 |
|
National Bike to Work Day
|
Celebrate Friday, May 20th: Ride your bike to work
Bike Pittsburgh is kicking off Car Free Fridays with National Bike to Work Day on May 20th. With the spring weather here, it is a perfect time to hop on your bicycle! The morning of Friday May 20th, there will be free breakfast stations throughout the city to provide you with food and beverage to start your day as well as plenty of other activities to get you rolling.
FREE Breakfast/Hydration Stations On Friday morning, start your day right at one of our FREE biker breakfast and hydration stations. It's a great way to meet fellow bike commuters and get a free breakfast to boot. - Market Square, 7:30am-9:30am
- Carnegie Mellon, Merson Courtyard 7:30am-10:00am
- University of Pittsburgh, Posvar Hall, Bouquet Street, 8:00am-10:00am
- Chatham U., Pond @ Mellon Center 7:30am-10:00am
- Whole Foods Market, Shadyside 7:30am-10:30am
- REI, South Side Works, 8:00am-10:00am
Bike Pools We would like to encourage people to ride to work in bikepools! Bikepools are like carpools, but on bikes! Click here to find out more about bike pools
Encourage your boss to bike to work CEO's, top level managers, and community leaders will help promote bikepools on Bike to Work Day by participating in one. Click here to find out how CEO's can get involved
Flock of Cycles After-work Party Ride Join the Flock of Cycles for a fun ride around the city. Meet at Oakland's Dippy the Dinosaur, Carnegie Museum, 5:30pm.
Help us Hype Bike to Work Day Post to your Facebook page and Twitter your intention to ride to work on May 20th and on Bike to Word Day itself. Hashtag is #BTWD
Click here for complete Bike to Work Day info
|
NEW!! BikePGH's Car Free Calculator
|
 Track the impact on your health, the environment, and your wallet
BikePGH has just launched a new online widget for the region's commuters to start tracking their biking and walking miles that replace driving miles. The Car Free Calculator is the latest focus of our Car Free Fridays initiative. The Calculator allows individuals to track the miles they commute by bike and foot and displays the approximate impact it is having on their health, the environment, and their pocket book.
The Calculator keeps a running tally for individuals and what's really cool is that it tallies it for the region. As the saying goes, we're all just drops in the ocean, but the ocean is made up of many drops.
Participants are automatically enrolled in periodic raffle drawings for gift certificates and prizes donated by local business. Chances of winning are increased the more frequently users submit their miles.
Sign up before May 21st and get entered into a special raffle!
If you sign up in time for Bike to Work Day on Friday May 20th, you will be entered into a special raffle specifically for Bike to Work Day registrants. We want a good estimate how many people will be participating in the annual event.
Click here to start tracking your car free miles
|
|
2011 Bike the Vote!
|
| 
Find out what the candidates think about livable streets and bikes before you vote in the Primary Elections on Tuesday, May 17
Cycling is a political issue.
When you choose to ride a bike, you are addressing many issues: personal health, air quality, oil dependence, economics, infrastructure, and safety. Making the choice easy for people to use a bicycle for basic transportation is often up to our elected officials and their commitment to dedicate the funding and resources to make the streets safe for all users.
Most of the City Council Candidates and the two Democratic County Chief Executive Candidates graciously took some time to answer some questions from BikePGH.
Click here to read your candidate's responses
|
|
Great Outdoors Week
|
| 
The 10th Annual Great Outdoors Week is Friday May 13 - Sunday May 22
We're proud to partner with a bunch of cool outdoors organizations to bring you the 10th annual Great Outdoors Week to Pittsburgh. Whether you're new to the outdoors scene or a seasoned veteran, you'll have plenty of activities to choose from during this ten day celebration! Great Outdoors Week showcases our region as a hub for outdoor recreation activities - biking, hiking, paddling and much more. Grab your friends or coworkers, pack up the family - get ready for some fun that's close to home!
Signature Events:
Sunday, May 15 - Dick's Sporting Goods Pittsburgh Marathon
Friday, May 20 - National Bike to Work Day/Launch of Car Free Fridays 2011
Friday, May 20 - Learn to Row and Paddle
Saturday, May 21 - Venture Outdoors Festival (Free Bike Valet Parking!)
Sunday, May 22 - Pedal Pittsburgh
Be sure to check out the Great Outdoors Week website for more info
|
Not a member of BikePGH? Join TODAY!
| |  Help us continue our momentum into 2011. If you're not a member, please join now. If you're already a member please consider making an additional contribution to ensure our success in the new year. Your support is essential to continue improving the city for bikes.
When you donate, you:
- Add your voice to one of the fastest growing and most transformative organizations in Pittsburgh with nearly 1,500 current dues-paying members
- Receive an invitation to Bike Pittsburgh's annual membership meeting, special events and promotions
- Demonstrate your support for our mission and vision
- Join the fun and exciting bicycling community in Pittsburgh
- Receive a receipt for a tax-deduction
- Receive discounts from dozens of local bike shops and businesses that support a bicycle-friendly Pittsburgh
Please donate today and make sure that we will be here working on your behalf for years to come!
