Safer Streets, Happier Peeps

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Chloe King #bikewalkprovostories E-Longboarding has arrived and is today quickly populating the streets of Provo, Utah.  Chloe King is one such active longboarder who has powered up a four-wheeler with innovative, electric technology to advance her reach and speed.  “Four or five years ago” Chloe began using a longboard as her sole means of transportation in Provo, after spending the prior year riding a board with friends in Chicago.  Chicago streets might sound a bit intimidating to us, but Chloe’s experience with learning to ride her Dad’s skateboards while growing up gave her all the confidence she needed.  “He bought some skateboards and let me and my sisters use them.”  This year Chloe decided to check out electric skateboards (still active transportation), as one of her Chicago friends had mentioned that he had recently bought an e-board.  It was just one of those routine days, Chloe had told her roommates that she was on her way to the grocery store to buy some bread.  On her way to the market she happened to stop off at Board of Provo, 465 N. University Ave., specialty Pro Snow and Skate Shop, to take a quick look at possibilities; she came back home that same day surprising her roommates with the purchase of a new Evolve Stoke Electric Skateboard.  Consequently, Chloe named her new e-longboard “Bread,” although I never did find out if she actually made it back home with the aforementioned food product. (Continued in comments)…

by Austin Taylor

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#bikewalkprovostories Gove and Nickie Allen As I pedaled up to the N. Eldon Tanner Building I noticed that the bike racks on the south side were full and I was fortunate to find and cable-on at the last available slot. I had come to chat with Gove and Nickie Allen about their e-bike experience, a rather recent and exciting event in their lives I soon found out. Gove, Associate Professor of Information Systems, has been consistently e-biking to work this year, as well as taking the stairway instead of the elevator from his office on the sixth floor of BYU’s Marriott School of Business. Nickie began her biking ventures earlier when in 2019 she visited Stockholm, Sweden on a student study program and was amazed to see the city’s extensive bicycle infrastructure. There were “stop lights just for bikes” and well-maintained bikeways heavily populated with thriving urban cyclists. The Allens had bought an e-bike to get around town while they were doing some traveling on the East Coast in a motor home. It made things much easier in picking up groceries along the way and for sightseeing as they traveled about from city to city. Around the same time, while Nickie was attending a class in Health & Wellness, they took an interest in personal health improvement. She had a class assignment that challenged the students to take-on something new and difficult, and she chose to bike to class that semester along the steep south campus pathway off 800 North. Gove, a rather tall person, then lost around a hundred pounds of weight as their interest in health expanded and a plant-based diet (with no meat) was added to the Allens’ lifestyle. Next, they bought another e-bike to match the Trek Allant they already had and began riding more often instead of driving. Gove rides to his office daily, a two-mile distance covered in six minutes, and he can actually “make it to work sooner than it used to take him [driving in his car],” he tells me with some satisfaction in his voice. (continued in comments)…

by Austin Taylor

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Over this past week, Provo saw at least two serious pedestrian and cyclist crashes involving children. It is abundantly clear that Provo’s street network is in need of safety improvements. BikeWalk Provo volunteers are now discussing a response to these crashes, but in the meantime, we ask you to contribute in the following ways: 1. Donate towards Henry Cahill’s recovery on his Go Fund Me page. Link in bio. 2. Email @mayorkaufusi (michelle@provo.org) asking her to hire a city engineer who puts safety over speed and flow. @provocity is currently interviewing city engineer candidates. The person who is chosen has authority over the design of Provo’s streets. This choice could not be more important. Photo from hit and run victim Henry Cahill’s Go Fund Me page.

by Austin Taylor

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This past week, 8-year-old Provo resident Henry was the victim of a hit and run accident while riding his bike. He has three broken ribs, a broken bone in his face, staples in his leg, grade three liver and kidney lacerations, internal bleeding, a concussion all in addition to terrible bad road rash covering his entire body. From his GoFundMe, “We are at primary children’s hospital going on our third night. We need all the help we can get. If you can help I’d really appreciate it, I am a single parent and I won’t be able to work during his months of recovery.” Please donate if you are able or, volunteer with us to make our roads safer, and please submit any tips to the police if you have information on this hit and run (links for GoFundMe and news article in our profile).

by Austin Taylor

View on Instagram https://instagr.am/p/CVs3N6xvGb8/

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Jessica Dillman #bikewalkprovostories Somewhere in the city, paralleling the Lake Bottom Canal from Lions Park to Freedom Academy, is a matrix of well maintained interlocking sidewalks used daily by happy, healthy children.  Jessica Dillman has been walking her two daughters, ten year old twins, to Freedom Prep Academy, a tuition-free K-12 public charter school in the Rivergrove neighborhood, since they were in kindergarten. The daughters are now finishing up fifth grade. Along with her on her twice daily visits to the school Jessica takes her five year old son, who once rode in a stroller but now rides his bike or walks, and her dog Atlas. From Jessica’s home to the school it’s a half mile distance, altogether a one mile walk for her daughters each day and a two mile walk for Jessica, her son, and Atlas. One daughter has tutoring on Tuesdays, creating an extra trip on that day. Using the sidewalks their walking experience is pleasant and friendly; sometimes “people not from our neighborhood are driving too fast,” but normally people are conscientious with the speed limits. “We have a friendly neighborhood,” she says and adds that she waves to people more during that short walk than to others all day long. Jessica does have a bike, but she prefers to walk.  One of her daughters has a scooter and a bike but also prefers to walk with Atlas, so the dog always goes along and gets in his much needed outing as well. (Continued in Comments…)

by Austin Taylor

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Are you sick of getting flats due to pesky goatheads? Join us for a goathead weed pull! When: Monday, October 18th @ 5pm Where: Sunset View Elementary, 1520 W 600 S (meet in the parking lot on the west side of the school) What to bring: Work gloves, shovels, and trowels We will provide heavy duty garbage bags and treats. (Sorry, no actual goats will be present at the event.) 🐐

by Austin Taylor

View on Instagram https://instagr.am/p/CUyPUKPPQHV/

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