2012 Bike Month Activities in Fort Wayne!

2012 NATIONAL BIKE MONTH

ACTIVITIES IN FORT WAYNE

May 1^st          Trek the Trails by Heel or Wheel @ 6PM

Join in on the fun at this FREE community ride/walk on our great trail network!  Meet at Salomon Farm at 817 W. Dupont Rd to ride 8 miles on our trails.  The ride will also follow some low-volume residential streets. (Helmets are recommended for cyclists)

For more information, call the Greenway office at 427-6228

May 1^st          Inaugural Trek the Trails Mixer from 7-9PM

Celebrate the beginning of bike month by attending the first ever Trail Mixer event brought to you by Fort Wayne Trails and the City of Fort Wayne!  Mix and mingle with our Fort Wayne Trails enthusiasts while enjoying dinner, music and Bent Rim Black Lager from Mad Anthony’s. 

$10 suggested donation per person.

May 6^th         Sonntag Biken! (Sunday Biking)           ALL DAY 

Enjoy the day where traffic is lighter, the air is cleaner, and sun is (hopefully) shining. Celebrate your mobility and visit our public spaces!

May 8^th         Trek the Trails Bike Ride @ 6PM

Join in on the fun at this FREE community ride on our great trail network!  Meet at Deer Ridge Elementary School at 1515 Scott Road to ride 6 miles on the trails in southwest Fort Wayne. (Helmets are recommended for cyclists)

For more information, call the Greenway office at 427-6228

May 9^th         National Bike To School Day

The first-ever National Bike to School Day takes place as part of National Bike Month. Local events across the U.S. will encourage children to safely bicycle or walk to school. Check with your school for participation.

May 12^th       Ladies Only Mountain Bike Workshop from 10AM-3PM @ Franke Park

A skills clinic will be conducted by Lindsay Sherman with Trek WSD Bicycles.  Contact Summit City Bicycles & Fitness for more information about this free workshop.  Registration is required.

For more information call 484-0182

May 13^th       Sonntag Biken! (Sunday Biking)           ALL DAY 

Enjoy the day where traffic is lighter, the air is cleaner, and sun is (hopefully) shining. Celebrate your mobility and visit our public spaces!

May 14-18^th     Bike to Work Week: FREE COFFEE!

Take your helmet into these local coffee shops between 7AM-9AM for a free small coffee:    Pembroke Bakery ~ Dash In ~ Downtown Grind

May 15^th       Trek the Trails Bike Ride @ 6PM

Join in on the fun at this FREE community ride on our great trail network!  Meet at Rockhill Park at 1400 Catalpa Street which is just southeast from the intersection of W. Jefferson Blvd and Freeman St to explore the Towpath Trail.  (Helmets are recommended for cyclists)

For more information, call the Greenway office at 427-6228

May 16^th       World Wide Ride of Silence @ 7:00 PM

To HONOR those killed or injured – To RAISE AWARENESS that we are here – To ask that we all SHARE THE ROAD 

LOCATION: Downtown, Freimann Square (Free Vehicle Parking after 5 PM)

May 18^th       Bike to Work Day Breakfast from 6:30-8AM

Bike Commuters Unite!  Meet up at Headwaters Park West with other bike commuters to celebrate National Bike to Work Day.  There will be free coffee, bagels and other treats available for bike commuters. RAIN or SHINE

May 18^th       Bike to Work Day After Party from 4 to 8PM

Once again Bike Commuters Unite!  Meet up at Fort Wayne Outfitters & Bike Depot (near the Historic Wells Street Bridge) to celebrate your biking successes.

May 20^th       Bike To The Ballpark @ 3:05

The TinCaps are in town against the Bowling Green (KY) Hot Rods. Hop on your bike and head on down! It’s Sunday; take advantage of the lighter traffic, get some exercise, continue this tradition with friends and family! Plenty of FREE bike parking is available at the entrances. And don’t forget, Sundays are AUTOGRAPH days!

May 20^th       Sonntag Biken! (Sunday Biking)           ALL DAY 

Enjoy the day where traffic is lighter, the air is cleaner, and sun is (hopefully) shining. Celebrate your mobility and visit our public spaces!

May 20^th       3RVS May Madness Bike Tour @ 9AM

This is a scenic tour of Huntington County from Roanoke to Huntington and beyond. Choose from routes of 14, 32 and 54 miles. Maps are provided.  Rides start at Roanoke Elementary School at 423 W. Vine Street Roanoke, IN. 

