yeah that oh god, yes yeah. Or a 646 00:32:44,640 --> 00:32:46,320 Speaker 1: night out when you don't want to buy come under 647 00:32:46,360 --> 00:32:49,560 Speaker 1: the influence, take that one way, and and one other 648 00:32:49,600 --> 00:32:53,040 Speaker 1: thing I wanted to add here for one other amazing 649 00:32:53,080 --> 00:32:57,160 Speaker 1: group of women of color on bikes, but you have 650 00:32:57,280 --> 00:32:58,880 Speaker 1: to check out if you haven't heard of them already. 651 00:32:58,880 --> 00:33:02,640 Speaker 1: They're called the Ovarian Psychos and they throw there from 652 00:33:02,720 --> 00:33:06,320 Speaker 1: East l A. They're a collective of women of color 653 00:33:06,480 --> 00:33:11,000 Speaker 1: organizing for basically group rides, bike education, advocacy around bikes, 654 00:33:11,240 --> 00:33:14,840 Speaker 1: and their community organizers who are are reclaiming their neighborhoods 655 00:33:14,880 --> 00:33:18,479 Speaker 1: that have historically and currently are dominated have been and 656 00:33:18,560 --> 00:33:23,760 Speaker 1: are dominated by gangs. So there's a real uh feminist 657 00:33:23,880 --> 00:33:27,920 Speaker 1: and community organizing element to the Ovarian Psychos, who have 658 00:33:28,120 --> 00:33:30,360 Speaker 1: a documentary out they should definitely check out. Of the 659 00:33:30,400 --> 00:33:33,240 Speaker 1: same name of Varian Psychos, and I learned of them 660 00:33:33,320 --> 00:33:36,840 Speaker 1: from I think an Instagram feed that I followed. They 661 00:33:36,840 --> 00:33:39,800 Speaker 1: have a what they kind of call a gang sign, 662 00:33:39,880 --> 00:33:43,600 Speaker 1: but it's their co opting the symbols of gangs. Um. 663 00:33:43,640 --> 00:33:46,320 Speaker 1: They are not a gang. They are collective, but they're 664 00:33:46,600 --> 00:33:49,000 Speaker 1: They throw a sign that looks like this. I don't 665 00:33:49,000 --> 00:33:50,880 Speaker 1: know if y'all can see. We'll post them in the show, 666 00:33:51,320 --> 00:33:56,360 Speaker 1: which is like ovaries, right, female power ovaries sign that 667 00:33:56,440 --> 00:33:59,120 Speaker 1: they like have on their Instagram and it's part of 668 00:33:59,160 --> 00:34:03,680 Speaker 1: being an unapologetic woman of color who rides around the 669 00:34:03,720 --> 00:34:07,600 Speaker 1: bandana wrapped around your space like they are awesome. I 670 00:34:07,640 --> 00:34:09,319 Speaker 1: love that. And I mean, I'm in a couple of 671 00:34:09,360 --> 00:34:11,719 Speaker 1: groups for black women in d C who bike, and 672 00:34:11,760 --> 00:34:15,160 Speaker 1: what's so fascinating to me is how those groups they 673 00:34:15,200 --> 00:34:17,680 Speaker 1: get so into the nitty gritty of being a black 674 00:34:17,680 --> 00:34:19,600 Speaker 1: woman on a bike and so as a woman with 675 00:34:19,719 --> 00:34:21,520 Speaker 1: natural hair, like if you're biking to work and you 676 00:34:21,560 --> 00:34:23,080 Speaker 1: want to wear a helmet, and this is something that 677 00:34:23,160 --> 00:34:26,440 Speaker 1: Rebecca and I were talking about off off air. You know, 678 00:34:26,560 --> 00:34:28,800 Speaker 1: if you've got like your fresh twist out and you 679 00:34:28,840 --> 00:34:31,120 Speaker 1: don't want to mess it up because you paid for it, 680 00:34:31,280 --> 00:34:32,520 Speaker 1: but you need to go to work and you need 681 00:34:32,560 --> 00:34:34,200 Speaker 1: to look nice and need to wear a helmet, what 682 00:34:34,239 --> 00:34:37,440 Speaker 1: do you do? And so it's fascinating how these topics 683 00:34:37,440 --> 