Pedal Instead

First things first, this is my 600^th review, y’all!!! And for that review, I have chosen a great, local nonprofit called Pedal Instead.
Pedal Instead, as their Web site proclaims, is «a coat check for bicycles.» The first time I can ever remember seeing them spring up was at Comfest back in like 07 or so. At the corner of Buttles and Park, there was this huge bike corral. I had somewhere safe to park my bike while I volunteered! This service is free! I’m not totally sure, but they could probably charge and keep it for operational costs, but choose not to. Awesome. Since then, they’ve been providing bike corrals at fests and events all over the city. They do the World Naked Bike Ride, pretty sure I saw them at the Arts Festival, essentially any event in town with a decent expected bike turnout, you’ll find these guys volunteering their time to park and babysit your bike.
Also, don’t underestimate the impact that a corral full of hundreds, if not thousands, of bikes at the entrance to a festival can have on festivalgoers. These are people who may bike themselves next year. So Pedal Instead isn’t just operating a bike check, they’re advocating for bicycle transportation in a very impactful, action-​oriented way. This is the sort of nonprofit I like to support.