Chicago's Bike to Work Week – June 13-19 06/14/09

Around here every week is bike-to-work week, but Chicago’s official festivities start today, led by the Active Transportation Alliance. A variety of bike commuter stations will be set up along different routes. Two celebrations book-end the week: a bike away from work party on Monday and the Mayor’s rally on Friday. For those new to city cycling, Chicago or both, the city has lots of helpful information here.

Team Dottie/Oma and Melissa/Smurfette (and Mr. Dottie/un-named male bike) are ready!

Oma is ready and waiting for summer

Oma is ready for summer

Melissa and Smurfette

Melissa and Smurfette

I’ll be eager to report how successful the week is, measured by my completely non-scientific opinion of the increase in cyclists. How are you celebrating Chicago’s bike to work week? If your city (as Nashville and most others) had its bike to work week already, how did it go?

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  • http://lovelybike.blogspot.com Lovely Bicycle!

    Oma is beautiful with that basket! She looks like she will enjoy the bike-to-work week — though probably with an ironic sense of superiority : )

  • Celeste

    We had bike to work day here in Montgomery County on May 15th. I was able to pedal past the festivities which included breakfast, speakers and various activities. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to partake in any of the activities because I was well, biking to work!

    I wish an entire week had been dedicated to it rather than just a day. I don’t think it was incredibly successful. Due to our location a lot of people work outside of the state (DC and Virginia are just a few miles away) and taking the bike on the freeway is just not an option. We have a pretty decent (though costly) public transit system, but it just doesn’t compare to having the wind blowing through your hair while you watch the sun rise every morning!

    I hope everyone has fun with theirs though!

  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/06088639153697449691 Doohickie

    Yeah, I like that basket.

    I also like the MELISSA license plate on her bike!

  • http://www.cyclingisgoodforyou.blogspot.com anna

    We don’t have “Bike to Work” weeks in Europe at all, so I wonder whether it really helps to increase the number of cyclists or if it’s just to tell the people that are already cycling that they are doing well. It seems that people who are interested in starting to commute by bike can get some useful information at such events. Maybe we should have that too ;-) .

  • http://www.bikecommuters.com Ghost Rider

    Like every year, it seems, I wasn’t scheduled to work on Bike to Work day here in Tampa…but got to participate in some of the other Bike Month festivities (urban street skills class, covering the Twilight Criterium for our website, etc.).

    Anna, I think such events here in the U.S. do both things — encouraging others to start bicycle commuting AND rewarding those of us who are already doing it. The media coverage during these events reach a LOT of people…and who knows? Perhaps that coverage and these events will convince some of our fellow citizens to ride a bike!

    • http://letsgorideabike.wordpress.com dottie

      I agree that the week must pull in some new people. The company challenges (where businesses compete to see which can get the most employees to bike to work) and media spread the message pretty well. At the very least, everyone who has ever cycled to work before cycles to work this week.

    • http://www.blogger.com/profile/06088639153697449691 Doohickie

      I didn’t work on Bike To Work Day here in Fort Worth, but took advantage of it anyway. I rode with some city officials downtown, then a large group of us was escorted by cycle-mounted police across downtown to the train station where coffee and snacks awaited us. If I had to work that day, I would have missed all that!

  • Melissa Hope S

    I rode Smurfette today! Although she is getting louder, it was fun! I’m shaving more time off my commute. Plus, there were a lot of bunnies on the trail today (more bunnies that cyclists)!! I love bunnies!

  • http://www.fullhandsx3.blogspot.com sara

    Hope you see lots of new cyclists on the path.

  • http://www.rideofsilence.org/chicago E A

    I loved seeing the chalked bike lane on Wells this morning beckoning cyclists to stop at the commuter station and get free coffee! Mmm…

    Oooh… thanks for the reminder about the Bike away from work tonight… tempting.

    • http://letsgorideabike.wordpress.com dottie

      I wanted to go to the bike away from work party, but work interfered. I’ll definitely be at the rally on Friday.

  • Carolyn

    Ours was very successful! And it was our first one. It will be returning next year, and I can’t wait!

  • http://www.bikebythesea.com/ Christa

    Really want to visit Chicago! Wondering if the city is adding more bicycle infrastructure…

    I’d love to see more photos of chic cyclists against the Chicago Landscape. :)

  • Scott

    My daughter came upon the Bike To Work Day festivities in Daley Plaza and got some pics that I posted on my blog. (http://drivemybike.wordpress.com/2009/06/19/way-to-go-chicago/)

    I guess they had to shut things down shortly after those pictures due to weather. She said it was like a monsoon out there!

    I’m envious of the cool stuff that Chicago is doing to encourage bike commuting. Wish I was there to participate in the fun. :-)