We’re Celebrating (and Supporting!) This First-of-Its-Kind Pedicab for Seniors
With more than 250 miles of biking trails in Northwest Arkansas to explore, we are certainly lucky here in Bentonville. It’s why we’re known as one of the top cycling destinations in the world.
Now, we’re making those trails—and city streets—accessible to our most treasured residents, our senior friends in Bentonville.
Thanks to inspiration from the folks at the Green House Cottages of Northwest Arkansas and Gnargo Bikes, seniors will soon be able to enjoy biking in and around Bentonville too.
A first-of-its-kind ride
Gnargo Bike Co. is developing a customized pedicab for seniors to ride up front and a trained volunteer to safely “pedal” the electric bike behind it. Think of it as a specially configured, chauffeured ride around town—the first of its kind, certainly in the area, likely in the world.
The Green House Cottages also is the first area center to invest time and dedication to giving their elders an opportunity to enjoy the social connectivity of cycling with others. More important, the Cottages, a community of about 70 residents, aims to serve as the model for similar programs across the state.
The Coalition is proud to support this initiative by donating funds to create a special fundraising video for the new pedicab.
“We are proud of this exciting project and want to keep it going.”
“We want our people to be living,” says Amanda Kinyon, Administrator at the Green House Cottages, “to get fresh air and engage meaningfully with the world around them.
“This bike promotes that. We can ride them down to a food truck, to see the Northern Lights at the Crystal Bridges Museum, to engage with people and the community.”
Being on a bike and seeing new sights also sparks dear memories for older residents, like seeing a weeping willow tree on a bike trail and remember having one in the yard of their childhood home, said Kinyon.
A model partnership with Gnargo Bikes
The team at Gnargo Bikes is all in on developing this sweet ride. “We’ve done a lot of research within the pedicab community. It’s a lot of gathering parts, making prototypes and figuring out little pieces of geometry. We want people be able to comfortably and, of course, safely use them,” says Zach Springer, Gnargo Bikes co-founder and co-owner.
Zach wishes these types of bikes had been around when his grandparents were alive. “I miss their years of wisdom,” he says. He plans to receive training and volunteer to ride elders around town once the pedicab has cleared development and is ready to ride.
Give to the Cause
Want to help provide hundreds of miles of joy to our senior residents with this new bike? Donate by clicking hereand completing the form. Please specify in the comments at top that your donation supports the new Green House Cottages pedicab. That’s it—and thank you!
