More than 400 participants got into gear and participated in NT’s first community bike ride on Aug. 31, 2019.The 11-mile loop of North Tonawanda started on Sweeney Street at the Dockside Grill. Dozens of Slow Roll volunteers held positions at intersections and stop lights, directing bikers to stay within their rights as cyclists and under the law as users of the roadway.Like in the numerous Slow Roll events having already taken place in almost every community across WNY, bikers got to see the nooks and crannies of the city you don’t usually notice in a car.Ed Smolinski, one of the local organizers of the event, addresses the 400+ cyclists gathered behind St. Paul’s church to gather the wheels, take a breather and exercise your flapper.A sense of genuine community emerged between NT residents and members of the “bike community” from Wheatfield, Amherst, Clarence and all over Western New York.Waiting for a traffic light on Thompson Street …Passing through Erie Avenue and down Wurlitzer Drive …Alderman at Large and local event organizer Austin Tylec (wearing neon yellow shirt) succeeds in bringing Slow Roll to North Tonawanda and creating a sense of purpose and fun in the community.
Joseph Kissel is a journalist, editor and photographer. He is also the Vice President of the New York Coalition for Open Government, a non-partisan, non-profit group that advocates for transparency and the public's right to freedom of information.
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