Biking can help prevent obesity, combat isolation and increase community connections. It’s good for everyone but isn’t always accessible for all. A new bike share initiative, funded in part by the Wisconsin Partnership Program as well as the Wood County Health Department, has provided 33 bikes at six locations in Wisconsin Rapids, in central Wisconsin, with the goal of addressing specific community needs for accessibility. Among the choices are a three-wheeled bike (or “trike”), as well as two specially-designed tandems that allow visually impaired people to ride, all part of the effort to involve the entire community in the healthy activity of biking.
