Bike to Work Day April 22nd
Bike, Don't Drive, April 22, to Avoid Penn Relays Headaches; Guarded Parking, Giveaways Highlight Biking Benefits
Contact: Lori Klein Brennan at 215 243 0555 x 227 or lori@ucityphila.org or
Julie McWilliams at 215 898 1422 or juliemcw@pobox.upenn.edu
For Immediate Release
April 8, 2004
(Philadelphia, PA) – As thousands of Penn Relays competitors and fans pour into University City April 22-24, normal vehicular travel gives way to traffic jams, long commutes and short tempers.
To help alleviate all of the above, the University City Bicycle Issues Forum invites residents, students and employees to take part in Bike-to-Work/Bike-to-Class Day Thursday, April 22.
Bike-to-Work/Bike-to-Class Day is being held to illustrate that bicycles offer an efficient way to get around University City, particularly during such events as Penn Relays.
To encourage bike use, Bike-to-Work/Bike-to-Class Day will feature free, daylong guarded bike parking at four University City locations with refreshments and goodie bags for the first 300 participants. Folks can view demonstrations on bike safety and the correct usage of a SEPTA bus bike rack as well as sign up for drawings for one of three free used bikes.
The four bike parking areas, staffed with University City District ambassadors as well as volunteers from the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia and Neighborhood Bike Works, will be open from 7 a.m. until 6 p.m. Around 50 spaces apiece will be available at University Square, 36th and Samson sts.; International House, 37th and Chestnut sts.; and the Fresh Grocer parking deck, 4100 Walnut St. More than 100 bicycles can be accommodated at Huntsman Hall, on Walnut Street between 37th and 38th sts.
Cyclists using any of the guarded parking areas are invited to enjoy complimentary morning refreshments that include bottled water, Tasty Kakes and pretzels, donated by area merchants and the University City District.
Cyclists can also register to win one of two used bicycles, one donated by Neighborhood Bike Works, 3916 Locust Walk, and the other by Firehouse Bike Shop, 50th and Baltimore, or one of two admissions to any NBW adult classes on bike repair or urban riding. Free goodie bags containing the PennDOT Bicycle Drivers Manual, a Philadelphia bike map, key chain, pencil and a Share the Road campaign sticker will also be given out.
University of Pennsylvania Public Safety Bike Patrol Officers will demonstrate on-bike policing skills and maneuvers starting at 12:30 p.m. at University Square, where from noon to 1 p.m. SEPTA personnel will show how to use the exterior bike racks featured on many of the new city buses.
At 1 p.m. just around the corner at the Penn Bookstore, 36th and Walnut streets, Patricia Vance, author of “Intimate Bicycle Tours of Philadelphia,” will give a talk about her new book and sign copies.
Also that day, which is the national celebration of Earth Day, the forum will host an informational table at the Earth Day fair on the University of Pennsylvania campus. The fair, scheduled from 11:30 a.m. -3 p.m. on College Green, is sponsored by the Penn Environmental Group to raise awareness of global environmental issues and showcases earth-friendly alternatives.
"We feel that Earth Day is the perfect opportunity to encourage commuters who may ordinarily use automobiles to bike in that day," said John Madera of the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission and chairman of the Bicycle Issues Forum.
Organized to promote the routine use of bicycles for urban transportation, the forum is comprised of representatives from the University City District, the University of Pennsylvania, the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia, Neighborhood Bike Works, and the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission
For more information and a map showing the guarded parking locations, go to www.share-the-road.org. # # #
University City District builds effective partnerships to maintain a clean and safe environment and to promote, plan and advocate for University City’s diverse, urban community.
University City is the region’s leading community for technology, research, higher education and health care integrated with historic and desirable residential neighborhoods, vibrant commercial and cultural attractions, and strong transportation connections.
Release Date: Thursday, April 8th 2004
