A bicycle relay is slowly making its way cross-country to draw attention to the connections between fuel dependency, war and global climate instability.
Called the Peace Transit, the ride started in Louisville, Kentucky, on Nov. 3 with cyclists carrying a baton, a petition and a rock to cyclists in Bardstown. Passed along five more times, the items arrived in Nashville, Tennessee, on Saturday.
No single person is making this tour. This is a very effective way to get hundreds, if not thousands, of people involved in publicizing the problems of being too dependent on oil.
Passing the baton
Next, the baton will be passed along to cyclists about 50 miles down the Natchez Trace near Duck River.
Jackie Green, one of the Louisville organizers and owner of the Bike Couriers Bike Shop, told the Nashville Tennessean:
The point of passing a baton through every region of the country is to get people interested in using less fuel, reducing their contribution to global climate change and reduce international competition for oil that can lead to war.
Why these three items, a baton, a petition and a rock? According to the website authors:
“The baton's progress along the road is the transportation symbol. The petition asks elected leadership to reduce our committment to war. The rock is Earth.
“The rock is small enough to be cradled in the palm of your hand or carelessly thrown away. It is light enough to be treasured comfortably in the depths of your pocket or lost with neglect. It is strong and resilient, but not so much that it cannot be crushed. It came from a garden in Louisville KY. If we are responsible with it, if we cradle it, treasure it, and pass it safely from team to team, it will survive our tour and return to Louisville.”
Thirst for oil
Tom Grooms, a member of Walk/Bike Nashville, said he supports the relay because thirst for oil is source of unrest and discontent and strife in the world.
There's no hard and fast route for the Peace Transit Tour. Generally, the items will head south to New Orleans, along the Gulf to the tip of Florida, and then up the Atlantic Coast to Savannah by March 1. From there the relay plans to head north then across the US to the West Coast by the winter of 2008, south along the Pacific and then across the southern tier and back to Louisville.
Check the website for details about joining as a cyclist, a host, or signatory to the Peace Transit Petition.
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