When Eileen Martin hops on her bike and hits the City’s trails, she does so with a helmet, her Dublin Bicycle Ambassadors shirt and the sense of adventure she adopted while growing up in the World War.
Martin’s interest in biking was sparked when she was a child. Her family moved during the Great Depression, and she found that riding was the most optimal mode of transportation.
“I will say, for five years, between ages 7 and 12, we did buy a house in New Jersey, and that’s where I started riding,” Martin says. “Unfortunately, war was declared in December and my parents sold the car because my mother didn’t drive anymore and my father was a traveling accountant, so he wasn’t home all that much. At that time, either you walked or rode a bike – and you didn’t want to walk.”
She learned both the functionality and excitement of riding, along with some valuable lessons in bicycle repair that came in handy when applying to become a bicycle ambassador.
“I used to explore then, too,” Martin says. “I learned the school bus route and rode around the area. As a kid, you thought places were a long ways off, but it was maybe a mile and a half. We biked to school and to church, so t
hat’s where I really learned to enjoy it. I could still probably fix a chain and fix a flat nowadays.”
Dublin is home to at least 100 miles of bike paths, but with those trails comes necessary upkeep. Ambassadors, including Martin, watch for potential hazards and cyclists who may have lost their way.
Volunteers are trained to spot encroaching shrubs and overhanging branches. When a hazard is located, they report the issue to the City for maintenance.
“A bad blackberry bush can cause a problem,” Martin says.
The mission of the bike ambassador program has found its way into Martin’s everyday life. Since joining in May, she has even started watching for branches in her neighborhood that pose a threat to walkers, riders and drivers.
“People like to grow blue spruce trees along their boundary lines, but they don’t remember they won’t stay big forever,” Martin says. “Those lower branches can take up a good part of the walkways.”
While the ambassadors do the majority of the hazard reporting, other members of the community can submit a bike path maintenance request at www.dublinohiousa.gov/request/bike-path-maintenance.
The 45 volunteers hope their work makes for a more enjoyable ride for the rest of the community.
“If all of us are out there and help to maintain the paths and fix the obstructions, it makes it safer for everyone,” Martin says. “Many times, I’m ducking my head down. Even walkers have to walk around or duck. There are places with right angles and, if shrubbery is encroaching, you can’t see. I almost ran into a gentleman last year.”
Martin’s personal goals include passing out bike path maps and encouraging riders and pedestrians to be more aware of their surroundings.
“So many people ride or run with their earbuds in,” Martin says. “They’re not in tu
ne with their environment. At least make one ear free to take in the noises of the birds and everything. They’re missing a lot.”
Martin, 81, is consistently active, even participating in a mini-triathlon last year, thanks to a little push from her family. The race included a two-mile run, a 250-yard swim and a 7-mile bike ride.
“Several years ago, I went out to watch my daughter in the mini-triathlon,” Martin says. “The next year, she made her three girls get involved. It’s an introductory into sports. The year after, they called out the name of a woman and said that she was 73 years old. My grandkids looked at me and said, ‘Grandma, you could join us next year.’”
Biking was the easy part for Martin. The other disciplines took a little training. She found herself going for quick runs and taking more challenging routes on her bike, including the Emerald Parkway hill. Her training paid off and she completed the race.
“There was no one in my age category, so I came in first,” she says with a laugh.
With her “competitive days” behind her, Martin now considers her riding to be a leisure-only activity.
“I do cycle, but just for the pleasure of it,” she says. “I’m not a ‘cyclist,’ per se. I tried my daughter’s cycling bike and thought I was going to go right over the handlebars. No way for me. I’m going to stick to sitting up straight.”
Martin joined the Bike Ambassadors Club this spring after learning about it three years ago. She wanted to join earlier, but the interview and training dates never meshed with her schedule.
“Every volunteer is interviewed and they go through a complete criminal record check, driving record check and training,” says Christine Nardecchia, volunteer resources administrator for the City of Dublin. “They learn how the paths are funded and our plan. We want to arm them with information because the ambassadors can teach residents as well.”
Members are CPR certified and keep an eye out for lost riders, hazards and little ones who practice proper bike safety, but they must keep their helping hands to a minimum.
“They cannot do maintenance on bikes because it’s a huge liability issue,” Nardecchia says. “However, we are able to help with slipped chains, but we can’t help inflate tires or other maintenance.”
The Ambassadors serve as extra eyes and ears for the City.
“Our team is made of leisure bike riders and serious cyclists,” Nardecchia says. “The leisure bike rider is the people person, but the cyclist pays attention to maintenance and infrastructure. We absolutely need both.”
Stephan Reed is an editorial associate. Feedback welcome at laurand@cityscenemediagroup.com.
