May is Bike-a-licious
· Posted Monday April 30, 2007 by jamie
Tomorrow is the first of May already, which means that Bike to Work Month is upon us! Time to pull out the old Schwinn or dust of that Huffy and try a new (more fun!) way to get to work.
Here’s the basics:
- All Month – Bike To Work Month: Over the last couple of months, I have gotten back going with my 5 day a week bike commute after averaging about 1 day per week over the winter. My challenge to you all is to consider riding at least one day a week for the month of May. (If distances are prohibitive, at least try taking the bus that often, assuming you don’t already.)
- May 14th-18th – Bike to Work Week: Want to distill that down to one week? This is the week to choose!
- May 18th – Bike To Work Day: If you will choose but one day in the month of May…let this be the one! See below for a potential event…
Here are some additional bike events:
- May 12th – Scott Pierson Trail Grand Opening: Come to commemorate the dedication of this new commuter trail that parallels SR 16, named in honor of the late Scott Pierson, a City employee and avid bicyclist. This family-oriented event will include events along the trail between the War Memorial Park (near the Jackson St. ramp) and Cheney Stadium between 9am and 1pm, with the actual dedication ceremony occurring at approximately 10am at Cheney Stadium.
- May 16th – Ride of Silence: May is also Bike Safety Month, and this event is a silent, slow group ride designed to mourn those killed in bicycle/motor vehicle accidents, while hoping to raise awareness among residents, motorists, police, and city officials of bicyclists. Black armbands are encouraged, and those who have been injured in bike accidents are encouraged to also wear a red armband. Similar rides are going on all around the country, but the Tacoma ride starts at 7pm at the 56th and South Tacoma Way Starbucks, from where it will take a loop route through Lakewood.
- May 17th – Bike To Market Day: Celebrate the first day of the Downtown Tacoma Farmers Market by biking there! Bring your bike or helmet to the REI tent to sign up for a prize drawing for great REI prizes. 9am to 2pm.
- May 17th – Zeit Bike Contest Display: The top five entries in the Zeit Bike Contest, a bicycle art competition, will be shown at the Tacoma Art Museum as part of Third Thursday festivities. The best of the bunch will win $200, with additional prices for the runners up. (Want to enter? You have until May 9th to get it together…)
- May 18th – ThriceAllAmerican.com Bike To Work Day Group Commute???: This event isn’t set in stone because, well, I just made it up… But if there’s enough interest, I’m thinking it would be fun to have a group meet up somewhere in the morning and bike en masse to downtown. Perhaps UPS to UWT? Let’s hear it in the comments…are you interested? Update: It’s on! See here.
More info:
- Details from the city on Bike to Work Week activities.
- Tacoma Wheelmen’s Bicycle Club May Newsletter, with many details on May bicycling events.
Government Affairs Action Item!
Finally, anyone with an interest in how modifications to St. Helens Avenue between Market Street and 9th/Broadway might affect bike commutability should keep an eye on the City Council agendas, as it is likely that sometime in May the Council will vote on whether that stretch of road will be made one-way southbound (downhill), effectively killing one of the gradually-sloped bike routes out of downtown Tacoma. Seems ironic that that decision might be made this month…
And now for something completely different…
I leave you with a light-hearted refresher on locking your bike from our friends over at StreetFilms:
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I’m in for the 18th bike to work. Any chance getting Doyle’s to open up early for a Guinness stop before work?
— michaelm Apr 30, 11:12 AM #Pronounce it right! That should be “CYCLELICIOUS.” Bike-a-licious sounds like a lollipop for lesbians in lycra.
(all in good fun. And a happy Bike Month to you all)
— Fritz Apr 30, 11:56 AM #that video was pretty funny, nice find! May is a perfect bike to work month. I was just in OR last weekend, got my bikes fixed up, and was back on the saddle, with the nice weather it felt great. I commute from DT to Olympia via Bus most days, but I may start riding to lakewood and going via bus from there. Any suggestions for the best route?
— Andrew Apr 30, 01:02 PM #Best route? I would suggest the Water Ditch Trail. But unfortunately that doesn’t exist yet.
South Tacoma Way is probably the most direct route, but maybe a bit heavy on traffic, depending on what you’re willing to put up with.
Maybe if you got across I-5 into the South End via Pacific or McKinley (or M St.), you could take a less major road south and then cut across to the park-and-ride down near 112th…
Anyone?
— jamie Apr 30, 01:08 PM #Thanks for the linkage. Hal looks right at home on your page!
— Clarence Eckerson Jr. Apr 30, 01:31 PM #Im down for doing this ride, it will actually be longer than my daily commute now that Im living downtown.
— Tacoma (A)roma May 7, 12:11 PM #May 18th ride is going to happen, I’m thinking both morning and evening. Evening will of course end at a local watering hole. Details forthcoming in a future posting…
— jamie May 8, 11:49 AM #