By: Zach Pippin, local photographer + bike enthusiast.

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Columbia is not a bike-friendly city, anyone who has tried to get around town on 2 wheels knows this. Hopefully that will start changing soon. From SCDOT’s Harden/Blossom/Devine project, to the City of Columbia’s soon-to-be-announced bike boulevard installation, to the bipartisan infrastructure bill coming out of Washington, Columbia’s streets should be changing for the better.

We already have the blueprints for the beginning of a good bike network, the Walk Bike Columbia Pedestrian & Bicycle Master Plan. All we need to do is begin methodically implementing it, being sure to revisit it every 5 years to ensure it still follows ever-evolving best practices.

So instead of focusing on what the infrastructure should look like, I want to help imagine some of the many people who will benefit from a more bike-friendly city.

April is a mother living in Pinehurst. For her a bike friendly city means being able to take her son to the park on her bike, and 1 day with him riding along beside her on his own.

Stephen is a father living in Earlewood. He wants to be able to take his family on a ride to a local restaurant to grab dinner without getting in the car.

Blake is a student at UofSC. He and his friends would like a safe, fun way to bike from campus to Williams-Brice for football games.

John is a professional in Melrose Heights. He wants to be able to bike to work, but doesn’t want to risk his family getting a knock on the door from the coroner.

Andrew is a small business owner in Shandon. He knows that safe bike infrastructure near his shop means more customers who make more frequent visits.

Finally, imagine yourself. Where would you like to visit in our city by bike that you currently wouldn’t because of unsafe conditions?

Last year we saw examples across the country and the world of cities that stepped up to make biking safer following the pandemic bike boom (that’s still going on btw). Sadly, Columbia was not one of those cities, but we don’t have to accept the status quo. With the right vision and public support Columbia can be a city where people of all ages and abilities can safely get around on two wheels.

Looking for a way to volunteer? The City of Columbia is looking for volunteers to help count bicyclist + pedestrians throughout the city so they can make better informed decisions about the city's transit landscape.