Register for Bike to work Day 2019, be a part of history

It's time again to register for Bike to Work Day, which is to happen on Friday May 17th. As they put it

With gridlock, gasoline prices, and the expense of driving solo on the rise, Commuter Connections and the Washington Area Bicyclist Association (WABA) want commuters in the region to know that they could be saving money, time, and getting fit, all while traveling to and from work by registering for Bike to Work Day. This event is a fun and effective way to cut down on traffic and save wear and tear on your vehicle.

The D.C. area has one of the most expensive commutes in the country, according to Bloomberg News. Among metropolitan areas with at least ten large counties, D.C. area residents spent the most time commuting to and from work, making the annual Bike to Work Day event a great way to try a healthy, cost-effective alternative to driving to and from work alone.

“With the benefits of active commuting becoming clearer, we’re seeing more and more people choosing to bike to work every year,” said Greg Billing, WABA Executive Director. “People are looking for less expensive and healthier ways to commute and Bike to Work Day lets them try new options in a fun and community-wide celebration.”

Bike to Work Day participation has seen exponential growth in the region, since it went regional in 2001 with just a few hundred participants and five pit stops. Registration for this year’s event is expected to hit at least 20,000 participants with over 115 pit stop locations throughout the region, where participants can receive a free T-shirt, refreshments, and win prizes.

Also, if we don't quit driving we're going to kill the planet. 

It's amazing that Bike to Work Day is up to 20,000 people. The first Bike to Work Day was, I think, on April 15, 1977 and it boasted a modest crowd of 250 at what was then known as "Western Plaza." The following year the crowd was estimated at only 100, though it included Representative Paul Tsongas. David A. Clarke was there too. Clarke was a regular bike commuter, and when he was elected Chair, he promised to cut his bike commuting to once a week. The inaugural event was organized by Eileen Kadesh DC's bicycle coordinator, now with King County Metro, during the 1970's biking boom.

In the late 1960's the biking commuting movement that we know to day was just starting, and in the 1970's it was organizing.

In 1966 the area put together it's first regional trail plan and by 1969, local cyclists - then organized as the Bicycle Commuter Council - were busy pushing, with the help of Councilwoman Polly Shackleton against the biggest stumbling block for bike commuting. That, as they saw it then, was the law that made sidewalk cycling illegal. At the time, "several dozen" cyclists were biking to work. That year, Shackleton would lead the ride on the first bike commuter route, on East Capital, in DC. (The signs can be seen at right). Later she would have bike lanes added.

By 1970, the city estimated that there were 1,200 bike commuters in the area and the following year, when the estimate was at 6,000, they were fighting for bike racks. [Hertz had four bike parking lots downtown that charged 50 cents a day, but the next year, the city negotiated with 25 parking lots for a $5 a month bike parking fee]. In 1971, they got the right to ride on the sidewalk as the District committed to putting in 24 miles of bike route and adding curb cuts to make transitions better.  In 1973, the newly formed Washington Area Bicycle Association successfully pressed the Zoning commission to require bike parking in downtown parking garages and was lambasting the predecessor to DDOT for adding lanes to East Capital, while lobbying Congress for money to build 3 miles of bike lanes as a pilot. In 1976, the Council of Governments estimated that there were 30,000 bike commuters in the region (a number most saw as wildly optimistic). Bike advocates will know they're winning, the Washington Post wrote in 1973, when they see city officials biking to work.

After the 1978 Bike to work Day event, there wasn't another until 1980, though that was actually a "Bike-In" as part of the 10th Anniversary of Earth Day celebrations. Billed as the "biggest biking event in Washington history" (It wasn't, but 3,000 cyclists showed up) it featured singer Mike Seeger and Dennis Christopher of "Breaking Away" fame. By 1980, Census numbers showed that only 5,400 people bike commuted. 

The next Bike to Work Day was in October of 1983 and was the first organized by WABA. 

Events were held in 1986, 1989, as part of the 20th Earth Day in 1990, 91-94 and then every year from 2000 on.

Comments

[Ren]

I'll show up in any kind of weather for a free bagel, but if they are trying to encourage newbies to give it a try, I think they should change the day from Friday and also reschedule in the case of rain. My office is a ghost-town on Friday.

[fongfong]

I always find it weird when politicos or others of importance need to stop biking when they get fancy jobs. I recall that Jerome Powell used to use the CCCT to get to and from his job at the Fed, but has now been asked to stop for "safety" reasons.

I guess that while driving is more dangerous than cycling, it becomes less so when the secret service is taking you in a motorcade.

[Purple Eagle]

I think Steven Chu biked to work while he was secretary of energy?

[washcycle]

Yes. in 2009. I made him take a photo with me. A Nobel Prize winner and a potential future winner I told him.

[Purple Eagle]

On the other hand I remember a story about an Obama white house official who was asked/required to stop biking to work from Takoma Park.

[Jeffb]

Re: Friday
I think the reason for this day is because
(1) Many offices, including mine, have a relaxed dress code.

(2) Lighter traffic.