Promoting Pedal Power

Ken Rosskopf, 64, has a cyclist’s physique—long and lean. It makes sense, since his hobby, passion, and sense of community service all stem from one thing—bikes.

In 2001, Rosskopf, an attorney, introduced his Georgia hometown to non-profit Decatur Yellow Bikes Inc. (DYB) in an effort to share his interest in cycling with neighbors and to help alleviate traffic and congestion in Decatur (pop. 18,147), a next-door neighbor to Atlanta.

Rosskopf and DYB’s volunteers recondition donated bikes, paint them bright yellow, and offer them to residents for free.

“This grew from an idea where I was going to recondition one or two bicycles a week in my garage, to something that has become very popular in the community,” says Rosskopf, a Southern California native and Decatur resident for 19 years. The project has outgrown Rosskopf’s garage and uses donated space to store and recondition bicycles.

“The program, we call Adopt-A-Bike, has evolved into a library system program,” he says, “where people pay a $25 refundable deposit and pick up the bike and keep it as long as they want. We do free maintenance, free tires, free tubes and then when they’re finished, they bring it back and get their money back. It’s very popular among students.”

In order to adopt the bike, riders also must sign a pledge to ride the bike three times a week in place of driving a vehicle. “Of course, our enforcement division is very small,” Rosskopf says, laughing.

Decatur is one of more than 40 cities nationwide with community bike programs. In the early 1990s, Portland, Ore., was one of the first towns to adopt the concept, and the idea later caught on in other cities, including Austin, Texas, and Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minn.

As word spread about DYB, members of the Decatur community began donating old 10-speeds and mountain bikes to the program. Since its inception, Rosskopf and his team of 25 volunteers have reconditioned more than 430 bicycles, and the program continues to receive about three bikes a week.

For Rosskopf, refurbishing bicycles is a form of relaxation, while cycling satisfies his “competitive soul.” He occasionally participates in United States Cycling Federation (USCF) road races across the country and overseas. As a member of the USCF masters’ team, he won the 1991 Russian National Master’s Championship.

But whether competing or riding leisurely, Rosskopf enjoys the sense of freedom cycling offers, and his enthusiasm now has many others catching Yellow Bike fever.

“The (community’s) response has been a little bit surprising to me,” Rosskopf says. “I didn’t expect it. But I think they are behind it because this is a feel good program. Most of us have good bike memories from childhood and people know bike riding is good for their health and the environment.

“We’ve definitely increased public awareness of the bike as a serious transportation alternative,” he adds.

Lyn Menne, director of the city’s community and economic development, agrees. “Developing a pedestrian-friendly downtown is very important to retaining our small-town character. The Yellow Bike concept helps us achieve these goals—it gets people out of their cars.”

Tom Keating, a longtime Decatur resident, signed up for Adopt-A-Bike because he wanted to add an alternative form of exercise to his schedule. “Bike riding has helped to gradually build up my strength and I feel great riding to the post office and the YMCA,” he says.

“The Yellow Bike program illustrates how one person with a coalition can make a difference,” Keating says. “I believe every child should have the opportunity to walk, run, ride a bike, and swim. Ken has given the community a chance to fulfill one of those four personal freedoms.”

Audrey Arthur is a writer based in Stone Mountain, Ga.

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