00:34:39,719 Speaker 1: that you know, do come up just in the in 684 00:34:39,760 --> 00:34:41,680 Speaker 1: the physicality of being a woman of color on a bike, 685 00:34:41,760 --> 00:34:43,800 Speaker 1: you know, and and sort of giving folks the space 686 00:34:43,840 --> 00:34:46,120 Speaker 1: to lift up those issues and and kind of dive 687 00:34:46,160 --> 00:34:48,919 Speaker 1: into them. What's the So have you have you seen 688 00:34:49,320 --> 00:34:52,759 Speaker 1: the helmet develop at all around women's style needs? I 689 00:34:52,800 --> 00:34:56,040 Speaker 1: wonder no the only thing. I mean, I wish if 690 00:34:56,080 --> 00:34:58,480 Speaker 1: there's if there is a like rich I've seen ones 691 00:34:58,520 --> 00:35:02,359 Speaker 1: with ponytail holders. Oh well that I actually kind of like. Um, 692 00:35:02,400 --> 00:35:03,920 Speaker 1: there's a great if you watch broad City of the 693 00:35:04,000 --> 00:35:07,000 Speaker 1: character Alana has a has a wig on her helmet, 694 00:35:07,040 --> 00:35:09,359 Speaker 1: which I want that helmet so badly. So it's like, 695 00:35:09,719 --> 00:35:11,520 Speaker 1: I'm very into my hair and I one of the 696 00:35:11,520 --> 00:35:15,600 Speaker 1: things I hate about helmets is that they be able 697 00:35:15,600 --> 00:35:18,000 Speaker 1: to have. Even if it's the love that episode, I 698 00:35:18,000 --> 00:35:21,600 Speaker 1: thought about shaving my head just getting a wig Atlanta 699 00:35:21,640 --> 00:35:23,880 Speaker 1: in the South in August, it's a meeting on the 700 00:35:24,040 --> 00:35:27,080 Speaker 1: on the bike. Your hair is not going to survive 701 00:35:27,120 --> 00:35:30,359 Speaker 1: that attorney that hasn't come up. The sweat factor, like 702 00:35:30,440 --> 00:35:32,640 Speaker 1: the sweat deterrent, is a real thing too. I feel 703 00:35:32,640 --> 00:35:36,400 Speaker 1: like more and more offices, especially larger corporations, you're trying 704 00:35:36,440 --> 00:35:40,680 Speaker 1: desperately to retain millennial talent, and uh, millennials want to 705 00:35:40,680 --> 00:35:44,800 Speaker 1: be retained for the record, But that's a whole other episode. Um. 706 00:35:44,800 --> 00:35:48,120 Speaker 1: You know. The benefits and perks that that companies, especially startups, 707 00:35:48,120 --> 00:35:51,720 Speaker 1: are coming up with include gym membership and showers on site, 708 00:35:52,080 --> 00:35:55,439 Speaker 1: which can be a huge differentiator, and and I've I've 709 00:35:55,480 --> 00:35:57,399 Speaker 1: done it. I've been the woman who bikes to work 710 00:35:57,440 --> 00:36:00,600 Speaker 1: and is arriving a little sweaty d C. It's you know, 711 00:36:00,680 --> 00:36:02,759 Speaker 1: we know it's humid here in Atlanta, but it's also 712 00:36:02,800 --> 00:36:05,640 Speaker 1: a swamp in d C in the summers. People men, 713 00:36:05,760 --> 00:36:09,000 Speaker 1: especially regularly ride the Metro with their shirt for the 714 00:36:09,080 --> 00:36:12,120 Speaker 1: day in a hangar, holding it because they know that 715 00:36:12,120 --> 00:36:15,000 Speaker 1: by the time they get to work there. Yeah. And 716 00:36:15,000 --> 00:36:17,600 Speaker 1: the my building we're in actually added a bike room recently, 717 00:36:17,640 --> 00:36:22,040 Speaker 1: and lockers and showers and a bike valet. Cool bike valet. 