|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
The Bay Area’s 17th Annual Bike to Work Day is under way with thousands of commuters and students expected to pedal their way to work, school and public transportation.
In the Tri-Valley, Dublin and Pleasanton have a host of events to promote bicycling as a healthy way to travel and to promote bicycle safety.
The cities, along with Hacienda Business Park Owners Association, BART, Alameda County Public Works Agency and Dublin Cyclery are hosting “Energizer” stations from 6:30-9 a.m. at both BART stations where cyclists can stop and enjoy refreshments, receive free bike t-shirts and commuter bags, as well as sign up for a raffle drawing for prizes donated by numerous local businesses.
A third Energizer station will operate from 7-8:30 a.m. in front of Foothill High School. The first 50 cyclists to visit either of these stations will receive a bike commute bag and can enter the raffle drawing. This is Foothill High’s first Bike to School event and students and faculty have been encouraged to participate.
In addition to today’s activities, the city of Dublin and Dublin Cyclery will host a “Bike to the Market” booth at the new Dublin Farmers’ Market from 4 to 8 p.m.next Thursday. Cyclists who visit the “Bike to the Market” booth with evidence of bicycling to the event (helmet, bike, etc.) will receive a free “Carrot Cash” voucher, valued at $5, to use at one of the market booths.
Other features of the “Bike to the Market” booth include a display of bicycle “hauling” equipment by Dublin Cyclery and bicycle safety brochures.
The city of Dublin and Dublin High School have planned a Bike to School Day to give students the chance to celebrate National Bike Month on Friday, May 20. The first 50 students or teachers who visit the Bike to School station will receive a bag filled with giveaways, and all cyclists will receive refreshments.
In Pleasanton, the three middle schools are promoting Bike to School Day tomorrow. Hart and Harvest Park Middle Schools are hosting Energizer Stations where participants will receive refreshments and goody bags filled with bicycle safety items. Energizer Stations will be located at the bike storage areas at both schools beginning at 8:00 a.m.
For more information on Dublin events, contact Erin Steffen at (925) 556-4524. For Pleasanton events, contact Lisa Adamos at (925) 931-5039.
The day, which began in Oakland in 1994, has inspired hundreds of people to choose cycling as their preferred mode of transportation instead of cars, according to the San Francisco and East Bay bicycle coalitions.
“We’ve seen a 250 percent increase in the number of participants since 2008,” East Bay Bicycle Coalition Program Director Dave Campbell said.
The Oakland-based coalition saw its highest number of Bike to Work Day participants in the history of the event cycling through one spot last year. More than 700 participants stopped at Sproul Plaza during their morning commute, Campbell said.
“It’s the first time we’ve seen that many cyclists in one place for Bike to Work Day,” he said.
“Biking to work is great for promoting a safe and more family-friendly city,” said Leah Shahum, executive director of San Francisco Bicycle Coalition.
Shahum said that according to estimates by the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, biking has increased by about 58 percent between 2006 and 2010.
Bay City News contributed to this story.
Bay City News contributed to this story.
