[flickr]photo:7474757302[/flickr]
On Saturday I dropped by the 9th annual Bike the Boulevard health expo, bicycle ride and bike rodeo hosted by 12th Ward Alderman George Cardenas. His Near South district includes parts of Back-of-the-Yards, Brighton Park, McKinley Park, South Lawndale and Little Village. This fun block party took place in the parking lot of a big box store at 47th Street and Western Boulevard, which demonstrates that you can make interesting, positive things happen when you commandeer a few dozen parking spaces.
The bike ride was an inspiring sight, with about a hundred kids from the community, family members and neighbors taking to the street. We cruised north on Western and then west on 31st Boulevard, led by the alderman on his bike and shepherded by police on bikes and in squad cars, pausing for a water break by The Hub, a housing co-op founded by cyclists, before backtracking to the expo. Before the ride departed I asked Cardenas a few questions about why he does this event, and his thoughts on the city’s bike plan.
Continue reading Bike-of-the-Yards: an interview with 12th Ward Alderman George Cardenas