This May is Bike Month 2009 in New York City, a month long celebration of cycling including events like the Great Five Borough Bike Tour on Sunday May 3rd (the largest mass bike ride in the United States) Bike to Work Day on Friday May 15th, and a host of cycling parties, rides, tours, classes, and races.
The product of a partnership between Transportation Alternatives and the Department of Traffic, Bike Month has grown from a one-day event to a full week, and then to a full month in 2004.
Cycling itself has grown by leaps and bounds in the City, and in 2008 bicycle commuting grew by a dramatic 35%, according to the DOT. With hard times upon us, with looming large fare hikes on subways and buses and new auto tolls on formerly free bridges, and with the ever-present threat of spikes in oil and gas prices, and, of course, climate change, the bicycle is emerging as the world's commuting vehicle of choice. New York and many other urban centers are poised to become very much more bike friendly.
You can read all about it, see the Calender of Events, download for free the 2009 NYC bike map, and more at Transportation Alternatives' website, www.transalt.org, or at bikemonthnyc.org.
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