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Bike To Work Week 2009

Bike To Work Week :: Join in the first annual 4 Townships & a Boro ride!

May is National Bike Month and the CRBC is celebrating in style. To kick off the month, the CRBC in conjunction with local organizations are hosting several Bike To Work Week activities.

Friday, May 1

Bike To Work and Bike Week Kick-Off

Join CRBC, CATA, and a host of Penn State environmental and health organizations to find out about bicycling and other alternative transportation initiatives in the State College area.

WIN dinner for 20 from Clem’s BarBQ – Bike to work, register at the Bike To Work table and the organization with the most employers/members registering at the event will win dinner for 20 from Clem’s BarBQ!

When: 8am – 5pm
Where: Corner of College and Allen

Saturday, May 2

Street Fair

Food and fun for the entire family. Bob Swaim, the bike guy, will be on hand with his extensive collection of unusual bicycles. Local bicycle shops will be here to help with your cycling needs. There will be information about bicycle commuting, health, relaxation, and much more.

When: 10am – 2pm
Where: 200 block of Allen

Bike Rodeo

Kids of all ages are invited to participate in the bike rodeo put on by the State College bike police. Freeze Thaw Cycles will provide bike maintenance support for the event. Come with your child and his/her bike to learn about bike safety and proper bike fit.

When: 10am – 12pm
Where: 200 block of Allen

4 Township and a Boro Ride

Join CRBC as we explore State College on designated bike paths and bike routes in the area. While the entire ride will be about 23 miles, join us for as much or as little of the ride as suits your abilities. We will ride at a leisurely pace with seasoned cyclists to ensure that no one is left behind. We will ride to each of the townships and the borough that comprises State College. Municipal officials will be on hand to receive and possibly ride with the riders at each municipal office or designated meeting spot. Come out and be part of the inaugural Ride!

When: 1:30pm – 4:30pm
Where: Start at State College municipal building

Sunday, May 3

Winery Ride – Cancelled

We’re sorry, but the winery ride is cancelled due to conflicting events. If you’d like to be notified when the ride is rescheduled, please contact Paul Rito at paulrito at comcast . net or 814-231-8405.

When: 1pm – 4pm
Where: State College Borough Building

Monday, May 4

Bohdan T. Kulakowski Memorial Ride – Cancelled

We’re sorry, but due to forecast rain, the ride
is cancelled.
We will try to reschedule the ride later in the year. Watch the CRBC website for details.

While riding home from his office at PSU in 2006, Dr. Kulakowski was struck and killed by a van whose operator, though legally blind for 20 years, had continued to drive.

Wednesday, May 6

“Have One for the Trails” Tony’s Big Easy Happy Hour

State College Outdoors will be hosting a “Have One for the Trails” Happy Hour at Tony’s Big Easy from 7-10pm, featuring several short films on cycling. Come socialize and relax with your friends! Cover charge is $5. Proceeds go to State College Outdoors.

When: 7pm – 10pm
Where: Tony’s Big Easy

Friday, May 8

Bike-in Movie: Wall-E

Bike with the family to Tudek park for an outdoor showing of Wall-E. Rain date is Saturday, May 9.

When: 8:15pm
Where: Tudek park

Monday, May 4 – Friday, May 8

Ride Guides for Commuters

Several experienced cyclists have volunteered their time to guide new commuters during Bike To Work Week. Areas, contacts, and availability are listed below:

Area	Availability	Guide
Woodycrest Overlook Heights Toftrees	Flexible departure time	Chuck Anderson mtbchuck@verizon.net 235-1089
Lemont Houserville Spring Creek Park	7:15 – 7:30am	Ned Balzer ned.balzer@gmail.com 404-0421
Centre Hills	9 – 9:30am	Eddie Magulick eddie@eddiesbikes.com 234-3111
Blue Course Dr Circleville Rd Teaberry Ridge	8:30am	Doug Swope dhs7@psu.edu 865-1113
Park Forest Gray’s Woods	Flexible times	Jess Ballenger jess.ballenger@gmail.com 769-6816
Boalsburg Pump Station Harris Acres	7:30am	Eric Keller keller.ee@gmail.com 441-5597
South State College General commuting advice	Flexible	Kevin Gombotz kgombotz@gmail.com 360-4424
Pine Grove Mills	7:15am	Jeremy Frank jfrank@kctech.com 867-4097

