Mayors’ Ride

Ed Cox – Northern California’s Bicycle Lightning Rod

We traveled by phone from Ireland to the offices of long-time Sacramento Bike Coordinator, Ed Cox, a former architect  who played a big part in shaping the way people move about in the state capital city. In the words ahead you will hear the impact he had not only on Sacramento but the region and the entire state of California..

From “How America Can Bike and Grow Rich,  the NBG Manifesto“:

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“So is Ed riding (the amazing American River Parkway, ed) this year?” Marty asked. “I haven’t seen him since I used all those broken spokes from my wheel last year to get his his back tire to stay on.”

“He’ll be at the Capitol tomorrow,” I began,  “he’s still running the wheel off a kid bike like I had suggested. He never ever got the bad one fixed, says he’s too busy.”

We were talking about Ed Cox, a stocky guy who, even though his bike was not of the same quality as some of the other HiWheels that annually came out for the river ride, he still rode strong. Like Marty, Jacques, Peter Wagner, who would also be joining us on his homebuilt Penny Farthing, and myself, Ed had lots of cycles. A bike guy through and through, he was also the bike coordinator for the city of Sacramento.

And his passion is contagious. Much of the bicycle renaissance that Sacramento is enjoying in its downtown can be tracked to a lot of the ground work Ed has laid. When I stayed in the cool little guest cottage he had built in his backyard when I Eagled to Salt Lake in 2009, I learned a lot about this quiet, humble man.

Ed was a founding member of the Sacramento Area Bicycle Advocates (SABA), the local bike activist organization. Under the authority of SABA to call for more bicycle awareness, some of its leadership then went on to  bring about Sacramento’s very own Bike Kitchen. An incubation cell for bicyclists wanting to enjoy more bike centric and not car centric lives, it is this bike co-op  that is giving birth to the swarms of cyclists now filling the downtown on every kind of pedal machine.

Ed was also one the main organizers of the annual Bike to Work Day in his Capital City. Probably the largest Bike to Work festival in the USA, it attracts cyclists and exhibitors from throughout the region. As if that were not enough, Ed was also active on the state level. Toward that end, he helped start the California Bike Coalition (CBC). A nonprofit, the CBC keeps an eye on all legislation affecting California cyclists.

 On the American River Parkway

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Ray Irvin - Mr Greenway, speaks with NBG!!

Ray Irvin – Mr Greenway, speaks with NBG!!

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Ray Irvin, world renowned Mr. Greenway of Indianapolis, talks about how his greenway work has changed the landscape and social-economic structure of a town once known mostly for its motor-speedway. Here he is pictured with National Bicycle Greenway scout, Scott Campbell who helped plot our bike route across America per this amazing video.

Transcript  for above interview

Acknowledged by Governor O’Bannon with the Distinguished Hoosier  award for his work on Greenways and his leadership in transforming the Indianapolis riverfront, an award  has recently  been named after Ray Irvin for young people reenvisioning cities.

“Yes, I had the vision, but there were thousands of people that shared that vision, that cleaned up our White River and streams, that helped plan, work to raise money, volunteered countless hours and followed the plan we all created with something very special for our City that became a model for the nation.

Success has a thousand mothers and fathers and I’m so proud of each of them whom I have known, worked with and yes even argued with but the belief in the vision was always greater than the minor bumps in the trails and Greenway development.

My grateful Thank You to All, it was my honor to serve the cause with each of you. Now we must all work to keep it.”

“How America Can Bike and Grow Rich,
the National Bicycle Greenway in Action”
Chapter Excerpt

July 2023: I do lots of things, I sail, I invent, I build, I repair, read and study, serve on the city planning commission. I still have an FAA A&P Lic. and a Commercial Pilots Lic., a Marine Surveyor and USCG Captain Lic., FCC Amateur radio Lic., but love Greenways development most of all.

Irvin on How to Pay for Greenways | How to Find New Trail Turf

Here is what Ray, the man who wrote the Indy Greenway master plan, started Indy Greenways and led much of the charge that rebuilt what was once a dying Rust Belt city had to say about Indianapolis now being seen as. a top tourist destination:

“Let’s never forget that thousands and thousands of people joined that effort (to resurrect Indy) removing over a million tons of trash from the White River and the streams and old rail corridors that make up the Indy Greenway System. From school children, churches, clubs, families to mayors, councilors, legislators, congressmen, Senators and Corporations, they all joined the effort. The Greenways systems belongs to everyone that shares a love of urban nature, healthy environments steps away from their homes. It challenges everyone to put on those sneakers, rollerblades, hop on that bike of get that old canoe out and join with the place we all built from scraps of discarded land that we became so ashamed of that Indy turned its backs on it for a century and left it to rot and decay.
But take heart friends, the things that destroyed its value also saved it. Had it been left in good condition the beautiful pieces now connecting the entire region would have been so broken up developed, destroyed or blocked, what’s there today would never have happened.

“I saw beyond the trash, piles of debris that contained every thing from toxic materials to the dead family pets, thousands of old tires, it was a disgusting, filthy and terrible sight to see” (my quote in the Indy Star 3-21-88). But I saw life, animals, birds, native trees and native plants and a place to grow more if only the trash was removed. I saw a safe place to see and enjoy that could be created and I dedicated myself to see that happen and you and so so many others joined that vision and the possibilities it held. Indy Greenways is there today because you believed and joined that effort and it’s yours and don’t ever let it be taken from you and yours again. It’s a treasure that was always there just waiting to be rediscovered and recreated.
Thank You for Believing it was possible. Ray”

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