ACTON - The North Acton Recreation Area (
NARA Park) is 1,600 hundred acres of space with a town beach, swimming spots, playing fields and an outdoor amphitheater.
It's open to all and that now includes Leslie Johnson. She's riding for the very first time down the nearby rail trail on a bike, thanks to the town's new adaptive bike program.
"I have a disability myself, so I can't ride on a two-wheel bike," Johnson told WBZ-TV. "When the rail trail got going and I was walking on the rail trail and I saw bikers and wished so badly that I could ride a bike on the rail trail."
So Johnson, a member of the town's Commission on Disabilities, asked the town to help her help the disabled get riding.
"I was feeling for the people. I wanted to see more people on the rail trail with disabilities enjoying it as much people who are fully able," she told WBZ.
That's when the recreation department and its' director Melissa Rier got moving. They got a state grant and got three special bikes - a handcycle, a recumbent bike and a stable trike with a back brace especially for a child.
"We have a lot of things that are about inclusion and that's really important to me and our department," Rier said. "We thought NARA would be a great spot because it's right by the rail trail so someone could rent a bike and go out on the rail trail and just ride."
Now these special bikes are ready for anyone to use. It's a new way to explore the town and a new chance to leave a physical limitation behind.
"It's good to be outside in the fresh air and getting some exercise and doing what other people are doing," Johnson said.
If you live in Acton, the bikes are free, and if you are from out of town you only have to pay $5.
Not everyone can ride a bike, so this offers an experience like no other
Courtesy photo. Adriel Thornton (MoGo)
This story is a part of our "Something Good" series, which is designed to remind you of all the goodness in the world: the moments that can make you smile, feel warm inside and applaud humanity.
There seemingly isn’t an easier activity than riding a bike.
The key word in that sentence is “seemingly.”
Due to physical or mental limitations, not everybody can learn or even have the pleasure of riding a bike around a neighborhood or town.
Given that, one organization in Detroit is doing its best to make sure there is access for all types of cyclists.
MoGo, a nonprofit bikeshare organization, is offering rides for adaptive cyclists throughout the summer.
The rides are held three days a week along the Detroit Riverwalk and one day a week in Ferndale.
The rides along the Riverwalk take place on Tuesdays from 2 to 6 p.m., on Thursday from 3 to 7 p.m. and on Saturdays from noon to 4 p.m.
The group also meets in Ferndale on Fridays from 3 to 7 p.m.
“When people think of biking, the first train of thought is that anybody can get on a bike and ride,” said Adriel Thornton, executive director of MoGo. “We all know that’s not true.”
Rides are arranged through a reservation system, with the cost being $9 for one hour and $15 for two hours. A seasons pass can also be purchased for $40, said Jacob Graham, who helps run the adaptive program for MoGo.
There are 16 cycles available that are all different types, including recumbent tricycles, upright cargo tricycles, hand tricycles, tandem bicycles and tricycles, side-by-side quadricycles and a box-bike.
These types of bikes are expensive and not the easiest to store or maintain, so the program offers riders a unique way to get outside and be active.
“People who rent these bikes get the chance to use equipment that can be prohibitively expensive to purchase on their own,” Graham said.
As much as the riders get out of the experience, Thornton said the organization gets even more from seeing the smiles on people’s faces.
In particular, Thornton pointed out a situation in which a grandmother was able to ride a tandem bike with her grandson who has special needs and had never ridden a bike before.
“Her feedback really gives me goosebumps to this day,” Thornton said.
The rides will be available until Oct. 29.