$10 for adults and $5 for children under 15. 

Visit www.3RVS.com for additional details.

May 22^nd        Breaking Away at the Downtown Library @ 6:30PM

Ride on down to the library during National Bike Month to view this Hoosier classic bicycling film. Dennis Christopher stars as a recent high school graduate in Bloomington, Indiana, who is caught with his friends drifting between high school and adulthood. Filmed entirely on location, it was named one of the American Film Institute's most inspiring films of all time.  Rated PG; 100 minutes; 1979 

May 22^nd      Trek the Trails Bike Ride @ 6PM

Join in on the fun at this FREE community ride on our great trail network!  Meet at IPFW at 2101 E. Coliseum Blvd near the Venderly Family Pedestrian Bridge on the east side of the St. Joseph River to explore the St. Joseph Pathway. (Helmets are recommended for cyclists)

For more information, call the Greenway office at 427-6228.

May 24^th       Introduction To Safe Cycling   6:30 to 8:30

If you are going to ride a bike, please do it safely. Learn the rules of the road, how to dress, how to fit a helmet and how to equip your bicycle for safety. Most importantly, learn how to ride predictably and visibly while communicating with motorists by your signals and actions. Bicycles are not required for this FREE 2-hour workshop. Ages 50+. Held at Fort Wayne Community Center, 233 W. Main St.

For more information, call the Greenway office at 427-6228

May 26^th       Fort-4-Fitness Spring Cycle Events:

20/35/45 mile Tour de Fort Wayne, Bike the Fort, Twilight Criterium, Family activities at Headwaters Park.  Check for times and lengths at website.

Visit www.fort4fitness.org/spring-cycle.asp for additional information.

May 26^th         Bike-It! Art Show  7 to 11PM

The Lotus Gallery will be filled with bike art from many of Fort Wayne's talented artists. Enjoy the creativity and some eats and drinks, including Mad Anthony's Bent Rim Black Lager on tap. Bonus points for arriving on bike!  

Visit www.oneluckyguitar.com/dial/bike-it-art-show for additional information

May 27^th       Sonntag Biken! (Sunday Biking)           ALL DAY 

Enjoy the day where traffic is lighter, the air is cleaner, and sun is (hopefully) shining. Celebrate your mobility and visit our public spaces!

May 29^th       Trek the Trails Bike Ride @ 6PM

Join in on the fun at the FREE community ride on our great trail network!  Meet at Foster Park, at the trailhead parking lot just beyond the golf course entrance at 3900 Old Mill Rd, to explore the St. Marys Pathway. (Helmets are recommended for cyclists)

For more information, call the Greenway office at 427-6228.

OTHER TENTATIVE EVENTS (Check back for date, locations and times)

CINEMA CENTER PRESENTS: BIKE FILM FESTIVAL

                         

                         

Sent to me via twitter from @coarlosromerovan

I love this and it is so true.
I like to coffee mug stain as well.
Thanks @carlosromerovan!

Cutting a new trail in city | The Journal Gazette | Fort Wayne, IN

Cutting a new trail in city | The Journal Gazette | Fort Wayne, IN

In Defense of the Electric Bicycle, from the Bottom of a Steep Hill in San Francisco

In Defense of the Electric Bicycle, from the Bottom of a Steep Hill in San Francisco

Commuter Challenge Fort Wayne Style!

Hey Y'all!
Many of you were involved with the Indiana Bicycle Commuter Challenge that Bicycle Indiana Sponsored Last year.  We logged a crap load of miles and trips and the Fort Wayne Bike Commuters beat every team in the state!
It doesn't really matter that we won, the best part was getting a bunch of out there thinking about commuting by bike to work, the store, everywhere.
I just signed up HERE.
Kept the original team name, Fort Wayne Bike Commuters if you wanna join a team.
So get out there and log some miles/trips!  Starts May 1!
Need more info?  Check the Bike Fort Wayne Facebook page.
Best,
FWBC

April Bike to work Friday

Yes folks it happens again this Friday the 27th of April.  We usually meet at the Dash In at around 7AM for some coffee and camaraderie.  
Join us!