718 00:36:22,560 --> 00:36:26,120 Speaker 1: That's cool. I told this story to the group much 719 00:36:26,200 --> 00:36:28,360 Speaker 1: earlier today. But I used to be a teacher, and 720 00:36:28,440 --> 00:36:31,320 Speaker 1: my first class I ever taught, I biked that class, 721 00:36:31,360 --> 00:36:33,760 Speaker 1: and when I arrived, I was drenched in sweat, including 722 00:36:34,160 --> 00:36:36,440 Speaker 1: massive pit stings, and I didn't bring anything else to 723 00:36:36,520 --> 00:36:38,320 Speaker 1: change into, so like that was just how I was 724 00:36:38,320 --> 00:36:40,080 Speaker 1: going to look. And I went to write my name 725 00:36:40,120 --> 00:36:42,600 Speaker 1: on the blackboard, and when I lifted my arm, my 726 00:36:42,680 --> 00:36:46,680 Speaker 1: pit stings were so like obvious and and you know, 727 00:36:46,920 --> 00:36:50,200 Speaker 1: like you had to see them. The entire class started laughing, 728 00:36:50,520 --> 00:36:53,719 Speaker 1: and like I had lost them for the semester. I 729 00:36:53,760 --> 00:36:57,120 Speaker 1: lost control of that class. Oh, man. Shout out to 730 00:36:57,120 --> 00:37:00,399 Speaker 1: all the teachers out there. Teachers sings and if you're 731 00:37:00,400 --> 00:37:02,600 Speaker 1: teaching and biking, I please write it and I want 732 00:37:02,640 --> 00:37:05,200 Speaker 1: to know how you're doing it. You know, electric bikes 733 00:37:05,200 --> 00:37:07,360 Speaker 1: are really catching on right now and they really helped 734 00:37:07,360 --> 00:37:10,560 Speaker 1: with the sweat factor. And also the Hills were a 735 00:37:10,600 --> 00:37:12,680 Speaker 1: city of the hundred Hills. I think it's been So 736 00:37:13,719 --> 00:37:17,320 Speaker 1: what's an electric bikeing? Um, it's basically they're they're electric assists. 737 00:37:17,400 --> 00:37:20,400 Speaker 1: So there's a little motor in the rear wheel usually 738 00:37:20,480 --> 00:37:22,640 Speaker 1: and just as you pedal, you can change the power 739 00:37:22,719 --> 00:37:26,479 Speaker 1: levels to all the way up or just a little 740 00:37:26,480 --> 00:37:29,000 Speaker 1: bit of extra help on the hill. Um. I have one. 741 00:37:29,040 --> 00:37:33,799 Speaker 1: It's like my minivan. I use it to carry my toddler. Yeah, 742 00:37:33,800 --> 00:37:36,040 Speaker 1: but they're really catching on. There's actually an Atlanta shop 743 00:37:36,120 --> 00:37:39,560 Speaker 1: called Edison that just opened recently that is local and 744 00:37:39,600 --> 00:37:42,799 Speaker 1: they're building electric bikes. How cool. So what I find 745 00:37:42,840 --> 00:37:45,239 Speaker 1: some interesting about that is I remember when electric bikes 746 00:37:45,239 --> 00:37:47,160 Speaker 1: will becoming more of a big thing, and and I've 747 00:37:47,160 --> 00:37:49,399 Speaker 1: read it biking community that I was in at the time, 748 00:37:49,400 --> 00:37:51,600 Speaker 1: there was a big argument about you know, why don't 749 00:37:51,600 --> 00:37:53,920 Speaker 1: you just pedal and you know, use your legs, But 750 00:37:54,000 --> 00:37:55,880 Speaker 1: that really highlighted, and I think it's something that I 751 00:37:55,920 --> 00:37:58,520 Speaker 1: want to highlight for this episode, is like mobility issues 752 00:37:58,600 --> 00:38:01,719 Speaker 1: or like like not everybody is able bodied enough to 753 00:38:01,760 --> 00:38:05,400 Speaker 1: be able to, you know, ride up a hill, especially 754 00:38:05,400 --> 00:38:06,960 Speaker 1: if they have a kid with them, like, and so 755 00:38:07,120 --> 00:38:09,440 Speaker 1: some folks might need that extra help, right. I think 756 00:38:09,480 --> 00:38:12,479 Speaker 1: that those kinds of things that allow folks, who allow 757 00:38:12,520 --> 00:38:14,200 Speaker 1: folks who might need a little bit of extra help 758 00:38:14,239 --> 00:38:17,000 Speaker 1: now and then to have that. I think you're great. Absolutely, 759 00:38:17,000 --> 00:38:20,080 Speaker 1: We're all about the things that are make it more accessible. 