More than 200 letters to the Mayor collected!

This year’s Bike To Work Day saw a noticeable increase of fellow cyclists. We here at BikepPGH can’t thank you enough for coming out and showing your support! Breakfast stations at Carnegie Mellon, Chatham University, Market Square, REI, the University of Pittsburgh, and Whole Foods Market were bustling with bikes, conversation, caffeine and calories.

Well over 300 people participated this year. That’s just the number of people who joined us at the six breakfast stations. Our Letter to the Mayor campaign added over 200 hand written letters thanking Mayor Luke for all the bike improvements he’s promised for the year ahead. Additionally several new bikepool routes emerged to provide more options to join others on a ride to work. Our friends at Black and Gold City Goes Green produced a fun little video that highlights an East End bikepool on its way to Market Square.

The YMCA collaborated with us this year by hosting a Bike Commuting forum and a Bike to Work Day spin class in Market Square. Over sixty people rode with Flock of Cycles for the evening party ride to round out the day.

Local businesses kept the celebration going all week long by offering discounts and special offers to everyone who picked up a Bike to Work Day discount card. A big thanks to Arsenal Cider House, the Big Idea Book Store, the Colker Company, Dozen Bakeshop, Franktuary, J’eet, OTB Bicycle Cafe, Piper’s Pub, YMCA, Waffallonia, and local bike shops for participating.

Bike to Work Day raffle winner announced . . .

Adrienne Taren won the Bike to Work Day raffle — a gift basket from Whole Foods Market. According to Adrienne she was “quite excited [because] I never win these things!” As a grad student it was an especially excellent prize. Adrienne tracks her commute and errands with the Car Free Calculator. She finds it very rewarding to be able to see the greenhouse gasses she’s keeping out of the atmosphere by going car-free. Her bike commute to school is invigorating on the way there and allows her to decompress on her way home. For Adrienne it’s that sense of freedom from bus waits and traffic that makes her excited about going by bike.

Bike to Work Day could not have been so successful this year without the incredible energy of our amazing volunteers. All of the events just would have not happened if it was not for their incredible support. BikePGH intern Jane Kaminski played such a pivotal role in making this year a wonderful success. Jane was a BikePGH “Volunteer of the Year” last year and we couldn’t have imagined her helping out even more this year. In the photo to the right Jane is showing off the gift she received from Colker Company in the Strip for being among the first BikePGH members to redeem their Bike to Work Day discount. Her commitment to making Pittsburgh better for bicycling is amazing. Not only does she continue to be a huge help to BikePGH, but she is also a lead organizer of Flock of Cycles.

Bike to Work Day has come and gone for 2011, but Car Free Fridays carries on! Be sure to sign up for a Car Free Fridays Action Kit to learn how your workplace or community can host a Car Free Fridays event and be sure to stay tuned to the Calendar of Events!

Not a member of BikePGH?Join today! We need you! Bike Pittsburgh works to protect cyclist’s rights and promote the vision of making Pittsburgh a safer and more enjoyable place to live and to ride. For more info, check out: www.bike-pgh.org/membership