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Silver Spokes with Bike Cleveland (2018) Print
2018 AARP Community Challenge Grantee
Project Category
Transportation
└ Bikeability
└ Bikeability
Cleveland's Department of Aging and Bike Cleveland partnered to create opportunities for older adults to explore alternative forms of transportation and recreational activity. They created Silver Spokes, a free cycling program for older adults. Bike Cleveland purchased four age-friendly bikes, as well as bicycle lights and helmets. Additionally, they hosted sessions throughout the city to teach older adults safety rules of the road. They also offered short, guided rides.
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See More Projects Like This One
Sunrise, FL
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2020
Project Category: Bikeability
Description: The City of Sunrise installed bike fix-it stations and artistic bike racks at five city parks. The fix-it stations, which are free to use, include an air pump and other tools and give users the ability to suspend a bike so its wheels spin freely during repairs. Each rack's design was unique, with their shapes imitating a music note, soccer ball, basketball, baseball and an alligator. Project organizers hope the bike amenities empower Sunrise's multigenerational community to expand their transportation options.
Erath, LA
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2021
Project Category: Bikeability
Description: COVID-19 pandemic restrictions led to an increase in pedestrian and bicycle activity in Erath, as people sought out safe ways to get around and spend time outdoors. And many residents of the small town do not own cars. For local leaders, the increase in biking and walking represented an opportunity to effect long-term change. Since Erath only had one bike rack, the Town purchased and installed new racks in 16 locations around town to encourage locals to bike to the local park and businesses. Volunteers helped design the racks and coordinate the best places to install them.
Powder Springs, GA
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2023
Project Category: Bikeability
Description: Downtown lacked infrastructure that encouraged biking, limiting active transportation options for older adults and other residents. The city installed five permanent bike racks in key locations, each designed as public art through a partnership with local artists and schools. These racks make biking more practical and add visual appeal to the town center. The project promotes healthy, car-free travel and strengthens placemaking efforts, sparking community pride and inspiring future art and mobility initiatives.
Nearby AARP Community Challenge Projects
Cleveland, OH
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2018
Project Category: Community Gardens
Description: The Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority saw an opportunity to revitalize an abandoned volleyball court behind one of their public housing buildings, creating a space to bring residents together and address social isolation. Using input from the residents of Riverview Tower, an apartment building for low-income older adults, they created a garden where residents can grow their own fruits and vegetables. The garden has places to sit and features accessibility features for residents with mobility challenges. Additionally, the space includes sensory areas, which allow visitors to smell, touch and taste herbs, fruits and berries.
Cleveland, OH
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2021
Project Category: Public space activation
Description: The May Dugan Center, which serves low-income older adults in Cleveland's Ohio City neighborhood, hoped to create a welcoming gathering space for its Seniors on the Move program. To make the Center's outdoor area accessible, organizers outfitted the space with four ADA-compliant picnic tables. Additionally, the Center provided program participants with herb garden kits, allowing them to create windowsill gardens in their homes. Ultimately, organizers hope experience tending the kits will help SOTM participants hone their gardening skills, which they will use to plant flower beds and raised vegetable plots at the Center. This project is part of the nonprofit's larger mission to help older adults manage their financial, physical and emotional wellbeing, allowing them to safely age in place.
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