Bike to Work Day Recap

Friday's Bike to Work Day was a big success! We enjoyed beautiful weather and more than 150 bicyclists joining Mayor Nutter for a leisurely ride down the Ben Franklin Parkway.

We'll have more photos up on our Facebook and Flickr pages soon. In the meantime, we gathered together in a Storify story some photos and reactions to the event from people who took part.

Thanks for making Philly the best big city in the country for bicycle commuting! See the collection below.

Reminder: Ride of Silence and Bike to Work Day Next Week!

People With Bicycles In And Near Philadelphia! Two always-anticipated bicycling events are happening next week. Check 'em out below:

Ride of Silence
Wednesday, May 15th
Meeting place: Steps of the PMA
Time: 6:30 - 8:00 PM

The Ride of Silence is an annual bicycle ride honoring those killed while riding their bicycles and reminding communities of bicyclists' right to safe space on the roads. There will be a brief ceremony remembering the five bicyclists who have died in the past 12 months in the Delaware Valley, and then the ride will commence.

The ride is conducted in silence, at no more than 12 mph, with a police escort. Please bring a helmet and a donation to cover the cost of the police escort. The Ride happens rain or shine.

Bike to Work Day
Friday, May 17th
Meeting place: Lloyd Hall (1 Boathouse Row)
Time: 7:30 - 9:00 AM

The annual Bike to Work Day is this upcoming Friday! Join Mayor Nutter, other dignitaries, two classes of school children, and your fellow bicyclists on a bike ride to work! We meet up at Lloyd Hall at 7:30 and bike from there to Love Park at 8:15 am. Rain or shine, because work happens rain or shine, unless you're a tennis player (or professional rain collector).

Note: this post has been updated to reflect that the Ride of Silence is in the PM, not the AM.

Mayor Nutter Thanks Everyone, Drops Some Great Quotes At Bike To Work Day

"It is absolutely the best way to get to work. I always look forward to Bike to Work Day...This is the best thing I'm going to do today."

That was Mayor Nutter in Love Park this morning, speaking in front of press and a crowd of more than 100 cyclists for Bike To Work Day.

The event was well-attended by a wide spectrum of Philadelphia officials. Mayor Nutter, Deputy Mike DiBerardinis from Parks & Recreation, and Councilman Mark Squilla all participated in the ride. Deputy Mayor Rina Culter from MOTU joined us for the press conference.

One inspiring part of the event was the number of Philadelphia-based bicycling-related companies and organizations involved. In attendance was ZipCar (car-sharing), Fuji (major bicycling manufacturer), Gearing Up (bicycling-focused social service), Wash Cycle (bicycle-powered laundry service), Cosmic Cafe (food vendor for bike/ped trail), Pedal Co-Op (recycling and delivery) and Wheel Fun (bicycle rentals). Taken together, they represent a city with an established and growing bicycle culture.

Mayor Nutter used his remarks to thank a wide variety of event participants (including our own Alex Doty and Sarah Clark Stuart by name). He also hit on some important subjects for Philadelphia bicyclists:

Bike To Work With Mayor Nutter This Friday

Nutter was undaunted by rain in 2008. Friday's forecast
is sunny and warm.

Whatcha doing this Friday morning? Want to grab coffee and ride alongside Mayor Nutter down the Parkway?

Yeah you do.

This Friday is Bike to Work Day! And for the 5th consecutive year, Mayor Michael Nutter is joining us for a bike ride to work.

If you read our blog, there's a good chance you already bike to work. So take this opportunity to convince a co-worker to give it a try! It's a short ride, the forecast is looking perfect, and your co-worker will be able to say that the first time they biked to work, they had a police escort! Makes for a good story.

National Bike to Work Day
Date: Friday, May 18th
Gathering time: 7:30 - 8:30 AM (ride leaves at 8:30 AM)
Gathering point: Lloyd Hall
Coffee: free and available

We'll be leaving Lloyd Hall at 8:30 sharp and biking down the Parkway to Love Park. There will be a short press conference at the Park, with Mayor Nutter and our own Alex Doty offering remarks.

And don't forget to log your ride in the I Bike PHL Challenge. It's a 1.7 mile ride, so that's 22 points (20 for riding on Friday)!

