A group from Mesta Park bike to their offices in downtown Oklahoma City.
Get ready to pump your pedals, Central Oklahoma. National Bike-to-Work Day is May 15.
According to Kate Brady, a transportation planner with the Association of Central Oklahoma Governments, this is the 11th year the event has been recognized in region. Five metro-area communities will celebrate the occasion with city-sponsored group rides on Friday morning. Residents from Edmond, Guthrie, Norman, Oklahoma City and Yukon will join thousands of Americans in commuting to work via bicycles.
Kate Brady, Assistant Planner, ACOG
Staff from these Central Oklahoma cities have organized short rides on city streets, celebrating the progress they have made toward bicycle-friendly streets and communities. Rides end at prominent locations in each community where riders socialize and snack. Often, elected officials are on hand to describe the many benefits of bicycling. These include getting fit, saving money, having fun and reducing emissions that can be harmful to the environment.
Brady, who created the Regional Master Bike Plan for Central Oklahoma, lives near Uptown and frequently rides her bike to work in Bricktown. “We are really pleased at the recent growth in bicycling in Central Oklahoma,” she said. “Responding to recommendations from our member communities and local bicycle riders, ACOG’s focus has expanded to include promoting bicycle-related activities and events throughout Bike Month in addition to Bike To Work Day. All levels of cyclists are welcome at these events.”
ACOG, Flagship Agency
“ACOG is excited to serve as the flagship agency for Bike To Work,” said John G. Johnson, Executive Director, ACOG. “Every major metropolitan region across the nation has a formal Bike To Work program and many of them are quite robust and impressive. With the help of our federal partners, last year, ACOG awarded $2.8 million dollars for bicycle and pedestrian transportation projects across Central Oklahoma.
“We want to help make bicycling a more integral part of life in Central Oklahoma. While we have a significant distance to go, we have come a long way. As we celebrate Bike To Work Day this week, I think it’s important for our citizens to know that while many people use bicycles for recreation opportunities, many of our citizens rely on bicycles as their only means of transportation.”
Laura Massenat, Owner, Elemental Coffee, bikes to work.
Laura Massenat bikes to work. Massenat is the owner of Elemental Coffee and a member of the Oklahoma City School Board.
Brent Tongco, General Manager, Oklahoma City Spokies at Bicycle Transit Systems, bikes through the round-about in Midtown. He makes a quick stop at Elemental Coffee before heading into work.
About National Bike To Work Day
Bike to Work Day was originated by the League of American Bicyclists in 1956 and is a part of Bike-to-Work Week, which is in turn part of National Bike Month. It’s held in May every year and is designed to promote the bicycle as an option for commuting to work. From coast-to-coast – including Central Oklahoma’s peer communities like Austin, Dallas, Houston, Denver, Phoenix, Memphis and Salt Lake City – cyclists will pump their pedals in an effort to showcase the many benefits of bicycling.
Trina Morrison, Laura Massenat and Laurent Massenat gather at Perle Mesta Park before riding their bikes to work.
Central Oklahoma Bike-To-Work Events May 15
EDMOND, OKLAHOMA
Where: Festival Marketplace
Gather: 7:30 a.m.
Depart: 7:45 a.m.
Distance: 3.36 miles
Sponsors: City of Edmond, Al’s Bicylces, Evoke Coffee, ACOG
GUTHRIE, OKLAHOMA
Where: Scottish Rite Temple
Gather: 7:30 a.m.
Depart: 7:45 a.m.
Destination: Hoboken Coffee, 8 a.m.
Sponsors: City of Guthrie, Logan County Health Department, ACOG
NORMAN, OKLAHOMA
Norman’s Bike-To-Work Day offers four different start location options. Cyclists should arrive 15 minutes prior to departure.
Where: Moore Norman Technology Center
Depart: 7:30 a.m.
Where: Norman Regional HealthPlex, 36th & Tecumseh
Depart: 8 a.m.
Where: Norman Regional Hospital’s Education Center Parking Lot
Depart: 8 a.m.
Where: Murray Case Sells Swim Center
Depart: 8 a.m.
The destination for all options is Andrews Park located at 201 West Daws Street, Norman. Cyclists will gather at 8:30 a.m. for a mayor’s proclamation. From 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., there will be a Food Truck Park and Bicycle Safety Jam in downtown Norman. The first 50 children receive free bike helmets. Food trucks include Back Door BBQ, Eskimo Sno and The Loaded Bowl. Sponsors include ACOG, City of Norman, Fowler Scion, Norman Regional Health System, Moore Norman Technology Center, DNA Racing, Bicycle League of Norman and Cleveland Area Rapid Transit.
OKLAHOMA CITY
Oklahoma City’s Bike-To-Work Day offers five different start locations. Commuters will gather at all locations at 7:20 a.m. Departure to Myriad Gardens, 301 West Reno, is at 7:30 a.m. A celebration is planned for 8 a.m. and will feature prizes. Sponsors include City of Oklahoma City, Downtown OKC and ACOG.
Where: Oklahoma Department of Transportation, 200 NE 21st
Distance: 2.4 miles
Where: Edgemere Park, North Harvey Parkway and NW 34th Street
Distance: 3 miles
Where: McKinley Park, McKinley Avenue and NW 13th
Distance: 2.1 miles
Where: Perle Mesta Park, NW 18th and Shartel
Distance: 1.19 miles
Where: Wiley Post Park, South Robinson at the Oklahoma River
Distance: 1.7 miles
YUKON
Yukon’s Bike-To-Work Day begins at 7:30 a.m. at Yukon City Hall, 500 West Main Street. Commuters will ride to the Yukon Community Center on Holly Avenue where they will socialize with fellow cyclists and local dignitaries.
HASHTAG
The hashtag for the event is #BIKETOWORKOK
Oklahoma City resident Tom Peryam bikes to his office in downtown Oklahoma City.
Juliana Keeping, Reporter, The Oklahoman, joins a group from Mesta Park in biking to work.
Juliana Keeping, The Oklahoman
About ACOG
The Association of Central Oklahoma Governments (ACOG) is a voluntary association of city, town and county governments within the Central Oklahoma area. The ACOG region includes Oklahoma, Cleveland, Canadian and Logan Counties.
As a Council of Governments, ACOG’s purpose is to aid local governments in planning for common needs, cooperating for mutual benefit and coordinating for sound regional development. ACOG is an organization of, by and for local governments that allows member entities to work in partnership to address issues or problems common to many jurisdictions. This regional cooperation serves to strengthen both the individual and collective capabilities of local governments.
Originally established in June of 1966, ACOG is one of 11 Councils of Governments in the State of Oklahoma, and one of several hundred planning organizations across the country.
ACOG both complements and supplements local government activities but is not, itself, a governmental unit. It does not possess power of legislation, enforcement or taxation.