LaRita Schandorff has been working to make Nampa, Idaho more bike-friendly and walkable since 2005. In this conversation, we talk about the unglamorous truth behind change: road projects are planned years ahead, and if something isn’t in the plan, it usually won’t get funded.

We get practical about what actually keeps people from riding—shared lanes, door zones, missing connections, weak bike parking, and the “last mile” problem. LaRita also makes the case for designing streets for vulnerable road users: if a 10-year-old (and an 80-year-old) can move safely, everyone benefits.

And then there’s the wildcard barrier almost nobody outside cycling thinks about: goatheads/puncture vines. We dig into why they’re a legitimate deterrent, what “Stomp Out Puncturevines” is doing about it, and how the Nampa Bicycle Project is refurbishing and distributing bikes—often with the locks, lights, helmets, and support people actually need.

LaRita Schandorff is a Nampa-based bike and pedestrian advocate and a longtime leader in local efforts to improve safety and access for people who walk and ride. She has worked for years to move Nampa toward better infrastructure, smarter planning, and safer streets through community education, advisory involvement, and hands-on programs like Bike Walk Nampa and the Nampa Bicycle Project.

• How one lonely bike sign in 2005 turned into long-term advocacy  

• Why “nobody rides bikes here” is often just… not noticing  

• How road projects get chosen years in advance—and why funding follows plans  

• Designing for vulnerable road users: “build for a 10-year-old (and an 80-year-old)”  

• Shared lanes vs bike lanes, door zones, and basic safety expectations  

• Trails as real transportation (not just recreation) and why “parks at dusk” matters  

• Bike parking, bus stops, and the “last mile” problem  

• Goatheads/puncture vines: the hidden barrier that pops tires and kills motivation  

• How the Nampa Bicycle Project gets bikes (and gear) to people who need them  

• Bike repair stations, grants, vandalism, and rebuilding community resources  

• Responsibility & Becoming

• Story & Identity

• Nampa Bicycle Project (Facebook) 

• Nampa Bicycle Project (Instagram)

• Bike Walk Nampa (Facebook) 

• Stomp Out Puncturevines (Facebook) 

• Nampa Cycling (Facebook Group) 

• Nampa Safe Routes To School (Facebook) 

• City of Nampa – Safe Routes to School 

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