Press Releases

For Immediate Release

Gear Up: Bike Commute Week is May 16-20
Celebrate Bike to Work Day on Thursday, May 19th

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., May 16, 2005. . .Today marks the beginning of California’s Bike Commute Week, which culminates on Thursday, May 19 with the San Francisco Bay Area’s 11 th annual Bike to Work Day. On Bike to Work Day, organizers expect 50,000 to 100,000 participants around the nine-county region.

More than 180 Energizer Stations will be located along local bike commute routes in all nine Bay Area counties on May 19 to provide free beverages, snacks and encouragement to bicyclists. Dozens of additional local events are taking place to get people excited about bicycling and the benefits it provides for public health, traffic reduction and our environment. (See a list of events organized by county at <www.511.org>.)

“ Bike to Work Day is a time to celebrate bicycling as a viable form of transportation,” says Jon Rubin, chair of the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) . “We’re encouraging people to try bicycling. It’s a healthy and clean way to get around and to help ease traffic congestion.” MTC recently provided awards for a “Bike Commuter of the Year” in each of the nine Bay Area counties, plus two regional awards for “Most Improved Bicycle Community” and “Best Workplace that Fosters Bicycle Transportation” (winners are posted at <www.511.org> ).

Thousands have already registered for Bike to Work Day at <www.511.org>, and there is still time for you to register to participate. When you pledge to bike at least once during the California Bike Commute Week (May 16-20) you will be eligible to win prizes including a new bicycle and plane tickets for two anywhere in the United States. If you recruit a co-worker to bike, you double your 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 Bay Area’s Bike to Work Day 2005 promotions are being organized by MTC, the Bay Area Bicycle Coalition, county congestion management agencies, and hundreds of local volunteers. For more information, visit <www.511.org> or call 511 and say “bicycling” at the first prompt. Take the healthy commute and shift gears!

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

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