Colorado has often been recognized for having the second largest Bike To Work Day event across the country, but this year’s event will have a different look and feel. After careful consideration, the Denver Regional Council of Governments (DRCOG) determined in the best interest for all parties to cancel all in-person Bike to Work Day festivities in 2020. For seasoned Bike to Work Day veterans this means there will be no breakfast/water stations or bike parties sanctioned by Way to Go. While this might cause some disappointment, it does not mean the fun is cancelled! You can still “Bike to Wherever.” Whether you are headed to the workplace, a workout, or running a quick errand, you can pledge to ride your bike to wherever during the week of Sept. 21. Want to rejoin the movement? Pledge to ride! Fair warning: You might just get hooked.
Stay at home orders resulted in some serious cabin-fever and cycling offered many some much needed fresh air and outdoor activity. People dusted off their bikes or went out to purchased new ones in droves. The run on product was impressive as shops struggled to keep bikes and accessories in stock. Beyond the physical benefits, bicycling is a wonderful sustainable commute option to consider because it also reduces traffic congestion and improves air quality. In fact, across the pond, the UK National Health Service (NHS) has just launched a “Fix Your Bike” voucher program to boost cycling as a commute mode. This program has been welcomed by cycling groups and environmentalists alike because NHS healthcare professionals are literally prescribing cycling to work to battle obesity.
Closer to home, one silver lining to COVID-19 has been a massive reduction in vehicle trips. With more people working from home, streets are less clogged with cars and SUVs. In our outreach to Denver South area employees, a common theme is “I should…” I should ride my bike to work. I should take the train. Now is the perfect time to stop “should-ing” yourself. Take this window of less traffic to ride your bike more and test routes to your office and around your neighborhood.
Interested in riding to work, but not sure where to start? Here are a few suggestions:
- Check out the Denver South website for some high-level information about cycling in the region here.
- E-Bikes, once an expensive luxury, are now a more affordable and practical option for riders/commuters who want to get more miles without extreme physical exertion. In most cases, even in the summer, because you are not over exerted, you can arrive at work dry without needing to shower.
- RTD commuter services like bus and light-rail are bike friendly. Commuters can combine different modes to reach their destination. Taking your bike on RTD can seem daunting, but it’s really quite easy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IYByyhYYsio
One final note: contests and challenges provide great motivation to encourage commute change behavior. DRCOG’s annual Go-Tober Challenge is just around the corner. Instead of only focusing on cycling, Go-Tober allows participants to track any non-single occupancy vehicle trip to score points and win great prizes! 2020’s iteration of Go-Tober is open to employers of every size. Click here to register your company and for more information
We look forward to hearing your Bike to Wherever stories, so please post on social and tag Denver South. You can email Evan directly for route ideas. We will also be watching our Denver South employers compete in the Go-Tober program with the ultimate hope you will adopt biking as a permanent solution. Bike Today for a Better Tomorrow!
