”I ride to the grocery store.”
“I ride because I don’t have a car.”
“I ride to get to work.”
“I ride for my health!”

In 2011, we displayed our I ride campaign on 15 bus benches in North and Northeast Portland from May through November. Over 5,000 individuals were exposed to the campaign, which features images of our program participants from New Columbia and Hacienda CDC and is a celebration of the variety of  reasons why people choose to ride bicycles. The I ride images, coupled with programs to help people access bicycling, have helped to change perceptions about bicycling and increase ridership within underrepresented communities. The champions that have emerged through these programs have become the most powerful spokespeople and advocates for bicycling who help to inspire other people to ride in their neighborhood everyday.

Michelle Hanna (pictured at left with her son, Dominic) told us, “The Community Cycling Center has given me another avenue for exercising and to improve myself and my son’s health. It is great to see how you have made a difference in the community.”

On July 16, 2011, 20 community members joined us on a 10-mile bike ride throughout North and Northeast Portland to tour the I ride bus benches. The ride was a wonderful opportunity to share stories about our programs at Hacienda and New Columbia.

This campaign has helped to increase our visibility and established us as a trusted partner and reliable resource in these communities. We have already seen an increase in the interest and demand for our programs and services and expect this to grow as we continue to invest in these neighborhoods.

We have collected portraits for past 2 years for the I ride campaign at many community events, including the NE Sunday Parkways, Fiets of Parenthood, and the Alberta Street Fair. Check out our “I ride” gallery below.

We’re the Community Cycling Center. Ride with us.

Created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR.

About the “I ride” campaign

To broaden access to bicycling and its benefits, change must be initiated on multiple levels. Through campaigns like “I ride”, the Community Cycling Center is working to raise awareness and to affect individual behavior choices. Health behavior research shows that the more people see individuals like themselves engaging in healthy activities, the more likely they are to try and adopt those behaviors

Check out the I ride videos:
English version.
Spanish version.

If you have any questions about the “I ride” campaign, please contact Melinda.