760 00:38:20,160 --> 00:38:22,040 Speaker 1: And actually we're trying to get our bike share system 761 00:38:22,160 --> 00:38:26,399 Speaker 1: to adopt electric assist spikes. Birmingham, Alabama has a quarter 762 00:38:26,440 --> 00:38:29,000 Speaker 1: of their bike share system is electric assists, so they 763 00:38:29,000 --> 00:38:30,879 Speaker 1: can do in Birmingham. I know we could do it here. 764 00:38:31,080 --> 00:38:34,200 Speaker 1: Shout out to Birmingham. I mean saying that the back 765 00:38:34,280 --> 00:38:36,239 Speaker 1: to the Reddit comment it's like saying, you know, you 766 00:38:36,280 --> 00:38:38,120 Speaker 1: have to write a fixy or it's not really riding 767 00:38:38,120 --> 00:38:40,200 Speaker 1: a bike and it just doesn't make any senseland was 768 00:38:40,239 --> 00:38:41,759 Speaker 1: a little bit like that. I'm not gonna lie. When 769 00:38:41,800 --> 00:38:44,399 Speaker 1: I did bike in Portland, you weren't riding a fixed gear. 770 00:38:44,520 --> 00:38:50,760 Speaker 1: To your it was aye, I need a mustache tattoo 771 00:38:50,800 --> 00:38:55,280 Speaker 1: before I'm legit. Um, you spoke about bringing your kids along, 772 00:38:55,440 --> 00:38:56,880 Speaker 1: and I think we do have to wrap it up. 773 00:38:56,880 --> 00:38:59,160 Speaker 1: But there are so many elements I want to discuss here, 774 00:38:59,760 --> 00:39:03,040 Speaker 1: and I have the I'm childless, but I have a 775 00:39:03,080 --> 00:39:07,600 Speaker 1: fur baby, a four legged little doggie who's only thirty pounds, 776 00:39:07,840 --> 00:39:11,200 Speaker 1: and I may or may not a k a. I 777 00:39:11,360 --> 00:39:16,160 Speaker 1: may have a child carrying thing that I tote along 778 00:39:16,239 --> 00:39:18,920 Speaker 1: in the behind my bike. And by the way, this 779 00:39:18,960 --> 00:39:20,759 Speaker 1: is all Brad the Booze doing. He got it when 780 00:39:20,800 --> 00:39:23,120 Speaker 1: I was on a business trip a month ago. And 781 00:39:23,200 --> 00:39:26,440 Speaker 1: my dog sits in the child carrying case behind my 782 00:39:26,520 --> 00:39:29,959 Speaker 1: bike and pulling his butt around all over the city. 783 00:39:30,040 --> 00:39:35,360 Speaker 1: Is actually quite laborious. And he also has torn a 784 00:39:35,360 --> 00:39:38,160 Speaker 1: little hole in the now he's a really well behaved 785 00:39:38,160 --> 00:39:40,080 Speaker 1: dog on the go, but he tore a little hole 786 00:39:40,080 --> 00:39:42,520 Speaker 1: so that his head could pop out of the carrying case. 787 00:39:42,800 --> 00:39:45,239 Speaker 1: And so I'm riding around the city being laughed at 788 00:39:45,320 --> 00:39:49,240 Speaker 1: openly with a adorable I'm biased, but I think maybe 789 00:39:49,239 --> 00:39:51,600 Speaker 1: the cutest dog in the world whose head is poking 790 00:39:51,600 --> 00:39:54,360 Speaker 1: out of my child carrying case behind me on the bike. 791 00:39:54,840 --> 00:39:58,640 Speaker 1: And I recently biked right by another woman bicyclist who's 792 00:39:58,640 --> 00:40:00,480 Speaker 1: coming in the opposite direction with the sa in terrier 793 00:40:00,560 --> 00:40:03,520 Speaker 1: with a human child in it, and we have this 794 00:40:03,800 --> 00:40:06,279 Speaker 1: moment and I was just like, I was just like, 795 00:40:06,280 --> 00:40:08,640 Speaker 1: oh God, oh God, how is this going to go down? 796 00:40:08,719 --> 00:40:10,960 Speaker 1: And then I just started shaking my head and cracking up. 797 00:40:11,000 --> 00:40:13,440 Speaker 1: But she she sort of gaving this nod of acknowledgment, 798 00:40:13,480 --> 00:40:16,640 Speaker 1: like I see you the sisterhood thing bicycling with your kid, 799 00:40:16,680 --> 00:40:21,080 Speaker 1: and then she saw the doghead and just a human child. 