Green Cruise Honors Slow Roll Founder, Celebrates People Power
(Crystal A. Proxmire, Aug 9, 2015)
Two great movements came together Saturday as the Sierra Club presented Detroit Slow Roll founder Jason Hall with the Green Cruiser of the Year Award at the 11th annual Green Cruise in Downtown Ferndale.
Hall started the Slow Roll five years ago as a fun, informal get together of friends who just wanted to go for a bike ride. Now it’s grown into a movement that’s gained national attention and attracted up to four thousand bicyclists at a time.
The premise is a simple one, just get together and go for a nice leisurely ride through Detroit. “We like to ride, and we wanted to see Detroit in a different light,” Hall said. “We try to get people out of their cars – we call them glass bubbles – and out being part of the city.”
Though now the organizing is second-nature, the initial shock of Slow Roll’s growth came when one day about a hundred people showed up to ride. “That’s the first time we realized this was something serious, and we had to start really thinking about how to do this responsibly.”
There is now a website to organize rides and let people know about the rules. Hall and buddy Mike MacKool started Detroit Bike City as a way to connect bike enthusiasts. In addition to the Slow Roll, they host bike expos and do all they can to encourage bicycling culture in the city.
The growth of Detroit as a bicyclist’s haven is what led Sierra Club organizers to name Hall the 2015 Green Cruiser of the year. “He works relentlessly to bring bicycling to the Motor City,” said the group’s proclamation.
The Green Cruise is Ferndale’s answer to the Woodward Dream Cruise which comes the following weekend. While the Dream Cruise attracts motorists who drive in circles checking out other cars, the Green Cruise focuses on non-motorized forms of transportation like bicycles, skateboards and walking. The Green Parade includes a large inflatable earth and bicyclists of all ages.
The event also attracts activists for environmental issues, such as those wanting more clean air protections, and an end to nuclear power.
The event is hosted by the Siera Club of SE Michigan. Learn more at http://www.sierraclub.org/michigan/southeast-michigan/green-cruise.
For more on Slow Roll Detroit go to http://www.slowroll.bike/.