Making a difference, one volunteer hour at a time.

By Alyse Horn, BikePGH volunteer

While talking on the phone to Jessica Nebgen, it is apparent why she is Bike Pittsburgh’s volunteer of the year; her dedication to creating harmony on the roads is contagious.

“As long as [people] remember that everyone is human and everyone is trying their best, I think we’ll happily be able to share the road.”

She said she believes a lot of drivers’ aggression towards cyclists comes out of fear and not knowing how to safely share the road, and a way to fix that is through better education and gaining more experience coexisting on the road with bikers.

One of the ways Nebgen spreads awareness is by tabling events for BikePGH, where she is able to make an impact on a personal level with the general public. There have been a handful of times that Nebgen said she has been able to change drivers’ opinions of cyclists, and even get some to become BikePGH members.

“You’re able to turn them around and have them understand what cyclists face on the city streets,” Nebgen said. “They think twice about being aggressive towards cyclists or even [consider bicycling] something they could do too.”

Nebgen said even over the last four years, she thinks there have been huge improvements in infrastructure and drivers’ attitudes, and that bike safety will continue to progress because “more drivers are getting experience with cyclists and cyclists are getting better.”

There are plenty of other ways to volunteer with BikePGH, and Nebgen said she also helps send out reminders for membership renewals. She said she believes everyone should support BikePGH in what they do.

“If I can do it, anybody can do it,” Nebgen said. “Even if it’s once or twice a month, and be willing to speak up and get people to join us.”

This article was, fittingly, authored by Alyse Horn, a BikePGH volunteer. To get involved check out our call for creatives or email volunteer@bikepgh.org.