Cleveland Bicycle Week Begins

The countdown has started for Cleveland’s biggest bike event of the spring, Cleveland Bicycle Week. Special bicycle-related events begin tomorrow, May 10, and continue through Sunday, May 18.

“NOACA encourages downtown employees to commute by bicycle every day next week, and support National Bike Month,” says Sally Hanley, NOACA transportation planner. “As an added incentive, NOACA has contributed many bicycle accessories, including mini-pumps, seat packs, cable locks, handlebar mirrors, and light sets, which will be raffled off at the YMCA for people who bike to work, and at many of the other planned events for the week.” ClevelandBikes, the area’s bicycling advocacy group, is spearheading this effort, along with Clevelanders in Motion.

NOACA is co-sponsoring a bicycle conference as part of Cleveland Bicycle Week with the City of Cleveland, the Cleveland Public Library, and many other organizations, on May 15. The conference, scheduled from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the Downtown Cleveland library at 325 Superior Avenue,will feature two tracks, one for public officials and planning professionals and another for the public. The professional track will feature Andy Clarke, President of the League of American Bicyclists, who will give a four-hour training session on how to earn the League’s “Bicycle Friendly Community” designation. The public track will highlight the local bicycle scene, laws pertaining to bicyclists, health benefits, and other issues.

NOACA is also launching its annual Ozone Action Day program in coordination with Cleveland Bicycle Week, since bicycle commuting helps reduce vehicles on the road and improve air quality. “Bicycling to work is a wonderful commute option when ozone levels start rising,” says Amy Wainright, NOACA environmental planner. “It is a healthy and non-polluting commute choice, and can help us reduce ozone and fine particle pollution, which is very important for public health and meeting federal clean air requirements.”

NOACA will e-mail air quality advisories to anyone who would like to be notified when the region’s air quality reaches unhealthy levels. There is no better time to register for the free air quality advisories since everyone who signs up between now and midnight on May 16 will have the chance to win a 2008 Raleigh Mojave mountain bike from Century Cycles in Rocky River.

Other fun and educational bicycle events, such as various social rides and a “Bike to the Movies” have been planned for the week by many sponsors, including the Ohio Bicycle Coop, University Circle Inc., Walk+Roll Cleveland, Slavic Village Community Development, OPC Cleveland, Fast Track Cycling, Baker Hostetler, and Earth Day Coalition.

For anyone interested in biking to work, but would prefer to ride with a companion, NOACA has a new service, OhioBikeBuddies. Bicyclists can register with the service, a component of the OhioRideshare Program, and find others to bike with to work.

Click here for details and day-to-day listing of Cleveland Bicycle Week events.