Change your commute from four wheels to two and gear up for Bike to Work Day 2016 on May 20 from 7-9am with the DowntownDC Business Improvement District (BID) on Freedom Plaza (13th Street & Pennsylvania Avenue). There, the BID will once again host the largest pit stop in the District.
Join thousands of cyclists across the region for this annual event (#BTWD2016) celebrating bicycling as a clean, fun and healthy way to commute, brought to you by Commuter Connections and the Washington Area Bicyclist Association. Hosts across the region will offer cyclists 83 pit stops where you can end your commute, pick up your free t-shirt (pre-register here at biketoworkmetrodc.org), and experience a variety of events, refreshments and more.
[Register for the DowntownDC BID pit stop here.]
Cyclists at Freedom Plaza can take advantage of free bike repairs courtesy of Blue Ridge Revolutions, commemorate the occasion at the DowntownDC photo station win prizes offered by BicycleSPACE, which will also be performing bike safety checks. Attendees can grab a cup of coffee, KIND bars, enter to win prizes from the National Museum of Women in the Arts (1250 New York Ave), FRESHFARM Markets (which operates three markets in DowntownDC), Teaism (400 8th Street), RareSweets (963 Palmer Alley) and cyclists can pick up their free t-shirt (if they have pre-registered.)
Guests will also have access on Freedom Plaza to bike-related demonstrations, including a DC Circulator bus facilitated by goDCgo, which will be parked at the plaza to allow bikers to practice loading and unloading their bike from the bus’ front bike rack. Meet our friends from DC Bike Ride (DCBR) at the pit stop as well! DCBR is Washington, D.C. region’s premier recreational bicycling event. Debuting on May 22 during National Bike Month, the event celebrates the people, places and culture of Washington, D.C. while providing unprecedented car-free access to some of Washington’s most iconic sites. A portion of the proceeds from the event benefit WABA (Washington Area Bicyclist Association) in their efforts to support street safety programs. 8,000 riders are expected for the inaugural ride.
A stage will be set up for guest speakers throughout the two-hour event, which in the past has drawn federal officials, members of Congress, mayors, city council members and leaders in bicycling.
The BID, formed in 1997, has helped implement protected bike lanes and bike parking in Downtown. Between 2012 and 2015, the BID doubled the number of Downtown bike parking spaces and now boasts 2,000 public bike parking spaces. The DowntownDC BID also remains home to the first bikeshare program in the United States—what today is known as Capital Bikeshare.
Bike to Work Day 2016 is brought to you by the Washington Area Bicyclist Association and Commuter Connections, the regional network of transportation organizations coordinated by the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (COG).
For more information on Bike to Work Day, visit www.biketoworkmetrodc.org.
Interested in volunteering at the Freedom Plaza pit stop? Contact Remi Wallace at remi@downtowndc.org.