Bike Here Podcast: Episode 4 - Choosing Active Transportation

|Arleigh Greenwald
Bike Here Podcast: Episode 4 - Choosing Active Transportation

What small choices can we make in everyday life to show up, be present, and prioritize our moments in life? In episode 4 of the Bike Here podcast, we hear from Darcy Kitching, a placemaking expert, as we get a view into her choice to Leave the Car at Home, and how she is making those small choices for her life.

Episode 4 Recap

This episode is the first in our series of profiles, and probably one of the most exciting aspects of the Bike Here podcast for me. My goal is to talk to people about their why as they decide to leave the cart at home more often. My first guest for this series is Darcy Kitching, she is an active transportation and placemaking leader in Boulder, CO. We are recording this episode from the front bench of my bike shop as she is picking up her new electric-assist bike.

I met Darcy Kitching in the fall of 2019 after a mutual friend, John Simmerman from Active Towns, introduced us. Darcy was looking for a bike that could carry her around Boulder, Colorado, and handle her son on the back sometimes. She came in slightly intimidated about a cargo bike, tried out several bikes, and fell in love with the Tern HSD.

While researching Darcy before our appointment I loved that Darcy was an active leader in the idea of "Third Space" and Placemaking movement specifically for children. When she came in for our new bike consultation appointment it was hard to move through the "sales process" because I was so busy asking her questions about placemaking, and how our communities shape our children.

Fast forward to the day we record this episode, Darcy takes a local bus from her house in Boulder, to a regional bus, to another local bus, and then walks almost a mile to get to my bike shop. Why? Because she is going to ride her new bike the 30-40 miles home. 

Darcy is the type of person that I want to surround myself with. Happy and joyful to be alive, and yet always pushing the status quo for bettering the community.

Listen in for our conversation which I plan on being a primer to bringing placemaking and the idea of building an active community for our families with biking, walking and "active transit". If you have ideas or questions for our next more placemaking focused episode with Darcy let me know!

Episode 4 Sponsor

The folks at Tern are committed to creating bikes that are useful enough to ride every day and trustworthy enough to carry the people they love. In other words, they design the bikes they want to own. I've tried dozens of bikes from many different brands for hundreds of miles—sometimes thousands. I've had to work on them, deal with warranty issues, and listen to rider feedback. I not only know the bikes but also what the companies behind them are like. Because I need to sleep at night, I ultimately only sell or recommend products that I would put my own wife or mother on—and Tern bikes make the list. Tern has e-bikes for every type of rider, whether you're commuting, taking your kids to school, or even carrying an adult.  Visit www.ternbicycles.com to learn more.

As your host and guide on this podcast, I want to note that Tern is a sponsor of this specific episode because I reached out to them to support the podcast and my efforts after hearing how excited Darcy was picking up her new Tern Bike. In no way was their sponsorship guiding our conversation, but instead, it is helping keep the lights on and getting this podcast produced! Please do us a favor and make sure to mention this podcast episode and thank Tern on whatever social media platforms you use.

Episode 4 Links

Darcy's Bike Route

 

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    1 comment

    Love this story. Can hardly wait for the next episode and to hear more about Darcy’s ride back to Boulder and how much she enjoys using her new vehicle.

    Gary Harty •

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