It’s about 1.4 miles from from the home they rented on Camp Street to the one they just bought on Fetter Ave., but the miles aren’t the problem when moving locally. It’s all about renting or hiring a truck and crew, loading and unloading the truck, and sifting through the endless odds and ends. Beat me with a rubber hose first! I hate everything about moving. Don’t a
sk me to help – unless you’re doing it by bicycle.
When Andy Dyson and Moira O’Keefe moved to Louisville from Philadelphia last year they rented and easily filled a 26-ft. truck. They enlisted the help of their friends on both ends of the trip. Today, after just three or four hours, they’re settling into the home they just purchased on Fetter Ave. thanks to 20 bicyclists with cargo trailers and baskets. They treated the “bike move” like a sponsored bike ride except participants raised money by the pound rather than by the mile!
“You get people to sponsor you a certain amount, say 5 cents per pound,” said Andy. “Moira and I MATCH what you raise up to $400. That’s what we’d probably have to pay regular movers.” And all the money goes to Bicycling for Louisville, the city’s bike advocacy non-p
rofit organization. Andy is Executive Director of the organization. Last winter a similar group moved the non-profit’s offices – furniture, filing cabinets and all – from Downtown to Clifton by bicycle.
“It’s a chance to get your friends into using bike trailers,” said David Morse, a Bicycling for Louisville board member. “We’re demonstrating how easy it is to haul stuff by bike. If you can move the contents of a whole house, how hard can it be to use a bicycle for a simple, weekly grocery trip?”
All the cyclists needed was pizza and beer. But they had the added souprise of SoupByCycle, provided by Ian, the Souper guy who delivers soup by bicycle trailer every day. (Yes, he’s recoverded from being rear-ended by an inattentive motorist who wrecked his rig and fled the scene a couple of months ago.)
If you’re looking for a cheap and low-impact way to move the contents of your house or apartment, consider doing it by bike. All you need to do is round up enough friends with cargo trailers. If you need help recruiting a crew of pedal-powered movers, check in with Bicycling for Louisville’s Andy Dyson. With enough notice, he might know some folks who can help.
Grace. Peace. Bicycle Grease.
PS: Remember, every lane is a bike lane. Share the road.
Pedalaround
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Enjoy the ride home.
© Copyright, Kirk M. Kandle, MMXI
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