We also have Ride Guides specifically for the commute home from campus:

Destination	Departure	Guide
Bellefonte	Nittany Lion Shrine 4-4:30pm	Linda Tobin lpt1@psu.edu 863-4606
Lemont	Shields Building 4:45pm	David Chase drc5@psu.edu 863-1072

Please contact your Ride Guide mentor to arrange your commute!

For general questions, please contact Kate Marshall-Chase via e-mail at katemc1@yahoo.com or via phone at 237-6316.

So mark you calendars, because in May we’re getting you out of your car and back on your bike!

Bike To Work Week :: Images from 2006 celebrations

Other Resources

Bike To Work Week :: Bike Safety Video

Help spread the word about Bike To Work Week by downloading and distributing the BTWW flyer (PDF, 175KB).

Biking to work saves gas :: Article from CDT Online

Why I Don’t Bike To Work

Thanks to the following organizations for their participation

Penn State Orthopaedics | Penn State Civil & Environmental Engineering | Penn State Cycling Club

Webster’s Bookstore Cafe | Matson Biofeuls | The Bicycle Shop | Matson & Associates

Tait Farm | Eddie’s World of Sports | Irving’s | Print-It Plus

Bike Parking Lot on Allen Street

San Francisco :: This bike parking plaza is designed for permanent year-round use

On July 21, the State College Borough Council approved conversion of one parking space in the 100 block of Allen Street to bicycle parking. This type of conversion is in use in other urban areas. For the conversion to succeed, the bike parking must be in a location where demand for parking is high. It must be convenient for cyclists to access and use, and must include structural elements to protect the cyclist and the parked bikes from passing motor vehicle traffic. Simply placing a bike rack in an empty parking space is not adequate for bike parking needs. Demand for bike parking is high on South Allen Street.

Initially, the conversion will be seasonal, running only from April 1 to November 15.

Below are examples of successful conversions of parking spaces to bicycle parking.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Responds

U. S. Transportation Secretary Mary Peters has responded to a complaint by CRBC about her statement on the PBS Newshour that bike paths and trails are not transportation facilities.

Here is her reply:

THE SECRETARY OF TRANSPORTATION
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20590
October 4, 2007

Thank you for your e-mail about the importance of bicycling and walking as a form of
transportation. I share your interest in a safe, efficient mullimodal transportation system.

Your e-mail discussed comments I made during a recent interview regarding the importance
of effectively prioritizing major transportation spending decisions. These comments were in
no way intended as an indictment of bicycle and pedestrian investments broadly. Rather, they
were part of a much larger critique of the processes by which investment decisions are
increasingly being made at the Federal level. Too often, political influence and power arc
guiding transportation spending priorities, instead of merit, competition, data, and analysis.

The U.S. Department of Transportation believes that bicyclists and pedestrians are legitimate
and welcome users of our Nation’s transportation system. They are a healthy part of the
solution to congestion in our urban areas. We also believe that States, metropolitan planning
organizations, and transit agencies are in the best position to understand the unique needs of
their own communities, which is why we have continued to strongly support broad eligibility
under the Federal-aid program for a diverse mix of transportation investments, including
bicycle and pedestrian transportation facilities.

Programs that improve safety for bicyclists and pedestrians arc also eligible for Federal safety
dollars. Although the number of bicyclist and pedestrian injuries and fatalities has dropped by
10 percent since 1994, fatalities have increased in the last 2 years, and this is not acceptable.

Thank you again for voicing your opinion. I hope to continue to work with bicycling and
pedestrian advocates as we face the challenges of meeting our country’s changing
transportation needs.