Tools

Bike to Work Day

by KREX News Room
by John Dias

Story Created: Jun 27, 2012 at 5:47 AM MDT

Story Updated: Jun 27, 2012 at 7:41 AM MDT

GRAND JUNCTION, Colo.- Folks across all of Colorado lost their car keys and dusted mothballs of their 2-wheeled friends Wednesday, to commute to and from work using only their bicycles.

It’s called Bike to Work Day, and the event is part of a statewide initiative to not only promote a healthy lifestyle, but relieve traffic congestion as well. "Our hope is that maybe if people haven't biked to work in the past, they will take advantage of this kind of festive atmosphere," said Kathy Portner of the city of Grand Junction.

Folks from all over the Grand Valley departed from several different locations and met at Grand Junction City Hall Wednesday for a community ride. The Colorado Department of Transportation and Colorado Mesa University, as well as organizations and businesses from all over the state are in support of the event.

"The bike is an important part of our culture," said Rick Crawford, director of cycling at CMU. "I'm excited just to encourage people to get on their bikes for their first time or whether they're doing it every day, it's just kind of a day to celebrate the bike and make it a practical thing."

Horizon Drive district officials are also enthusiastic about the event because they have been working on new street improvements that cater to bicyclists.

"Our street improvement plan is to improve the safety and traffic flow of all users on Horizon Drive,” said Victoria Patsantaras, executive director of the Horizon Drive District. “It includes bike lanes and pedestrian crosswalks across Horizon Drive."

Even though the event takes place for one day, local officials hope this form of transportation sticks. "We hope the event will continue to grow, and encourage more people to bike to work," said Portner.

For more information on the event, click here.

Add a comment

Name:

Comment: 1000 Characters Left

KREX - News, Weather, Sports for Grand Junction | Montrose | Glenwood Springs - Coverage You Can Count On and its affiliated companies are not responsible for the content of comments posted or for anything arising out of use of the above comments or other interaction among the users. We reserve the right to screen, refuse to post, remove or edit user-generated content at any time and for any or no reason in our absolute and sole discretion without prior notice, although we have no duty to do so or to monitor any Public Forum.

Most Popular
This content requires the latest Adobe Flash Player and a browser with JavaScript enabled. Click here for a free download of the latest Adobe Flash Player.
News Channel 5 Weather