What is Bike to Work Day 2009 and How to Make the Most of Bike to Work Week

Bike to work week starts on May 11th and continues to May 15th. It is one week of the Bike to Work Month that many communities celebrate. There are so many community bike rides that you can participate in. The League of American Bicyclists is an excellent place to start looking for your community. It has links to community websites that are celebrating Bike to Work Week. Bike to Work Day ranges anywhere from May 13 to May 16th depending on the community involved. Check out the local schedule for your community.

In major cities, there are bike associations that fight for bike specific lanes, which help to increase cyclist safety on the road. These coalitions are also being called on by many green conscious companies to hold bicycle commuter workshops for their employees, who may be considering commuting to work. In the Boston area there were more than a dozen commuter workshops held by Massbike. Many green conscious companies are putting in showers, lockers and bike storage, to accommodate the cyclist in their firm.

More people are using the bicycle to commute to work. In New York City, NY during 2008 there was a 35% increase in Bicycle Commuting, according to the Department of Transportation. Bike to work week is an excellent time for people to be aware of bike safety, their rights as a cyclists, cycling laws, etc. It is also an excellent time to educate new cyclists to learn the benefits of riding a bicycle.

As many consumers become more conscious about the environment and the harm that fossil fuels create on the environment, many consumers are looking at bikes as an alternative form of travel. With the sale of bikes up worldwide according to the the Economist, there is a real movement toward bicycles as the alternate form of transportation. With the current economic downturn, many bikes will be pulled out of the garage and be ridden for the first time during bike to work week in a long period of time.

Bike to Work day for many people will be starting off early at designated sites, where cyclists will be provided with snacks and beverages by volunteers. You will be able to meet with other riders. After a short get together you will then start your bike to work. There will be many check-points where you will be able to snag yet more snacks and beverages, so you should have a good day.

There are many clinics that show cyclists how to maintain your bicycle. For example, every cyclist will need good brakes when they are commuting in the city. You will want to be able to stop quickly, these clinics are the best places to help you to do safety checks on your bike, or even learn basic bicycle maintenance.

During bike to work week many community bicycle associations will also have clinics to teach cyclists safety on the road. . They will tell you how to watch the flow of traffic, and how to watch parked cars, these have their own hazards, people opening doors, pulling out of parking spots without looking, etc. Even jaywalking pedestrians can be a hazard for cyclist. These should all be covered by the bicycle safety classes.

Much of bike safety was taught to us at school, hands signals, bike lights at night, riding single file etc, was taught at school during physical education, it is my understanding that this is no longer the case. In fact there was only one bicycle on the bike racks at the local middle school when I dropped off one of my step-children by car. They refuse to ride the humble bike. I hope that this is not the case with other children. Bike to Work week is an opportunity to teach children the benefits of riding the bike, as well as teach them bike safety. There are many programs for children during Bike to Work week so keep a watch out for these