Center City Bike Ride This Saturday Perfect For Families and New Bicyclists

A new tradition is beginning this Saturday morning in Washington Square Park. Join us for the First Annual "Safety First" bicycle ride! The ride is perfect for families and newer bicyclists - a fun opportunity to ride through Center City in a group accompanied by bike police escort!

A great chance to ride through Center City with your kids

The ride emphasizes the importance of bicycle safety while raising money through a raffle for youth programs at Neighborhood Bike Works and the Philadelphia Police Athletic League.

Date: Saturday, May 18th

Time: 9:00 AM

Place: Washington Square Park (6th & Walnut)

Cost: FREE

Register here: http://centercityride.eventbrite.com/

This ride is open to all ages and riding skills. The cyclists will be escorted by police officers assigned to Center City District and a Bicycle Ambassador from the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia. All traffic regulations and laws will be followed and enforced.

During and after the ride, Center City District will have personnel selling raffles for prizes, passing out giveaways, and assisting citizens who are interested in registering with the Philadelphia Police Department B.I.K.E. Program.

This event is a collaboration between Center City District, the Philadelphia Police, and the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia. The route is a five-mile loop which the ride will do twice. See below for the specific route:

Get Ready for Spring Bicycling with Our Refresher Course This Thursday

Diana and Steve answer a class's questions about urban
bicycling

This beautiful weekend was perfect for biking around Philadelphia. Are you new to city bicycling, or feel that this is the year you're going to dust that bike off and bike around?

Then take our free Urban Riding Basics class this Thursday!

Our 60-minute class is for new or inexperienced bicyclists looking to gain confidence navigating streets with cars. Let our Bicycle Ambassadors walk you through everything you need to know to have fun and be safe when riding your bike in the city.

This Thursday, March 14th

6:00 - 7:00 pm

1500 Walnut Street, Suite 1107, Philly
Register here

Class limited to 15 spots; bicycles not required.

Wrap Up: 100 Philly Bicycles Get Lit Up Wednesday On South Street

The Streets of Philadelphia are a little brighter -- and close to 100 cyclists are a lot safer -- after our first bike light giveaway on Wednesday evening. Six volunteer ambassadors joined BCGP staffers Diana and Steve, two Penn Police officers, and two EMS mechanics along the green bike lanes just west of the South Street Bridge. They waved over unlit cyclists passing by (bikers-by?), each of whom rode away with a brand new light set. Our crew even installed the blinking front light on the spot.

Photo credits: Stacy Ritchey of the Penn Dept of Protective Services.

Receiving a set of lights was a welcome and unexpected detour on the riders' commute across the chilly, windswept bridge. (Some learned about the giveaway by following us on Facebook and Twitter). We got a lot of surprised smiles from bicyclists when they realized what was going on, smiles which helped lessen the numbness in our volunteers' frostbitten fingers.

Bring Our Bicycle Ambassadors To Your Workplace, Church, or Community Center

We bet you know that we offer a wide range of instructive classes and rides. Of course you do! You know about the Classes tab above and you click it often because you bought that new optical mouse and it's super fun to click stuff with it.

But those are just our scheduled, open-to-the-public classes. Our Bicycle Ambassadors are also available for classes by request!

Steve going to the ol' chalkboard intersection during an urban riding basics class

Have some new or inexperienced bicycle riders in your church or community group? Request an Urban Riding Basics class, which provides instruction and tips for newer riders looking for some confidence in sharing roads with vehicles.

Is your workplace trying to encourage more bicycling to work? Bring our Ambassadors in for a lunch 'n learn on bicycle commuting. Especially in this cooler fall weather, bicycling to work can increase productivity, employee health and happiness, and get people to work faster.

These classes are free and can be arranged to fit your schedule. If interested, fill out this short form. Questions? Contact Diana at diana@bicyclecoalition.org or 215-242-9253 x309.

Foster Bicycling In Your Workplace With A Free Bicycling Workshop

Interested in fostering a greater culture of bicycling at your workplace? Do people bike to and from your workplace and would they be interested in learning basic bike maintenance? Our Bicycle Ambassadors can help!

The Ambassadors are now offering free one-hour workshops by request. Simply fill out this form and indicate what type of workshop are you interested in. Ambassadors can come to your workplace for a "lunch 'n learn" session covering bike commuting, basic bike maintenance, or other topics. We can craft our materials and our schedule to fit your interest and needs!

If you have questions, you can also contact Diana at diana (at) bicyclecoalition.org.

Get Bike Maps, Stickers, and Questions Answered at Our Service Stations

Looking for a new Philly bike map? Interested in buying one of those I Bike PHL t-shirts you see super-cool people sporting around town?

Want a sticker?

Our Bicycle Ambassadors regularly bring service stations to popular bike routes around Philadelphia. You can grab all of the above, ask questions about bike news or trends, and top off the air in your tires.

The next stop is tomorrow (Thursday) at the Locust Street entrance to the Schuylkill River Trail. We'll be there from 4:00 - 6:30 pm.

