People urged to cycle in the City to celebrate National Bike Month

In celebration of National Bike Month and Bay State Bike Week, the Boston Transportation Department (BTD) is inviting residents, commuters and visitors to join Boston’s National Bike to Work Day Festival on Boston City Hall Plaza on Friday, May 20th from 7 AM to 9 AM.  BTD encourages Bostonians to continue the celebration by taking advantage of the many bike activities and amenities that are available across the city.

Cyclists will be greeted at Boston’s National Bike to Work Day Festival on Friday, May 20th with a complimentary breakfast and a wide array of bike-friendly exhibitors.  Volunteers will lead convoys of bike riders to City Hall from locations throughout the region at set meet-up times.  Fun, free festival activities will include making spoke cards, posing at a photo booth, and riding in a “slow race” where the last person wins!  In addition, there will be a hands-on demonstration for festival attendees to learn how to load their bikes on an MBTA bus parked on the Plaza and about blind spots for bus drivers.

“The City of Boston is pleased to be celebrating National Bike Month and Bay State Bike Week with the tens of thousands of people in the greater Boston area who bicycle as a mode of transportation, for exercise, or just for fun,” said Chris Osgood, City of Boston Chief of Streets.  “Boston offers miles of off-road bike paths and on-street bike lanes, over a hundred Hubway bikeshare stations, and other amenities to help people ride bikes to their destinations, near and far, safely and conveniently.”

“Whether you choose to bike, walk, take public transportation or ride in a private motor vehicle, you are welcome on local streets in the City of Boston,” said Boston Transportation Commissioner Gina N. Fiandaca.  “We are committed to safe, multimodal streets and we will continue to work to improve bicycling in Boston.  I look forward to a healthy National Bike to Work Day in Boston this year.”

“Riding a bike is great exercise and cost-effective, and, most importantly, the most fun way to get around,” said Stefanie Seskin, BTD’s Active Transportation Director.  “Riding a bike is perfect for short trips to the store, to church, to the park, or to work.”

In addition to participating in National Bike to Work Day and adopting the healthy habit of riding your bike to get you where you need to go, the following are a few recommendations from the Boston Bikes team for enjoying bike activities in the city this spring and summer.

• Take a spin on Hubway.  People have taken over 4 million trips since the popular regional bike share system was introduced five years ago.  If you want to test it out before you commit to an Annual Membership, options include a Monthly Membership, a 72-Hour Pass and a 24-Hour pass.  Hubway bike stations are located in Boston, Cambridge, Brookline and Somerville, and reduced membership rates are available for qualifying low-income City of Boston residents. 
• Visit the Southwest Corridor Park, a 52 acre linear park located in the Back Bay, Roxbury and Jamaica Plain, that provides six miles of biking, jogging and walking paths in addition to tot lots, tennis courts and other recreational amenities. 
• Attend a free learn-to-ride clinic taught by women for anyone who identifies as a woman.  Basic Skills Classes and Intro to Street Riding Clinics will both be offered at various locations in Boston through October.  More information may be found at on our Women Bike! page.
• Check out the Kite and Bike Festival on Saturday, May 14, hosted by the Franklin Park Coalition.
• Decorate your bike and ride in the JP Bikes Spring Roll, a family friendly bike parade scheduled for Sunday, May 15, and hosted by JP Bikes.

For additional information on upcoming bike activities in Boston and the surrounding region, please visit the City of Boston's calendar.