Sarah Bourke

Sarah Bourke

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

May: National Bike Month!

It’s true; the biting winter air is no longer hindering possible afternoon outdoor activities; sure, it’s getting warmer; and yes, it is environmentally friendly to bike. But the truth of the matter is… it’s fun (among other things)! Winter seems to have sped by now that we’ve entered into the month of May. Even New York City is starting to warm up! 

National Bike Month is upon us, and highlighting the environmentally conscious month in the city that never sleeps is Bike Month N.Y.C., an annual celebration of bicycling in metropolitan New York City. Founded by Transportation Alternatives and the Department of Transportation teams, Bike Month N.Y.C. has gone a long way and covered much ground since 1990, when the idea was simply biking to work one day a year. Organizations like Bike Month N.Y.C. encourage residences in highly urban areas, like New York, to get outside and hop on a bike: it’s less expensive than a car, way better than sitting on the bridge in traffic during rush hour, eco-friendly, and fun! Bike Month N.Y.C. also makes biking to work or to school in a city of subways and taxicabs far less intimidating and far more accessible! NYC Department of Parks and Recreation, GreeNYC, and NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene collaborate with Transportation Alternatives and NYC Department of Transportation each year to improve and promote biking.
        
So whether you’re in metropolitan New York City where you may think subway and taxicab governs supreme or San Francisco where, surely, you’ll get lost somewhere in the city, I encourage you (wherever you are) to get outside this month and hop on a bike! Bike to work, to the gym, to your local frozen yogurt store (like I do!), etc. You’ll feel great coasting through your neighborhood enjoying a bit of fresh air, feeling the warm breeze, healthily exercising, and knowing that you’re being environmentally conscious! 




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