It used to be considered a crime to run over someone with your car

The Invention of Jaywalking - Commute - The Atlantic Cities

Bike Art Downtown Fort Wayne

Love this.
In the alley by Pint n Slice.
Anyone know who did this?
Saw a photo of another one on the Twitter yesterday but I don't know where it was.
Cool nonetheless.

There is a cure, thank goodness

Infrastructure Deficit Disorder: The Doctor is In | PlaceShakers and NewsMakers

Hello....he's the Science guy!

Bill Nye explains why the city of the future is bike-friendly | Grist

Why our roads are not good for bikes and pedestrians explained

I posted this a couple years ago but I felt that it needed some more playtime!
Enjoy.

Raising awareness

City park will honor memory of killed cyclist | The Journal Gazette

From the Atlantic Cities

A Biking Crash-Test Dummy Could Make Us Smarter About Cycling

• Sarah Goodyear
• Apr 17, 2012
• 4 Comments

Shutterstock

Bicycling is increasingly seen as a legitimate form of urban transportation – 2010 bike commuting rates in the United States were up 50 percent from 2000. So it’s about time that two-wheelers got some serious safety equipment: a crash-test dummy custom-designed to measure cycling injuries.
The dummy, a project of engineering students at Carleton University in Ottawa, Ontario, is the first of its kind, and it could reveal some very interesting data about what happens to cyclists’ bodies when they hit the pavement.
Crash-test dummies for cars don’t measure the same kind of impacts that bike riders face, according to an article about the project in the Ottawa Citizen:

When engineers crash a car, they use one type of dummy for a frontal crash, and a different type for an impact from the side. Neither type is considered quite right for a cyclist who hits something, or slams on the front brakes hard, and flies over the handlebars….
The dummy wears a helmet. But like a human cyclist, it keeps the important stuff inside its head.
This includes one sensor that deforms under the force of impact, to show the stress that a real cyclist would endure.

With bike share on its way to the two biggest cities in the United States, New York and Los Angeles, cycling safety will be an increasingly mainstream concern. For now, the biking dummy may just be a student project. But it could develop into a useful tool that would provide hard data on, among other things, the much-disputed value of helmets. Bike riders deserve to be taken seriously as road users, and a scientifically accurate dummy can help to make that case.
The Ottawa Sun has a video of a crash test.
Photo credit: Fotocrisis /Shutterstock

Keywords: Safety, Bicycling, Helmets, Bike Sharing Systems

Sarah Goodyear has written about cities for a variety of publications, including Grist and Streetsblog. She lives in Brooklyn.

Local Fort Wayne Company

NatrilGear Store | The world is waiting…

Selling an awesome product.  If you are looking for something to "Lug" around all your stuff when commuting by bike, these Luggers are for you

More Conservative=less walkable

Politically conservative cities suck for pedestrians | Grist

So according to this, all hope is lost?

From the Washington Post

Want more bikers? Build more bike lanes.

Posted by Brad Plumer at 10:24 AM ET, 04/16/2012

Is there anything cities can do to encourage cycling? Portland, for instance, has twice as many bike commuters per 1,000 people as Washington. But maybe that’s just because Portland has nicer weather or more young people. It’s not clear that there’s an actual policy issue here.

A bike lane in action. ((Photo by Nikki Kahn/The Washington Post))

Yet in a new study (pdf) in the journal Transport Policy, Ralph Buehler and John Pucher suggest that cities might actually be able to influence how many cyclists are on the road. Perhaps all they have to do is — and this shouldn’t come as a huge surprise — build more bike lanes and bike paths.
Buehler and Pucher found that the presence of off-road bike paths and on-street bike lanes were, by far, the biggest determinant of cycling rates in cities. And that’s true even after you control for a variety of other factors like how hot or cold a city is, how much rain falls, how dense the city is, how high gas prices are, the type of people that live there, or how safe it is to cycle. None of those things seem to matter quite as much. The results, the authors write, “are consistent with the hypothesis that bike lanes and bike paths encourage cycling.”
If that sounds overly obvious, the authors do note that previous research was somewhat scattered on this question. A few studies had found that more bike lanes in a city were associated with more cycling, though it was unclear which was causing which. Perhaps cities were building bike lanes because they already had a group of devoted cyclists. And this causation question still hasn’t been fully settled, but Buehler and Pucher’s regression analyses — going through a dataset of 90 of the 100 largest U.S. cities — suggest that the relationship between bike lanes and cycling is quite robust. (Previous studies on biking had often just looked at single cities in isolation.)
The question, they note, is an important one because of a “mounting body of evidence” that encouraging bike commuting can improve health, reduce pollution, and other fatalities.
Note also that the United States is still very different from Europe in that regard. Portland is the most bike-friendly major city in the United States, but just 4.2 percent of commuters in that city bike to work. In Copenhagen, Denmark, that number’s hovering around 37 percent. And Copenhagen gets a fair bit chillier than Portland for part of the year, consistent with Buehler and Pucher’s hypothesis that weather doesn’t seem to affect cycling rates very much.

