Drive Less, Ride More...Seriously this time.

Bike advocacy is a lot of things. There are many different groups of cyclists doing a lot of different things, and some of that action has created some positive change. Currently here are many different initiatives going on throughout the United States to get more people to ride bikes more and drive less... Despite this many of those initiatives are stalled thanks to morons, or simply not enough to get the general public turning the pedals. Some are chugging along fine, and some are a perfect example of how things should be. Ripon College has started what could be the most progressive pro-bike initiative this country has seen. Basically, if you're an incoming freshman at Ripon, you can leave your car at home and get a bike, for free. Don't believe me? check it out here. That's right, leave your car at home and you get a bike, helmet and lock for free. Ripon College's "Velorution" is all about easing congestion on campus and easing off the already tapped out parking infrastructure. The Velorution isn't only about getting people to ride bikes, they've also taken initiatives to make driving and parking on campus less convenient, so when choosing between driving and riding the choice will be a resounding "I think I'll ride, or just not drive"

This is great. I'd like to see more metropolitan areas take such an aggressive stand like this, in fact, I'd like to see more of anyone anywhere taking a stand like this. Maybe giving bikes isn't exactly the option that would work the best but giving some kind of incentive to get folks out of the car would be great. Maybe we should talk to these guys and have them help us figure it out.