Be sure to follow us on Twitter (@bcgp) to learn when and where the Ambassadors will be next!

Our First Teen/Adult Learn To Ride Class Happening This Sunday!

Want to learn how to ride a bike, or gain confidence in your riding? Take our class this Sunday in Fairmount Park!

Our friendly, supportive Bicycle Ambassadors will lead you through a two-hour class designed to get teenagers and adults comfortable and confident on a bicycle.

Date: Sunday, July 1st
Time: 9:30 AM - 11:30 AM
Location: Wheel Fun Rentals at Boathouse Row/Lloyd Hall - in Fairmount Park just north of the Art Museum (map)
Cost: $10 (cash at start of class)
RSVP to: Diana@bicyclecoalition.org or by phone: 215-BICYCLE x 309

Space is limited to 15 participants. Walk-ups will be taken on a first-come, first-served basis if space is available. Participants do not need to bring a helmet or a bicycle.

Bring Our Urban Bike Riding or Bike Repair Classes To Your Workplace, Community, or Event

Do any of the following sound like you?

• "I want to bike more, but don't feel confident or safe on many city streets."
• "I want to bike to work, but don't think I can do it while maintaining professional attire."
• "It'd be cool if somebody offered basic bike maintenance classes, like fixing flats and cleaning chains."

You are in luck, our fine feathered friend! Our Bicycle Ambassadors program is back this summer, and we are offering classes and workshops to address these questions!

The Ambassadors are now offering free one-hour workshops by request. Simply fill out this form and indicate what type of workshop are you interested in. Ambassadors can come to your workplace for a "lunch 'n learn" workshop on bike commuting. They can come to your community center and offer a class on introductory bike maintenance. We can craft our materials and our schedule to fit your interest and needs!

If you are interested, just fill out this form with your contact info and what sort of workshop you are looking for, and the Ambassadors will be in touch shortly! If you have questions, you can also contact Diana at diana (at) bicyclecoalition.org.

Want To Bike In The City But Nervous About It? Urban Riding Classes To The Rescue!

Consider the octopus. A smart, muscular animal comfortable in its domain. Now consider the octopus interested in biking through Philadelphia. Ambitious, it dons a bike helmet. Suddenly, the presence of the helmet makes the rest of its hitherto invincible body seem exposed. Doubt creeps in. 

Nervous about encountering cars and Orca whales on fixies

Do you feel like an octopus with a bike helmet? Are you interested in biking through Philly but concerned about navigating traffic, soiling your work clothes, or getting home in time to feed your 80,000 unhatched broodlings?

Then you should take our Urban Riding Basics class!

Ambassadors Deliver Bike Education Seminar in Espanol

Last Wednesday Bi-Lingual Ambassadors Chrystal Smith and Diana Owens held a bike safety class in Spanish at the Columbus Playground in South Philadelpiha. Approximately 25-30 people attended, most of Hispanic descent, several of the attendees were mothers with young children.

Diana described the audience as very interactive. The crowd asked questions about staying safe on the road. They were very intrigued and many did not know before that class that sidewalk (Bonqueta) riding was against the law in Philadelphia.

Thanks to Bridging the Gaps Consortium at the University of Pennsylvania for arranging the class. The Ambassadors have recently published safety brochures in Spanish including "A Guide to Biking In Philly" Una Guia para Manejo de Bicicletas en Filadelpfia

Urban Cyclists Unite at the Arbol Cafe

Urban Cyclists Unite
Originally uploaded by Philly Bike Coalition

What: Learn all about Bicycling in Philadelphia including bike lanes bike sharing and the bicycle ambassadors. Also Movies and Music. Meet the Bicycle Ambassadors

Where - Arbol Cafe 209 Poplar St in Northern Liberties

When - Wednesday July 29th from 2 to 9 PM

Delaware County Adopts Bicycle Plan

The Philadelphia Bulletin reports that on Tuesday the Delaware County Council has adopted the long awaited Bicycle Plan and will appoint a Bicycling Committee to oversee implementation of the plan.

If you are in Media tomorrow morning don't forget that the county Bike to Work Day celebration will take place at the corner of Olive and Front Streets on May 15th at 8 a.m.

Do you remember when Bike to Work Day was a strictly symbolic event? That does not appear to be the case anymore. Locally and nationally government officials are rolling out bicycle programs in and around Bike Month. Take for example the State of Delaware's Complete Streets Executive Order at the Delaware Bike Summit and of course tomorrow Mayor Nutter along with Councilwoman Reynolds Brown will introduce Philadelphia's Bicycle Ambassadors who will make their public debut.

Volunteers Needed For SS Bridge Closing Day

The Bicycle Ambassadors are looking for a few good volunteers.

With the closure of the South Street Bridge on Monday, we are looking for some volunteer Ambassadors to come out and help distribute educational flyers to cyclists in the University City neighborhood during the morning and evening rush hours.

If you are interested, please contact Breen Goodwin for more details.

email:
breen@bicyclecoalition.org
phone:
215.BICYCLE (242-9253) ext. 5