Videos telling the stories of why people bike can help broaden others’ perceptions of cyclists.
Everything you’ve heard about biking is true. It makes you happier, healthier and saves you time. Plus, it is good for the economy and the environment. And in the bike advocacy world, we talk about those benefits a lot.
But if you are like most folks, a single statistic is not why you started riding a bike. Chances are it was an individual person in your life who got you started. Someone whose daily commute seemed better than yours, someone who you could pepper with questions about routes and what to wear.
Most recently, BikeArlington produced a series of short films called “Arlington Passages,” with the goal of highlighting some of the inspiring stories of people who bike in our county. We hope the individual stories presented connect and provide inspiration to folks who don’t yet have the bike-y friend to encourage them. We also sought to illustrate the breadth and depth of people who ride bikes in Arlington, broadening the mental image conjured up by the word “cyclist.”
BikeArlington worked with the award-winning Modacity team to create each of the “Arlington Passages” films, focusing on the story of a single individual in Arlington. In the films, the bike is a supporting character, the way it is in the lives of the people I meet through my job as BikeArlington’s events & outreach coordinator. Bikes are part of the story, but not what makes it shine.
The heart of each film is the person featured: Edgar, Annie, Natalie, Grant, Gillian, Nonie, Chris, and Rachael. In each film, you are invited into their world within Arlington – their homes and favorite places. You hear about the people they care about and what helps them face the challenges in their lives.
In his film, Grant says, “One highlight for me riding that bike is not the attention that it gets, but the smiles. You think about how many times you commute around, especially in a car, nobody smiles at you.” And hearing him say it makes me smile every time, and I hope it will have the same effect on you.
It is in the spirit of sharing and connecting over a personal story that we created Arlington Passages and hosted a world premiere event at the Arlington Cinema and Drafthouse. If you were not able to attend, all the films are now online. We hope you enjoy them, and share them with a bike-curious person in your life.
And finally, what you’ve been waiting for:
Volunteer, father, first generation American. Meet Edgar.
Environmentalist, realtor, community creator. Meet Natalie.
Family-focused, stay-at-home Dad, community leaders. Meet Grant and Gillian.
Traveler, independent thinker, dancer. Meet Annie.
Empty-nester, sister, adventure-seeker. Meet Nonie.
Father, daughter, survivors. Meet Chris and Rachael.