While the public at-large is encouraged to stay home in order to stop the spread, they are also encouraged to take care of their mental health by going outside for either a walk or bicycle ride.
Bert’s Bikes and Fitness, a popular local bike shop, said each day presents new challenges. General Manager Jim Costello said they are seeing an influx of people bringing bikes in to get repaired. Some of those bikes are even ones that were found abandoned in the roads.
“We’re here to help people,” he said. “There’s a lot of people, especially in Buffalo…who only have a bicycle as their only means of transportation. If they need to get food or go to the hospital or do anything, the bike is the only thing they have to get them around. It’s extremely important, especially in the city, where you’re discouraging people from using mass transportation. It’s been good for that respect but we’re glad to be here for people that need us.”
Reddy Bikeshare, a popular activity for many Western New Yorkers during the warmer seasons, is also adjusting to the pandemic. They’ve lowered their fleet of bikes by 40 percent in Buffalo and Niagara Falls. They’ve also stationed fewer bikes at their tourist stations and moved them to their residential stations and at stations on the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus and at Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center.
Normally, it’s open for everybody to use for recreational purposes. Now, Reddy Bikeshare only wants people to use the bikes for essential purposes.
“Unfortunately, this isn’t the time for Reddy Bikes as an organization to encourage a whole bunch of people to get out of their houses and ride our bikes,” Jennifer White, Marketing and Communications Director, said. “We are existing as an essential service and we have to take the precautions we have to take the precautions that we have to take in order to protect our community and unite with everyone to figure out how we’re going to get through this.”
Along with lowering the number of bikes in public, Reddy Bikeshare is also sanitizing their fleet twice per week and have equipped the bikes with sanitizers.
“We are also encouraging riders to clean the bikes themselves and take the precautions necessary to keep themselves safe and wear gloves as an added layer of protection,” she said. “…We’re just encouraging CDC and WHO recommended guidelines.”
White, an avid bicyclist herself, said that the activity has been important for her physical and mental well-being. However, she said that Reddy Bikes should only be used for essential trips during this pandemic, such as trips to the grocery store or in visits to the doctor’s office. She said their organization continues to monitor the coronavirus pandemic and will shut off access to their network if it is no longer appropriate to run.