Rochester Bike Week May 21-28

Submitted by hdavis on Sun, 05/16/2010 - 10:27

Rochester Bike Week May 21-28
Rochester Environmental News Examiner
Frank Regan

May is National Bike Month. In Rochester we have “Bike Week,” from Friday, May 21st through Friday, May 28th. There are lots of events hosted by the Rochester Cycling Alliance (RCA) so be sure to check out all of them: Rochester Bike Week.
http://rochestercyclingalliance.org/

Bike Week demonstrates the interest Rochester has in making cycling a viable transportation option in our area. Given that the Rochester Region just failed again for Air Quality (Rochester’s failing air quality), Http://www.rochesterenvironment.com/air_quality.htm
we should take a serious look at cycling as an integral component in Rochester’s transportation future.

During this special week, there will be bicycle races against vehicles, night rides, rides for only women, a historical Rochester ride, an ice cream ride, bike maintenance workshops, and more. One of the rides in Bike Week is the Upper Monroe Bike Boulevards Ride on Sunday, May 23rd at 1PM.
http://www.uppermonroeavenue.org/Events/Boulevards/BicycleBoulevards.html

Bicycle Boulevards are “low-traffic neighborhood streets that have been optimized for bicycling. They provide direct, attractive routes for bikes, quieter, prettier, and healthier than busy, car-filled streets, welcoming to kids, families and novice cyclists, and attractive for all kinds of cyclists, extremely safe (many have zero crashes over the last decade), and healthy, with noticeably cleaner air than busy streets” (from Bicycle Transportation Alliance)

http://www.bta4bikes.org/

A large turnout for this event will prove to the city of Rochester that there is a great interest in neighborhoods that value community over vehicles. Also, this could be an important part of the Rochester Bicycle Master Plan, which you can learn about on Tuesday, May 25th during the week.

Though several of these events require a bicycle for you to participate, you don’t have to have a bicycle to appreciate the point: to advocate for the desire and need for alternative transportation in Rochester. Even if you don’t bike to work or play, a community that facilitates a bicycling culture has many benefits for you. If nothing else, think of encouraging bicycling as a carbon offset: If you attend these events, you can drive your gas-guzzler with less guilt because you are helping to demonstrate that there is a keen desire to make positive environmental changes.

Ok, that’s a stretch; increasing bicycles for commuting won’t save the planet from climate change. But, a culture that promotes this alternative transportation option will be more likely to increase other less polluting modes of travel like increasing public transportation, walking, and alternative vehicles that don’t run on fossil fuels. Maybe, if we try, bicycles can be integrated into our community as they have in Boulder, Colorado, insuring a healthier, safer, and more environmentally friendly place.

http://www.bouldercolorado.gov/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id...

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Greetings RCAers,

It's really happening... Rochester Bike Week 2010 is taking place May
21-28! Check out the schedule at www.rochestercyclingalliance.org

We've got a whole week of rides, workshops, and public events to get
people out on their bikes and talking about how to make Rochester a
more bike-friendly city.

Finally, if you're on Facebook, visit our fan page at www.facebook.com/RochesterCyclingAlliance

Our new page will make it easier for Rochester cyclists to stay
informed about what's happening in our campaign to make Rochester a
better city for bicycles.

See you during Bike Week!
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