May is Bike Everywhere Month, time to pump up the tires, oil the chain and hit the road.
The annual activity attracts thousands of participants and encourages casual bicyclists to ride more. In Bellevue, May also marks progress on several projects intended to make bicycling safer and more accessible for the general population.
In the coming weeks and months, the city will install the first high-comfort, bikeway downtown on 108th Avenue Northeast as a demonstration project, establish permit requirements to regulate private bike share companies, and add more than 25 miles of new bike lanes citywide, mostly funded by the 2016 Neighborhood Safety, Connectivity and Congestion Levy. To help keep up with recent changes, the city has updated its citywide bike map.
But first things first. Below are some highlights of Bike Month in Bellevue, a collaboration between the City of Bellevue and King County Metro, Sound Transit, Cascade Bicycle Club and the Bellevue Downtown Association.
- Bike Everywhere Challenge, May 1-31: The Challenge, sponsored by Washington Bikes, is a fun and free competition. It’s not just about who can ride the most miles, but who can encourage the most people to give bicycling a try. Sign up as a team captain and lead up to 10 riders (two must be new riders).
- Bike to School Day, May 9: Join thousands of riders across the nation on Bike to School Day. Public school families can learn more about Bellevue’s School Pool program and what schools are participating. School Pool is a partnership that encourages sustainable transportation options and alleviating congestion at drop-off and pick-up times locations.
- F5 Bike Everywhere Day, May 18: In Bellevue 6-9 a.m., Choose Your Way Bellevue will host celebration stations at the Bellevue Transit Center downtown and on the I-90 Trail in Enatai. TransManage and the City of Kirkland will host a station on the SR 520 Trail at Evergreen Point. Snacks, free souvenirs and information will be available at each station. Learn more.