Transportation Event Case Study

NightRiders

The seed for NightRiders was planted at a visioning session of the Toronto City Cycling Committee's Bicycle Commuter Programme in the summer of 1994. Alison Field felt that concerns about safety kept many people, particularly women, off Toronto's bike trails at night - the perfect time to enjoy these green oases. She wondered if there would be enough interest to get a group of cyclists out on summer evenings. The two of us talked about the idea after the meeting and decided that between us we could, and would, make it happen.

The plan hibernated until the following spring, when we began to plan the first ride. Our initial mandate was loose and our goals modest:

Safety: since we would be riding on isolated, unlit trails, we hoped to attract sufficient riders (i.e., more than two or three) to make us safe from unwanted attention. We also publicised the fact that we would provide drop-off at subway stops after the rides, so riders would not have to worry about being left alone in a strange part of the city at night. We insisted on lights and encouraged helmets too, given that we would be riding on unlit paths, and made sure that we had a comprehensive repair kit.

Inclusivity: we wanted to appeal to a broad range of people - not just seasoned cyclists but people who didn't often ride for pleasure, and who certainly wouldn't consider riding alone on the trails at night. It seemed important to stress that we intended to set a relaxed pace, since many casual cyclists expressed concern about getting left behind, or "keeping everyone else waiting."

Fun: these would not be rides weighed down by bureaucracy. We didn't want "leaders" and marshals organising the masses, but rather a loose group of like-minded people out to share the pleasure of an evening ride. We hoped the atmosphere would be democratic and personable, with our route ideas open to adaptation during the course of the ride. We also planned to end the ride at a cafe or pub.

The timing of the first ride, during Bike To Work Week (BTWW) 1995, made promotion a simple business. The ride was listed in NOW magazine's BTWW guide, and over the weeks preceding the ride, we received a steady trickle of calls seeking information. (We logged all the callers' numbers so we would have a phone list for future rides.) Word also spread through various tendrils of the bike scene, again with little effort - this built-in momentum is one of the advantages of Toronto's vibrant cycling culture. Finally we designed a flyer, complete with an enticing piece of original art, emphasizing that this would be a relaxing, sociable experience, rather than a gung-ho workout-on-wheels.

The first ride was an enormous success, despite the distant starting point of Warden Woods in western Scarborough. Many people came from downtown, bringing their bikes on the subway - we had made a point of reminding people that they could do this. About fifteen people showed up, of whom many were strangers to one another, so we warmed up with a game of frisbee to learn one another's names. The ride - through Taylor Creek Park, along the Don Valley trail, to the Future Bakery on Queen Street West - took a couple of hours, and most people came for food and drink and to socialize afterwards.

This ride set the tone for the ones that followed. They took place every couple of weeks through the summer, with routes taking in most of the city's off-road bike trails, from Scarborough to the Humber Valley. People often commented on the feeling of power and shared purpose, and how lucky we were to have access to these astonishingly peaceful and beautiful deserted corners of the city. Safety never seemed an issue: our initial sense of confidence and unity never deserted us, even in the midst of technical mishaps (of which there were few).

After the first few rides, as people got to know one another, the democratic tone we had hoped for occurred very naturally. The gender balance was quite equal and the range of experience fairly broad, which led us to believe we had succeeded in dispelling the idea that this was a gig for macho off-roaders. We usually managed to find a pace that suited everyone - equally, those who wanted to race ahead and then wait felt quite free to do so.

An important by-product of the rides was a strong sense of camaraderie - activists and cyclists who had never had chance to meet before were given a relaxed context in which to get to know one another and hatch schemes for the future. Finding a friendly cafe or pub in which to unwind was integral to this function. This community-building potential of the rides was recognised in the cycling community, and we have been asked to organise rides to wrap up numerous events, including the Skills Training Weekend in October 1995.

The number of riders has ranged from half a dozen - on a hazy evening after a stormy day - to 25; but all through the summer the phone list grew and grew, until it held over 50 names. The chore of phoning around before each ride became tedious, and was in danger of acting as a disincentive. At first we filtered out those who could be contacted easily by word of mouth or by e-mail, but as the list grew even this was not enough. Our planned solution is to take the onus off us by leaving an announcement of the next ride on one of our answer machines.

We hope to continue riding through the winter, albeit with diminished numbers, and expect to come into full bloom again with the spring thaw.
 

To contact NightRiders, call 538-8864.
 

by Nick Gamble