Press Releases

For Immediate Release

Bike to Work Day is Thursday, May 19th

Shift Gears and Take the Healthy Commute!

Contact:

Cole Portocarrero, 415.246.8078, Bay Area Bicycle Coalition & Bike to Work Day Event Coordinator
Deb Hubsmith, 415.454.7430, Bay Area Bicycle Coalition & Bike to Work Day Media Coordinator

OAKLAND, Calif., April 27, 2005. . .Thursday, May 19 marks the Bay Area’s 11th Bike to Work Day, an annual celebration to promote bicycling as a healthy, fun, and viable form of transportation.

On the morning of Bike to Work Day, more than 180 Energizer Stations will be located along local bike commute routes in all nine Bay Area counties to provide free beverages, snacks, and encouragement to bicyclists. Throughout the Bay Area, dozens of additional local events will get people excited about bicycling and the benefits it provides for public health, traffic reduction, and our environment.

According to U.S. Census data, approximately 36,000 Bay Area residents use a bicycle as their primary means of getting to work each day. On Bike to Work Day, organizers are expecting 50,000 to 100,000 participants. Cole Portocarrero, the event coordinator for Bike to Work Day says, “Bike to Work Day is the perfect time to try bike commuting. With gas prices nearing $3 a gallon, many people are looking for alternatives to the automobile. Bicycling provides a great way to save money, get physically fit, meet new people, and do something good for the environment.”

Bay Area residents are encouraged to register now for Bike to Work Day at www.511.org. Those who can't bike all the way to work can bike to transit. Most Bay Area transit carriers have bike facilities, such as lockers or bike racks. Those who pledge to bike at least once during Bike to Work Week, May 16-20, will be eligible to win prizes including a new bicycle and plane tickets for two anywhere in the United States. Those who recruit a co-worker to bike will double their chances to win. Additional information about Bike to Work Day, including finding bike routes, taking bikes on transit, and locating a bike buddy can be found at www.511.org.

May is “National Bike Month.” The San Francisco Bay Area’s Bike to Work Day 2005 promotions are being organized by the Bay Area Bicycle Coalition, county congestion management agencies, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC), and hundreds of local volunteers. For more information, visit www.511.org or call 511 and say “bicycling” at the first prompt. Get your bike tuned up now, and get ready to shift gears!

MTC is the transportation planning, coordinating and financing agency for the nine-county San Francisco Bay Area.

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