One Street News

August-September 2012

Vol. 5, Issue 7

  1. Ride 4 a Woman’s Recent Success
  2. Interbike Connections
  3. Resources – Understanding Barriers to Bicycling
  4. Hot Topics – Murder by Car

Ride 4 a Woman’s Recent Success

Our Ugandan colleagues at Ride 4 a Woman (R4W) enjoyed a successful August when four Australian women brought their skills in sewing to R4W’s members. These generous women had spent nearly a year raising funds in their hometown of Altona, Victoria in order to return to Bwindi, purchase new sewing machines and teach R4W members new sewing skills that will lead to new careers in craft making. Over their two week stay in Bwindi, these women taught R4W members how to use the machines and create crafts they can sell to tourists.

Most exciting for One Street’s work with R4W is that a new concrete floor was required before these Australian women could return to Bwindi. Without a concrete floor at R4W’s Women’s Community Centre, there would have been no place for the new sewing machines. Their fundraising efforts covered the cost of the new floor as well as the machines. And now, R4W’s bicycle program has a sturdy concrete floor for their new bicycle repair stands and work benches.

In January 2013, One Street’s executive director, Sue Knaup, will return to Uganda to help R4W take their bicycle program to the next level. This includes expansion of their bicycle rental fleet and train-the-trainer workshops for R4W leaders so they can teach more of their women members how to ride and repair bicycles. We are still seeking more funding for this trip in order to purchase bicycles for the women as well supplies for the new bicycle workshops at R4W’s centre. Read more about the trip and how to donate on our One Street to Uganda webpage.

Interbike Connections

The Interbike trade show has become an annual must-do event for One Street where we reconnect with our bike industry friends and meet new partners for our programs. We recently returned from the show in Las Vegas with a stack of business cards and many new opportunities to pursue. We’d like to thank Interbike for their ongoing support that enables One Street’s participation in the show.

Resources – Understanding Barriers to Bicycling

A recent report published by the Community Cycling Center in Portland, Oregon demonstrates the amount of effort required to truly reach the most disadvantaged people in any community. Such outreach is paramount to the success of Social Bike Business programs, so we were pleased to discover this report. "Understanding Barriers to Bicycling" will show you some of the steps necessary to reach your most disadvantaged neighbors as well as some expected and not so expected barriers to bicycling they uncovered through this multi-year effort.

Hot Topics – Murder by Car

In this recent article from Governing magazine, the author takes a bold stab at how easily Americans accept murder, as long as it was done with an automobile. Somehow our legal system has mutated to protect anyone who kills a cyclist or pedestrian with a car. Comparing this to European laws that place liability on car drivers in any crash with vulnerable road users, the article paints a shocking picture of the U.S. transportation pecking order. Whether you agree with driver-always-at-fault laws or not, this article will give you reason to rethink the disturbing disparity of transportation “justice” in the U.S.