NEWS RELEASE
August 30, 2006
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Evan Manvel, Executive Director, (503) 226-0676 x12 or (503) 515-8548 cell
Michelle Poyourow, Events and Outreach Director, (503) 226-0676 x13
Bicycle Transportation Alliance Sponsors
Bike Commute Challenge During September
Traffic Report Sponsorship Reminds Drivers That
There are Alternatives to Being Stuck in Traffic
The Bicycle Transportation Alliance (BTA), a statewide nonprofit working to create healthy communities by opening minds and roads to bicycling, is launching its sixth annual Bike Commute Challenge during the month of September.
As a new feature this year, the BTA is sponsoring traffic reports on three radio stations this week to remind drivers who are worried about traffic that “on a bike, you’re never stuck in traffic” and encouraging them to try biking to work.
The Challenge encourages people to try biking to work through the month of September, using friendly competition and peer pressure at the workplace. In 2005, 534 businesses took part, and more than 1600 participants said that the Challenge got them to try bike commuting for the first time – and many others commuted more than they had before.
“More and more people are rediscovering the simple joy of riding a bike. With rising gas prices and better places to bike, they’re also realizing significant economic and health benefits. And businesses are realizing that getting their employees biking is good for their bottom line,” said Evan Manvel, Executive Director of the BTA. “Employees who bike are more alert and productive throughout the day, and absenteeism and health care costs are lower with healthier employees.”
All kinds of workplaces participated in the Challenge – from Congressional offices to landscaping businesses, health care companies to environmental nonprofits, and some of the state’s leading companies, including Intel and Hewlett-Packard. The BTA gives awards to businesses that bike to work the most in 13 size and type categories (bike shops, for example, are in their own category).
Dr. Jim Tuchschmidt, Director of the Portland VA Medical Center, noted that he started in 2004 during the Challenge: “I started riding during the 2004 Bike Commute Challenge and stuck with it - I still ride almost every day. I feel better: it's better for me, it's better for the environment, and it's an example that motivates other people to bike to work.”
Mckenzie Zollner from Newton + Mercado Appraisers wrote the BTA last year to say: “I had considered commuting by bike before, but the Bike Commute Challenge provided the momentum to really get me going. I rode approximately 15 miles from my work in Beaverton to my home in NW Portland, up over Skyline and down through the zoo. I was completely exhausted but also entirely exhilarated. The feeling of accomplishment was awesome. I also found that I returned home much more energized and far less stressed than when I drove.”
As facilities improve and education and encouragement activities such as the Bike Commute Challenge grow, more and more Oregonians are choosing to bike. Bike trips across the four main bike-friendly bridges in Portland increased over threefold from 1992 to 2005.
More information can be found, and companies and individuals can register for the Challenge, at www.BikeCommuteChallenge.com.
The Bicycle Transportation Alliance is a nonprofit organization that has been opening minds and roads to bicycling since 1990. The BTA has 4000 members and ten full-time staff members. Find out more at www.bta4bikes.org.
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