If you’ve known me for any period of time, you know that I’m pretty evangelical about two things: bike commuting and reusable menstrual supplies. I decided a long time ago that those two things would be my causes, as in, the things I would actively try to convince my friends to adopt. So, of course I jumped on Facebook as soon as I heard about DC’s impending Metro shutdown:
Well, why stop there? There’s a very active Women & Bicycles DC-centric group on Facebook….
WABA’s Trail Ranger Coordinator, Ursula, replied quickly. WABA was already on it:
but Ursula got them to play along when I pointed out that the #bikepool hashtag wasn’t super-convenient (librarian skills at work!)
@WABADC we need a hashtag to get this trending. #wmatabikepool ?
— Anita, librarian (@Anitalifedotcom) March 15, 2016
My friend and former DDOT coworker Stephanie got the party started:
@WABADC Mt Vernon Triangle to Navy Yard, I'm there for you. Shoot me a note if you're aiming for a 8:30 ETA #wmatabikepool
— Stephanie Dock (@PlannerOnTheGo) March 15, 2016
Within an hour, a WTOP reporter had picked it up:
it's official #wmatabikepool is a thing…lots of meetups being planned right now. Are you planning on a little early #biketoworkday ?
— Kate Ryan (@KateRyanWTOP) March 15, 2016
And, I guess it made the Post’s local blog, too. So cool!
Love, too, that Takoma Park’s excellent La Mano coffee shop gave it a shout (promotions from local businesses are my favorite!):
Calling all those going from #Takoma or #takomapark doing #wmatabikepool Stop by for a 10% discount on food or drinks Wed AM starting 7am.
— la mano coffee bar (@lamanocoffee) March 16, 2016
And, full-circle, Nelle Pierson, Deputy Director at WABA, gave me some love back home on Women & Bicycles.
So fun watching this unfold on social media – can’t wait to see what tomorrow brings! My roommate and I will be hanging out looking for stray cyclists at the Lamont Street bikeshare station (free 24 hour memberships!) at 8am. I’ll probably try to take some photos of folks on bikes before starting my telework day back at home!
Ride safely, everyone!