Cyclovía, Bike Repair Stations, more announced at Bike to Work Day

Mayor Angel Taveras on a Bike Share bike at Bike to Work Day in Burnside Park

From the City:

Mayor Taveras Announces Bicycle Repair Stations on Bike to Work Day

Cyclovía Providence 2014 schedule released; Providence bike share seeks corporate partner

PROVIDENCE, RI – Mayor Angel Taveras this morning joined with the Rhode Island Bicycle Coalition and bicycle commuters from across Providence to take part in the City’s annual Bike to Work Day celebration. Mayor Taveras and bicycling advocates from his staff rode their bikes from the Mayor’s home in the Mount Pleasant neighborhood to the celebration in Burnside Park.

“In Providence, we are moving forward to create the necessary infrastructure for cyclists to make sure bicycling is a viable, affordable and healthy transportation choice for our residents,” said Mayor Taveras. “Bicycling and outdoor events like Cyclovía Providence provide an opportunity for residents from every corner of the City to exercise, have fun and enjoy all that Providence has to offer.”

The Rhode Island Bicycle Coalition’s annual Bike to Work Day event featured a commuter breakfast and coffee for participants, bike repairs and giveaways from local bike shops and vendors.

“The City of Providence has made great strides over the past couple of years toward making our city a more bike-friendly place to live, work, and play,” said Eric Weis, Chair of the city’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Commission. “Bike to Work Day is a great opportunity to celebrate those gains, and to encourage more of our neighbors to hop on a bike next time they need to commute to work, run an errand, or get some exercise.”

This year’s Bike to Work Day celebration was sponsored by the City of Providence’s Healthy Communities Office, the Rhode Island Bicycle Coalition, the Providence Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Commission, Dash Bicycle Shop, East Coast Greenway Alliance, Greater Kennedy Plaza, Whole Foods, Clif Bar, New Harvest Coffee Roasters, Legend Bicycle, Zipcar, and RIPTA.

Bike to Work Day, celebrated during National Bike Week, encourages residents to bike to work or try bicycling for fun, fitness and transportation.

New Bike Repair Stations

At the celebration in Burnside Park, Mayor Taveras announced plans for three bicycle repair stations located in areas of high bicycle traffic across the City.

The Rhode Island Bicycle Coalition is partnering with the City of Providence, Dash Bicycle and the Steel Yard to provide tools for making bicycle repairs, including wrenches, screwdrivers and an air pump. Bike repair stations will be installed at the following locations in the coming weeks:

• Burnside Park near the Imagination Center in the southwest corner of the park
• Roger Williams Park on Hawthorne Ave. near the Tim O’Neil baseball fields
• Riverside Park along the bike path near the Red Shed

Dash Bicycle will monitor and maintain the bike repair stations.

Cyclovía Providence 2014

Mayor Taveras also today announced that the City will host three Providence Cyclovía events this summer. Cyclovía is a car-free event that opens the street for people of all ages to walk, skate, run, bicycle, exercise and socialize.

Cyclovía events will be held from 12 to 4pm at the following dates and locations:

• Sunday, June 29 – Elmwood: Broad Street (Thurbers Ave. – Prairie Ave.)
• Sunday, July 27 – Federal Hill: Broadway (Dean St. – Courtland St.)
• Sunday, September 7 – East Side: Hope Street (9th St. – Rochambeau Ave.)

The East Side Cyclovía will be held in partnership with The Miriam Hospital, a Lifespan Partner and The Hope Street Merchants Association.

The City held its first Cyclovía in September 2012 on Broad Street and sponsored a series of three Cyclovía events last summer. Cyclovía is an international phenomenon that reportedly began in Bogotá, Colombia and has spread to cities across the globe, including New York City, Chicago, Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Miami and Cambridge, MA.

Providence Bike Share

This morning Mayor Taveras rode to Burnside Park on a bicycle provided by Social Bicycles Inc., a prototype of the bicycles that will be installed across Providence as part of the City’s bike share program.

The City has selected Alta Bicycle Share to manage Providence’s program. Alta has successfully installed and operated bike sharing programs in cities across America. The company aims to identify corporate partners to help make Providence’s bike share a long-term, financially-sustainable system and begin construction of bicycle stations next spring.