The Rubber City Meltdown

It seems more and more people are taking an interest in cycling. There are many reasons for this upsurge in interest such as; more exercise, recreation, family and friend get together, ecological reasons and now even economic reasons.

No matter what the reason it is a great thing to see! Coming from a well established cycling community like Eugene, Oregon, as I have, we sometimes take for granted that all communities are so well organized.

Living in Akron, Ohio (nicknamed The Rubber City because of all of the turn of the century tire manufacturing plants) for the past 22 years I have witnessed slow but steady change over to a cycling city. Akron had cycling clubs early because of bicycle tire manufacturing. Akron, Ohio was considered the Rubber Capitol of the world. http://www.akronhistory.org/citizens.htm

We do have a lot of cyclist that ride the Ohio/Erie Tow Path http://www.nps.gov/cuva/ohio-and-erie-canal-towpath-trail.htm

The City of Akron and surrounding communities have been revitalizing portions of the Tow Path and are connecting them up again. It is now possible to ride many miles on the Tow Path starting from downtown Akron.

Recently sponsors and business owners have put together the inaugural Rubber City Meltdown or The Akron Cycling Fesitval. http://www.rubbercitymeltdown.com/

There will be several different rides to participate in. One in particular called Follow the Blue Line sponsored by the Road Runner Akron Marathon which follows the route taken annually by marathon runners from across the country and world. Another event called Bike the Trail - Ride the Rail features a ride from downtown Akron along the Tow Path and a ride back on the historic Cuyahoga Valley Train. They have a special car set up to carry your bike while you ride in the comfort of a historic Pullman Coach.

Last year the City of Akron actually started a program called “Sharo” or Share the Road. The city paint crews painted a large bike & rider emblem on two large feeder streets to alert motorist of cyclist. Even if Akron does not have as much actual city government involvement as Eugene, Oregon does it is still great to see them taking steady steps to becoming a biking city.

Feel free to leave comments on what your community is doing to encourage biking and walking.