Rising gasoline prices, a greater emphasis on health, and growing awareness of alternate transportation modes may point to another successful Bike to Work Day. This year's official day will be celebrated throughout the Central Oklahoma region May 21. 

The sixth annual event in the metro is being coordinated by the Association of Central Oklahoma Governments (ACOG), and the cities of Oklahoma City, Guthrie, Midwest City, Moore, Norman, Yukon and Edmond. 

Bike to Work Day 2010 is part of a national campaign to promote bicycling as a healthy and efficient transportation alternative. The League of American Bicyclists has recognized the month of May as National Bike to Work Month since 1956, and National Bike to Work Day (third Friday in May) annually offers metropolitan areas the opportunity to call attention to the benefits of bicycling and to increase safety awareness among bicyclists and motorists.

All seven communities have activities planned that focus on a group ride. The group ride is intended to show the motoring public the number of active cyclists and participants.  Each community also has a specific route and end of ride ceremony. METRO Transit is providing free bus rides to riders who bike and bus on May 21.

 

The City of Oklahoma City launched its latest comprehensive plan process in May. The goal of the plan is to ensure a healthy environment, community, and economy for its residents, with the understanding that the decisions made today affect the choices in the future regarding places to live, work and play.

There have only been three previous comprehensive plans in the city's history. The first one took place in 1930, the second in 1949, and the last full plan was in 1977. The last plan did have two updates, in 1989 and 2000.

Since 1977, the city has grown 40 percent in population, while treated water production (volume) has increased 58 percent.  The city's utility service area has grown 63 percent in square miles, and the developed area has practically doubled.  Lane miles have increased a staggering 275 percent since the last plan.

Planning Director Russell Claus said that the process should take about 12 months and will involve heavy neighborhood engagement in the fall.  Recommendations will be presented in 2012. 

Robert Kincaid wasn't there to take photographs, but a host of luminaries, led by Canadian County Commissioner Phil Carson were present at a ribbon-cutting last month for a new bridge on Sara Rd NE south of Azalea NE/248th/Waterloo Road. Funded with federal stimulus dollars, two bridges were completed in late March.  ACOG awarded the stimulus funds to District 1, which was a prime candidate because engineered plans and acquired right-of-way made the project "shovel-ready."

In 1964, architect I.M. Pei was commissioned by the Urban Action Foundation to launch an urban renewal plan for Oklahoma City.  Pei's bold plan included a vision for a "city of tomorrow," which would look ahead 25 years to the city's centennial.

Pei's visioning process included the building of a 10' by 12' model.  The model made the rounds in December 1964 as Pei made his pitch.  Made of wood and plastic, the model spans a significant portion of the Central Business District and includes parts of Bricktown. The model was donated to the Oklahoma City/County Historical Society in 1986, and was last displayed at the Smithsonian in 1995.

For the past 15 years, it had been in storage. Earlier this year, it was unpacked, cleaned and put on display again in conjunction with a Main Street Conference at the Cox Center.  It will be on display in the northeast corner of the Cox Center through the U.S. Conference of Mayors, June 11-15.

Dr. Bob Blackburn, executive director of the Oklahoma Historical Society, said at the unveiling, that "Pei's vision was an effort to plan - to find a direction to how our city should grow.  It was not the first plan, but it may have been the most ambitious."