Spokespeople's lair. Photo by Cecilia Brown.
Far be it from me to jinx the recent spree of warm autumn weather we’ve been blessed with, but you have to admit, the timing is quite convenient. With so few ideal bike-riding days left in the year before I have to wrap myself up like a ninja just to keep my face from going numb in the wind, it’s a blessing that Spokespeople, Conn’s on-campus bike co-op, has recently received a whopping donation of 48 bicycles. That means there may be 48 more students whizzing by you as you trudge to class on foot, unless you’re savvy enough to pick one up.
I myself was not savvy enough until last week when I attended Spokespeople’s weekly meeting at their headquarters in the basement of the 360 Apartments. These meetings are hardly formal affairs, and in this case it’s a very good thing, because a) nobody wants bicycle grease on their dress pants, and b) the atmosphere is pleasant and helpful. I wandered into the low-ceilinged basement, sure that I was in the right place thanks to the helpful signs located throughout, and was greeted with a grin by Celia Whitehead ’11, the chair of Spokespeople.
She saw the pen and notebook in my hands and immediately knew why I was there. Before we could speak, however, I stood aside as students arrived one after another. Some of them had bikes, some had come to obtain bikes, while others simply came to help fix whatever needed fixing. After about five minutes of introductions in a proximity that fell just shy of too close for comfort, I got a chance to talk to members of Spokespeople about the influx of new bikes as well as their ideas for the future.
“We’re mostly known for bike rentals. We also help people repair bikes and teach bike repair,” said Whitehead. “People will [sometimes] bring a bike from home. As problems progress, they’re addressed.” Spokespeople is funded by the SGA, but they rely heavily on donations from the New London area. She described the mission of Spokespeople as a way of promoting bicycles as an alternate form of transportation, which makes sense, as the group is one of five environmentally-focused groups on campus, and is represented on the Environmental Model Committee (EMC).
Spokespeople also focuses on closing the gap between Conn and the rest of New London—a gap that seems much larger than it actually is. “We have rides into New London, and a lot of these rides help people realize how accessible New London really is. It’s so easy to bike downtown. People think it’s so far away,” said Whitehead. I asked how often they go out on bike rides and Andrew Greaves ’13 answered, “[We] had a few rides for Fall Weekend, and a volunteer ride to clean up the beach.” Before the donation, the group had been out of bikes to lend. So where did all of these bikes come from?
Ola Rys ’13, a member of Spokespeople and the EMC, explained the story to me: “Bikes for Kids donated the bikes.” Bikes for Kids is an organization that operates out of Old Lyme, Connecticut and, among other things, donates bikes to children. They recently sent 140 bikes to Haiti to help with the relief efforts since the earthquake earlier this year. “But the shipping rules changed, leaving [those] bikes stuck in storage. These left over bikes,” she said, gesturing to the row of multi-colored bicycles that lined the perimeter of the room, “were relegated to Conn Coll.”
This was done in an attempt to make sure that no more donated bikes ended up sitting in boxes somewhere. “Most of them are in used but very good condition,” she tells me. Her smile reassures me of this, somehow. And what better way to become completely assured of the new bikes than to rent one for myself?
Whitehead was happy to oblige, and after a brief signing of forms, I found myself twenty dollars poorer and one bike richer (the twenty dollar deposit works as collateral—you get it back after returning the bike at the end of the semester). The bike was a faded blue; Whitehead called it “The Nomad.” I wondered why, and then I looked at the bike’s frame and realized the name was painted on the side. The next day I took it out for a ride, and honestly, I was impressed. The seat was a little high but that was easily fixed, and the brakes were in great condition, ensuring that I didn’t go sailing over the handlebars even as I sped down wet concrete roads.
There’s no questioning whether the donated bikes are dated. They definitely are. But thanks to the dedicated efforts of Spokespeople, they remain in sound condition. “My bike is working better than it ever has before,” said Eleanor Baumgarten’13, another member of Spokespeople. The group has already set plans in motion to take full advantage of the new bikes, including a possible bike-share program that would allow students to rent a bike on a less-committal level, as briefly as a day, from the library.
“[A] spring semester pilot program would make six bikes available during library hours,” Whitehead explained. Should the program take off, more bikes would doubtlessly become available over time.
This recent generous donation makes this idea a possibility, and it seems like a significantly wiser idea, both for your wallet and for the ozone layer, than driving one’s car from Harris to Cummings out of sloth. Whitehead added, “[It’s] all about being healthy, outside and connected to our environment.”
Woohooo Jerell! Yeahhhhhhh.