Bike Everywhere Month at UW
Warmer weather and summer sunshine have returned to Washington making it increasingly enticing to choose more active ways, such as walking and biking, to get around campus. As part of Bike Everywhere Month, which ran from May 1 through May 31, UW Transportation Services and their partners encouraged and celebrated Huskies who ditched their traditional commute modes and put the “pedal to the metal” through celebration stations, classes, and more!
Whether you ride an old cruiser in sandals, a fancy racing bike in spandex, or an e-bike with your kids in tow, you are still contributing to a more sustainable campus and a healthier you. Cycling as a form of commuting has been shown to improve overall health and fitness, sharpen memory and learning, and boost self-confidence—not to mention the environmental and financial benefits of getting around on two wheels.
Cyclists hit the trail at UW during Bike Everywhere Month in May.
In planning and hosting events at UW as part of Bike Everywhere Month, we really tried to emphasize that and accommodate cyclists of all ages, genders, and abilities. UW Transportation Services and ASUW Bike Shop hosted classes all month long to empower bicycle commuting to campus, ranging from basic bike mechanics with local mechanic Shannon Leigh to how to bike with children at the Family Biking Workshop.
While the entire month of May is dedicated to bicycle-related events, Bike Everywhere Day was the highlight of month for many cyclists. On Friday, May 18, Transportation Services was joined by partners such as the Whole U, UW Sports Medicine, UW Police Department, UW Mailing Services, UW Sustainability, Bike MS, and U District Let’s Go to host one of the biggest celebration stations in town. Over 250 people from all over the region stopped by Rainier Vista to play transportation trivia, register their bike, and grab some fuel for their ride into work.
The University of Washington is consistently one of the largest employer participants in the Bike Everywhere Challenge, a state-wide competition that occurs every May. Participants can sign up in teams with their colleagues, log any miles ridden, and win exciting bike-related prizes. This year was no exception. More than 370 UW students, staff, and faculty logged nearly 60,000 miles of bicycling, equating to over 26,000 pounds of CO2 saved!
We want anyone who bikes to campus—even if it’s only one day a year—to know that they are appreciated and supported. Bike Everywhere Month marked the perfect opportunity to thank our bike commuters for making campus a healthier, more sustainable place all year round!
As part of the Bike Everywhere Month programming, Transportation Services is conducting a campus-wide survey for cyclists and non-cyclists alike. This survey is for people who current don’t ride at all, people who haven’t missed a bike commute in years, and everyone in between.
Take the survey here by June 8 for the chance to win a $100, $50, or $25 REI gift card.
Elizabeth Bastian is the Active Transportation Specialist at the University of Washington. She holds a Master’s in Urban Planning from the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign with a focus in transportation planning for bicyclists and pedestrians. An avid bike commuter, runner, and yogi, Elizabeth is passionate about helping people choose a more sustainable (and healthier) commute mode more often.
One Thought on “Bike Everywhere Month at UW”
On June 4, 2018 at 8:07 AM, Walt Halperin said:
I worked at the UDub for 35 years and never had a parking sticker, thanks to living near the Burke-Gilman trail. Biked every day, rain or shine.
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