May Is Bike Month! So Many Ways To Use, Talk About, and Celebrate Bicycles!

May is National Bike Month, and the opportunities, excuses, and incentives to ride your bike this month are abundant. Check out our calendar for the full list of events, but here are some of the highlights coming up:

I Bike PHL Challenge
The Challenge is underway! Running from May 1st to August 31st, this is a great way to reward yourself for biking this summer or encourage your friend or family member to ride with you! Create a team, win raffle prizes, and help Philadelphia and Pennsylvania climb the national leaderboards. Learn more here or sign up at Endomondo.

8th annual Philadelphia Ride of Silence
Wednesday, May 16th
6:45 pm; meet at steps of Philadelphia Art Musem
rain or shine

The Ride of Silence, happening worldwide, honors cyclists killed or injured in motor vehicle-related crashes and raises awareness of cyclists' right to share the road. The Ride is a slow, silent 8 mile loop through Philadelphia with police escort. Helmets required, lights encouraged. No registration required; for more info, contact info@bicyclecoalition.org.

Bike to Work Day with Mayor Nutter
Friday, May 18th
7:30 AM, Lloyd Hall
rain or shine

Philadelphia has the highest rate of bicycle commuting (per capita) of the nation's 10 biggest cities. Celebrate that and join Mayor Nutter and other dignitaries for a short but sweet ride down the Parkway to Love Park.

Kinetic Sculpture Derby
Saturday, May 19th
Trenton Ave & Norris St in Kensington
All day - derby begins at noon

A unique celebration of human-powered transit and art. The design competition and parade kick off at noon, but there will be vendors, booths, food, and music all day. Family-friendly and quirky.

Pop-Up Bike Service Stations
May 10th, 3-6 pm, 22nd & Spruce
May 24th, 3-6 pm, South Street Bridge

We'll be setting up pop-up service stations along commute routes this month and all summer. Stop by for free air, information on us and upcoming bike events, and get your questions answered. Stay tuned to our Twitter account for locations of upcoming stations and specials like free coffee or swag giveaways!

Bike to Work Day Undiminished By The Drizzle

Mayor Nutter, Congressman Brady, and Congressman Fattah joined the Bicycle Coalition and approximately 50 bicycle commuters this morning on the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art.  Bicyclists began congregating in a light drizzle around 8:00 am, but the drizzle soon let up.  While waiting for the VIPs to arrive, Bicycle Coalition staff mingled with the crowd and Alex Doty entertained the riders with irrepressible charm and bicycle statistics. 

Mayor Nutter, Congressmen Brady and Fattah, and their support staff arrived around 8:40.  Advanced Sports International donated several Fuji bicycles for the day, while Congressman Fattah rode his own.  Mayor Nutter thanked everyone for coming out, and shortly thereafter the peloton made its way down Ben Franklin Parkway to Thomas Paine Plaza in front of the Municipal Services Building (across from City Hall).  The ride was smooth and many pedestrians and motorists waved to the Mayor as he cruised past.

In the plaza, Mayor Nutter offered remarks about Philadelphia's ascendant status as a bicycling city, citing statistics from Mode Shift in his speech.  Chaka Fattah and Bob Brady also spoke, with Congressman Brady noting that he could get used to this whole bicycling thing, provided it always came with a bottle of water and a police escort.

All in all, Philadelphia represented itself well on National Bike to Work Day.  Today also kicks off the Bicycle Coalition's Commuter Challenge, which encourages people to bike or walk to work all summer by forming teams and logging their commutes online.  Thanks to everyone who came out for a ride with Mayor Nutter this morning, and we hope to see you commuting by bike all summer long!

More photos from the day are available on the Bicycle Coalition's Flickr page here.

Ride with the Mayor on Friday Morning

Join us at the steps of the Art Museum Tomorrow at 8:30 AM for our Annual Bike to Work Day ride with the Mayor while there is a slight chance of showers there is no chance that it will match 2008's deluge.

The Police protected ride will end at Dilworth Plaza shortly after 9AM with refreshments and a press conference at which Mayor Nutter and Councilwoman Blondell Reynolds Brown will announce the launch of the Bicycle Ambassador program.