Spokes Spotlight

Meet Nate Rauh-Bieri, a local Grand Rapids cyclist. Nate lives in the Heritage Hill area and has been biking around Grand Rapids for about 4 years, but especially in the last year!

What do you love about biking?

The feeling of whooshing through the air, powered by yourself (or a little electricity). How you are in tune with other residents and your surroundings—you see, hear, and experience more from the bike seat. It’s an efficient way to get around. Finally, and this is big for me, it doesn’t pollute the air we all breathe.

If you could change one thing about biking in GR, what would it be?

More bikers out there! Which I think has to mean more safe biking corridors and infrastructure (protected bike lanes, signage, racks, etc.) And for biking to be seen as a viable, normal, and beneficial way to get around the city, regardless of what neighborhood you live in. (Other cities have shown how to achieve this: start with infrastructure.)

Can you share a bit about what you’re passionate about when it comes to biking, climate, or our cities?

Cities around the world are showing how bike friendliness can increase the quality of life for everyone (if designed for equity!). Bike friendly cities have health, economic, and climate co-benefits; biking benefits the common good. Plus they are often more socially vibrant. So I’d love to see GR move out of a car-centered paradigm. We could have a much more interesting, healthy, prosperous city.

Are you involved with any GR biking rides or communities?

Not yet, but I want to give a big thanks to the Bike Coalition for its advocacy work, and also Bike Scene. LLC. There are some good things happening with biking in GR!

Any fun bike transportation stories to share?

This is nothing special, but my ride the other day showed why I like biking. I went downtown to meet a friend to get a beer, then I dropped off a package, then I got groceries, then I dropped off another package, then headed home. I just needed a bike and a backpack (and some key bike lanes!). It was great. I just wish more of the city could be navigated like this for more of the city’s residents. Normal errands can totally be done on a bike. How much more so with more bike friendly planning?

Anything else you’d like to add?

The How to Save a Planet podcast episode “Make Biking Cool (Again!)” is a super fun listen on how biking is a climate solution. Highly recommend.