 Not a member of BikePGH? Join today! Membership is our most important source of income, and we need you to add your voice! BikePGH works to protect cyclist's rights and promote the vision of making Pittsburgh a safer and more enjoyable place to live and to ride. BECOME A MEMBER TODAY
 Already a member and wish to make and additional contribution? Every little bit helps. Whether it's for purchasing bike racks, engineering bike lanes, printing the Pittsburgh Bike Map, or simply helping us pay our internet bill, you can be sure that we put your donation to good use. Make an ADDED DONATION to help make the change that you want to see.
|
|
City's Bike Rack Request form revamped
|
|  Does your business or building need a bike rack?
The City of Pittsburgh recently revamped the bike rack request form to make it even easier to apply for a free bike rack.
Last year, BikePGH partnered with Mayor Ravenstahl's Taking Care of Business program to install about 200 bike racks in business districts and in front of small businesses throughout the city.
To submit for a free bike rack in front of your business or building, simply have the building owner fill out the form on the City's website. Note there is a limited supply and on a first come first served basis.
Not a business owner?
Chances are you frequent a business or two who are in need of bike racks. Please tell the proprietor to visit the following website:
www.bikerack.pittsburghpa.gov
|
|
2011 Ride of Silence - Wed May 18
|
| 
Raise awareness, educate, remember.
On the third Wednesday of May around the world, cyclists will take to the roads in a silent protest of the carnage taking place on the streets. The Ride Of Silence is a free ride that asks its cyclists to ride no faster than 12 mph for no longer than an hour, and remain silent during the ride. The ride hopes to raise cycling awareness during bike safety month to motorists, police, traffic engineers, insurance companies, and city officials. The ride is also a chance to mourn, in funeral procession style, those who have been killed.
- Wednesday, May 18, 2011, 6:30PM
- South Side - 26th & Sidney (behind REI)
Click here for more info on the route and the Ride of Silence
|
|
Don't forget to hand-write your letter to Mayor Ravenstahl
| 
Everyone appreciates a thank you note. Imagine getting 1000 of them.
In 2010, the City of Pittsburgh installed about 5 miles of bike lanes and sharrows, mostly in East End neighborhoods. These markings were a welcome addition to the emerging city-wide bike lane network, and showed that the City was serious when, upon receiving the Bronze "Bicycle Friendly Community" award, Mayor Ravenstahl proclaimed that there will be "25 miles of new bike lanes and sharrows in two years."
We want to make sure this momentum continues, so we decided that we'd deliver to him a bunch of "Thank You" notes to demonstrate how much support Mayor Ravenstahl has for his bike initiative, and how bike lanes have positively impacted the lives of thousands of Pittsburghers. Ok, a "bunch" is an understatement. We want to give him at least 1000 letters, and we're most of the way there, but we still need more.
If you have not already printed out, and sent us a letter, please do so ASAP!
We're looking for fun, creative responses on our kinda boring form letter on how more bike lanes will change your life.
 | | Click on this letter to download the pdf |
Here's the deal:1. Print out the form "thank you" letter to the mayor 2. Tell the Mayor how more bike lanes will improve your life. Use a colorful marker if you want. Draw a picture. Be creative or clever, or don't be! 3. Return it to us at BikePGH by June 1, 2011
It's that simple.
Mail completed letters to:
BikePGH attn: Bike Lanes
3410 Penn Ave
Pittsburgh, PA 15201
Click here for more details
|
Cycling Calendar of Events
|
| All Things Cycling in the Greater Pittsburgh Region!
Here are some of the upcoming highlights:
All Summer: Free Ride's Bicycle Mechanic's Classes See Free Ride's website for details
Thurs May 12, 6pm: Oakland 2025 Community Plan Action Forum St Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church, 419 Dithridge St
May 13-22: Great Outdoors Week All over the City of Pittsburgh
Fri May 13, 10pm: Flock of Cycles, Flock all Night Museum Dinosaur, Oakland
Tues May 17: Bike the Vote Don't forget to vote in your party's primary!
Wed May 18, 6:30: Ride of Silence Meet at REI in the South Side
Fri May 20: Bike to Work Day! All over Pittsburgh. See website for details
Fri May 20, 5:30pm: Flock of Cycles Party Ride Carnegie Museum Dinosaur, Oakland
Sat May 21, 11am-6pm: Venture Outdoors Festival Point State Parkwith Free Bike Valet Parking
Sun May 22: Pedal Pittsburgh Southside Works
Early Warning - August 12-21: BikePGH's BikeFest 7th Annual celebration of all things cycling! Kick-off Party Friday August 12!
Click on the button below for complete info on these as well as other events
If you have a bike event or ride you'd like to submit, let us know about it.
|
|
Bike Pittsburgh gratefully acknowledges the
Richard King Mellon Foundation, Heinz Endowments, The Sprout Fund, The Benter Foundation, The Alliance for Biking & Walking and our members for their generous support.
|
Bike Pittsburgh / 3410 Penn Ave / Pittsburgh / PA / 15201 / 412-325-4334 news@bike-pgh.orgThe eMessenger is an electronic newsletter published once a month. Bike Pittsburgh, Inc. does not rent, sell, or make available any personal information, including email addresses. If you would like to be removed from the list, simply click "SafeUnsubscribe" at the bottom of this email. |
|
|
|
|
|
