Bike Smart: Indeed.
June 25th, 2010
What a wacky town this is, Seattle.
A wacky, hike-loving, container-gardening, Subaru-driving, farmers market-shopping, scrap-composting, recyclables-recycling, bike-riding town.
In fact, it’s such a bike riding town that I can fill out this form you see here below (click on it for a closer look) and apparently a City of Seattle Bicycle Ambassador (read that again if you need to) will:
a. Come to my house and
b. Bring me a FREE bicycle kit
I am not kidding.
No joke.
In all seriousness.
Here’s the photo proof.
Now, as it happens, this direct mail piece got me right between the eyes (see next photo, with the swirly lines).
I don’t know where the best routes are in my neighborhood. I am intimidated by the hills.
[In truth, I don’t own a bike, and I’m a sissy of a rider, but O How I Long to join my Seattle brothers and sisters in two wheeldom.]
And the people at Bike Smart Seattle know that.
They know who they think they’re talking to: all manner of bike sissies, who would get off their butts and onto their bikes if only they had some clue about where to go and what to do.
Especially if someone would come to their house to deliver the info!
Lordy, Lordy, we are not in Kansas (or Manhattan) anymore.
I give Bike Smart Seattle an A+. Smart indeed.
Next: Deb responds to the non-profit direct mail offer and provides her contact details in exchange for free information on bicycles (nice reminder: if you want someone to give you their contact info, be prepared to give them something in return).
Stay tuned…
August 21st, 2010 - 8:31 am
I’m OK with promoting bike riding, but if my tax dollars are being spent for a city employee to drive around (10-to-1 they don’t ride their bike to your house) to deliver a free bike kit, I’m mad as hell! The next time the Mayor has to lay someone off, perhaps he should lay off this “bike kit delivery person” rather than a police officer or a firefighter.
October 25th, 2010 - 11:56 pm
Don, I’ve been thinking about your post (for quite a while!). I do agree that times are tough, and tough budgetary decisions must be made. But to play devil’s advocate for a moment (who, me?), should economic challenges mean the end of arts programs? Parks? We still need to feed our souls – perhaps even more so. And if getting more people to ride bikes means healthier citizens who reduce pollution and traffic, that seems like a worthwhile endeavor to me.
And in truth, it was the ambassador that got me to respond. That no ambassador came (see my follow up post) became beside the point.
Like I said, playing the devil. Thanks for sharing your always thoughtful point of view, Don!
October 27th, 2010 - 5:10 am
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