800 00:40:23,000 --> 00:40:27,240 Speaker 1: So all I was just say, you know, accessibility, including 801 00:40:27,239 --> 00:40:30,759 Speaker 1: the canine variety is I love my bike and I 802 00:40:30,800 --> 00:40:33,560 Speaker 1: love my dog, and I love when they go together too. 803 00:40:34,320 --> 00:40:36,640 Speaker 1: I love that. I remember when you got that. You 804 00:40:36,680 --> 00:40:38,560 Speaker 1: were so you were so proud to show the picture 805 00:40:38,560 --> 00:40:41,600 Speaker 1: of a little Teddy, the dog and the terrier. I'll 806 00:40:41,600 --> 00:40:42,719 Speaker 1: put it in the show notes. I'll put it in 807 00:40:42,719 --> 00:40:45,919 Speaker 1: the show notesca. How can folks find out more about 808 00:40:45,920 --> 00:40:48,320 Speaker 1: all the awesome initiatives you've got going on here in Atlanta? 809 00:40:48,920 --> 00:40:51,840 Speaker 1: They can find us on our website or on social media. 810 00:40:51,920 --> 00:40:54,440 Speaker 1: The website is Atlanta bike dot org and our handle 811 00:40:54,520 --> 00:40:58,520 Speaker 1: is at Atlanta Bike Awesome. Awesome, So for all the 812 00:40:58,560 --> 00:41:02,000 Speaker 1: Atlanta folks, here. We want to challenge you to get 813 00:41:02,040 --> 00:41:04,359 Speaker 1: on two wheels if you haven't already or if it's 814 00:41:04,360 --> 00:41:07,640 Speaker 1: been a little while, and don't let our horror stories 815 00:41:07,800 --> 00:41:10,879 Speaker 1: scare you. It's actually way safe earth than driving a car. Yeah, 816 00:41:11,239 --> 00:41:15,040 Speaker 1: way safer. Um. And you've got great people in leadership 817 00:41:15,040 --> 00:41:17,120 Speaker 1: here in Atlanta, like Rebecca, who are doing all that 818 00:41:17,200 --> 00:41:21,520 Speaker 1: they can to make biking in this great city accessible 819 00:41:21,800 --> 00:41:25,200 Speaker 1: and safe and affordable. And we thank you for that, Rebecca, 820 00:41:25,560 --> 00:41:27,840 Speaker 1: Thank you well. We want to hear all from you 821 00:41:27,880 --> 00:41:30,719 Speaker 1: all about if you're biking, if you're if you're too 822 00:41:30,760 --> 00:41:33,279 Speaker 1: scared to bike, are you getting cat called when you bike? 823 00:41:33,360 --> 00:41:34,879 Speaker 1: Do you want to bike more but you don't sort 824 00:41:34,880 --> 00:41:37,080 Speaker 1: of know how to start? Whatever it is, we want 825 00:41:37,080 --> 00:41:39,319 Speaker 1: to hear your bike story. You can give us a 826 00:41:39,400 --> 00:41:42,880 Speaker 1: tweet at mom Stuff podcast on Twitter. You can hit 827 00:41:42,920 --> 00:41:46,160 Speaker 1: us up on Instagram at uh stuff mom Never told 828 00:41:46,200 --> 00:41:47,960 Speaker 1: You on Instagram, and you can send us up good 829 00:41:47,960 --> 00:41:51,960 Speaker 1: old fashioned email. Maybe it's a email about your bike 830 00:41:52,040 --> 00:41:54,799 Speaker 1: community you're awesome rad lady bike community or whatever it 831 00:41:54,880 --> 00:41:59,040 Speaker 1: is at mom stuff at how stuff works dot com. 832 00:41:59,120 --> 00:42:01,080 Speaker 1: And thank you so much to break out a t 833 00:42:01,239 --> 00:42:03,319 Speaker 1: l for having us today. Thank you so much for 834 00:42:03,360 --> 00:42:06,000 Speaker 1: being here all right,