Photos
“Have fun,” he said, leaving the yellow spray-painted bike behind.
The bike isn’t Fournier’s personal ride nor does it belong to someone he knows.
Instead, it’s just one of a dozen scattered throughout the city for communal use as part of the Tenino Yellow Bicycle Project. The project was conceived by Fournier, Adam Barr and several others in late May to promote mobility and exploration of the city, healthy living, a sense of community and the act of sharing.
The idea to have yellow bikes in the city began more as an artistic endeavor, the bikes representing public ownership and playing off other socially-conscious art.
Then the bikes, naturally, started getting used as transportation.
A kid looking to pedal around town with friends but who didn’t have a bike could borrow one for an afternoon. A woman not wanting to hop in her car to get groceries had an alternative mode of transportation.
“They are getting attention in town,” Fournier said. “It’s an evolving project. It adapts as the user sees fit.”
Once a bicycle is donated, it’s painted yellow and stenciled with reminders such as “respect town bike” or marked with the unofficial “T90 DOT” (Tenino Department of Transportation). When tires get worn down or something breaks, the bike is collected and repaired. Bikes will remain out for public use until about October, when they will be stored through the fall and winter and return with the good weather.
The only rules are to not chain them up and to return them to Tenino. So far none of the bikes has been stolen, though at least one has been retrieved from the outskirts of town.
Photos of the bikes are showing up on the project’s Facebook page, highlighting the artistic aspect of the project.
There’s even a yellow unicycle in the fleet, though its use is limited.
Organizers say children are benefitting most from the bikes, and one youngster has taken a leadership role in the project.
William Abitz, 13, said he still remembers the first time he saw a yellow bike in town. After hearing about the project, he heard about a girl who had her bike stolen. Abitz had an old bike and gave it to her. The girl’s bike has since been returned, and she donated Abitz’s old bike to the yellow bike project.
“It’s a good thing to do for your town,” Abitz said.
After help with painting and stenciling, Abitz went out Wednesday to put three more bikes into circulation. He put one out Thursday to celebrate his birthday.
His mother, Angie Abitz, said she and her son bought all the yellow paint at one store and that there are eight bikes in their garage and three more on the way from friends on the East Coast waiting to join the ranks.
“The day he put the first one out, he was beaming,” said Angie Abitz.
Organizers want to expand the project and place yellow bike racks at the Tenino City Park and near local businesses. They also want to see the county put in a kiosk at the trailhead with more information on trails, distances and routes for bicyclists.
Barr said he envisions nicer bicycles that can be rented.
“Someone’s gotta fix this town,” he said. “If it takes a yellow can of paint to do it, I’m all for it.”
Nate Hulings: 360-754-5476 nhulings@theolympian.com www.theolympian.com/outsideoly
Donate and share
Got a bike you’d like to donate? Want to share a picture of a yellow bike? Visit the Tenino Yellow Bicycle Project’s Facebook page, www.facebook.com/Tenino YellowBicycleProject.