Traffic explained

Via Atlantic Cities Website

Yes it is in Spanish with subtitles but it is the best explanation that I have ever heard.

ENJOY!

Go Detroit!

Detroit Bike Lanes Expand, Giving Cyclists New Options - The Huffington Post

With all of the financial struggles that the City of Detroit is going through, it is so awesome that Mayor Bing's Administration recognizes the value of bicycle infrastructure!  Decisions like these assure me that Detroit will thrive in the future.  Cities that don't plan?  Who knows.

1st ever Spring Cycle Fest.

Spring Cycle | Fort4Fitness Health Festival - Fort Wayne Indiana

Lots to see and do if you aren't lucky enough to have a place at "the lake".  Check it out.  Should be a good time.

For the casual rider

Hands-free umbrella to help battle April showers - Telegraph

Neat idea.

Drivers be careful

Full Moon Fever?

Lat Friday I had an eerie feeling as I strapped the velcro around my ankles.  Not a good feeling either.  So I said a prayer to keep me safe and headed out.
I am glad I did.
I was buzzed (passed unsafely)  by a driver on the Columbia Bridge.  I was cursed at by another driver on the same 12 second trip across the bridge as well.
Once off the bridge and heading down Columbia toward Lakeside Park, I was buzzed two more times and cursed at two other times as well.  All this within 1 mile of my workplace!
It had been a long time since I was treated so poorly by drivers here in Fort Wayne.
Did the full moon have anything to do with it?
Careful out there

No doubt about it, this kicks ass.

Streetsblog Capitol Hill » Video: In Car-Bike Hit-and-Run, “Heroic” Bus Driver Saves the Day

I watched it 5 times!  Talk about protecting vulnerable road users!

Next American City » Buzz » STUDY: Americans Driving Less, Especially the Young

Next American City » Buzz » STUDY: Americans Driving Less, Especially the Young

Do we want to keep doing the same old, same old?
Or as a community, can we choose to see the writing on the wall and look toward the future?

You could insert Indiana for Ohio

Does Ohio’s Transportation Policy Violate ADA? | Rust Wire

I believe that it will take civil rights lawsuits in order to change the way money is spent on Transportation.

We need more Roads not less cars! Huh?

General Motors battle cry from the 50's!
In a way, it seems as though the Fort Wayne area still subscribes to this notion.

Greenway detour re-routed | FortWayne.com - Fort Wayne IN

Greenway detour re-routed | FortWayne.com - Fort Wayne IN

Most of you are probably aware of this but just in case, here you go.

Next American City » Buzz » The Closed Street as a Living Street

Next American City » Buzz » The Closed Street as a Living Street

A woonerf is a low-speed street where pedestrians and cyclists have legal priority over drivers. In practice, cars, bikes and people on foot mix freely. Unlike a standard woonerf, Pennsylvania Avenue doesn’t have regular drivers, but it has taken on many of the elements of the woonerf. Security needs can also close them at a moment’s notice. Therefore, I like to call this a “security woonerf.”

Shareable: The Boom in Biking Benefits Everyone, Not Just Bicyclists

Shareable: The Boom in Biking Benefits Everyone, Not Just Bicyclists

Some:
The political forces that want to steer policies back to the 1950s—when cars and highways were seen as the only way to go—have consistently failed to muster enough votes to shift federal transportation funding into reverse.  There are several reason for this, but one of the most surprising is the emergence of bicycle advocates—and to a lesser extent pedestrian advocates—as a persuasive political lobby.

...and more
While Congressional critics belittle bicyclists as a marginal, almost silly special interest group, others herald them as self-reliant citizens who get around without the need of imported oil and mega-highway projects that cost taxpayers billions.  Instead of a boondoggle, continued funding to improve biking and walking conditions in the U.S. represents a sound investment that saves taxpayers money now and in the future.