Bike Ithaca is an informal group of people interested in getting around by non-motorized means and committed to making Ithaca more hospitable to that kind of travel. Among us are recreational cyclists, bike commuters, car-less families, and lots of people who, while remaining members of a car-dominated society, are working toward a greener vision. And, of course, people whose way of decreasing dependence on motor vehicles is to walk or take the bus rather than drive.
Because we aren’t a formal organization, we have no formal affiliations or alliances. This means we are free to express our views and preferences and to declare an affinity for various other community organizations and undertakings. And because we try not to be doctrinaire, we can also endorse efforts like Ithaca Carshare, which actually makes cars available to people, but on a shared basis that ultimately reduces the “carbon footprint” of all participants.
Our long-term goals — dreams, really — include walkable sidewalks along all streets, covered bike racks and lockers everywhere they’re needed, safe cycling paths radiating from all the schools and parks, law enforcement officers fully aware and supportive of the rights of cyclists and pedestrians, bus routes serving sensibly developed communities, civil servants eager to implement the greenest and healthiest options we can design.

Sensible people don’t expect such things overnight; but sensible people do understand that, after 20 or 30 years of planning, it’s appropriate to begin getting pushy for some “facts on the ground.” So we hope to make our voices heard at decision points in city, town, and county planning.

It just feels like the climate is right to move in this direction.

But, between decisive points of policy change, we want to have periodic events to keep non-motorized travel visible and to celebrate the community we envision.

If you have anything you feel should be on these pages, please contact us: info@bikeithaca.org or leave a message in “Discussion.” We’ll get better at this as we go along.

If you want to become part of this effort, you might want to join the Bike Gang — an email list on which we announce and sometimes discuss what to do, what to wish for, and how to proceed. To sign up, go to BikeGang and follow the prompts.

Andrejs