Another Green Monday - Bike to Work Week
Hopefully one of these two scenarios are accurate: you're A) sitting in front of you computer at work tired yet happy that you rode your bike today AND you're in a bit of a sugar coma from the pancake feed this morning in Riverfront Park or B) you just realized there's a pancake feed going on in Riverfront Park for the kick-off of Bike to Work Week Spokane and you won't even finish this sentence because you're racing out the door to your bike so you can come down and join the fun.
If those are right you're one of the over 1,000 people who registered for Bike To Work Week this year! And for that matter, you're one of the over 1,000 people who understand the importance of being loud and proud of your alternative transportation decision and / or lifestyle.
At the heart, Bike To Work Week is an effort by cyclists to create more cyclists; to share their passions, to raise awareness about the benefit of cycling - both from an alternative transportation standpoint and a health and fitness standpoint - and to actively champion improved bicycle amenities, infrastructure, and regulations.
Over the year's, Spokane's Bike To Work Week has grown. So to have the challenges cyclists and cycling advocates face. Meaning the participation level and enthusiasm of Bike To Work Week organizers and participants is as important now as it's ever been. You can expect much of the same for this year's event as the wonderful organizers (DTE podcast interview with co-chair Erika Henry) pretty much have this thing on cruise control (sorry to use a car reference here). 
But there's a new offering this year that deserves much attention, the "Ride of Silence". The mission of the world wide Ride of Silence is to honor bicyclists killed by motorists, promote sharing the road, and provide awareness of bicycling safety. A group will be gathering to ride through downtown Spokane on Wednesday, May 19 at 6:30pm. The gathering location and route are being worked out, so stay tuned to DTE for details.
There will also be rides of joy and celebration, many of them, as we look back on a wonderful year of growing Spokane's bicycle culture and look forward to future successes. Remember, riding a bike is fun. And at the end of the day, that's all that matters. Ride safe Spokane!
After the jump are some stories you might have missed last week.
Spokesman-Review Editorial: Big-picture approach vital to city’s street goal. There was a wonderful editorial in the S-R late last week about the city's street and transportation vision which was written in response to a story that ran in the S-R about the repaving of 2nd Avenue. Some say we're too late and others are steadfast in their optimism and hope that we can "win" something in 2012-13. We say how soon is now? All that needs to be known here is this sentence from the article, "supporters of more bicycle-friendly streets recently discovered that plans to repave Second between Division Street and Latah Creek won’t include a bike lane, even though the street is labeled a bicycle route in the city’s bike plan." Soooo.... what now? If nothing else, this is a good week to be having these discussions.
Ecology and the Riverkeeper. Three cheers for this news. According to a news item published from the Center for Justice, "the state’s top environmental enforcement agency is siding with the Spokane Riverkeeper in the case of a riverside development project that would add as many as thirty docks to an especially scenic and ecologically important stretch of the Spokane River." Read more HERE.
Graduating to greenwashing. Here's a bit of irony. Think back about the last graduation ceremony you attended. It probably went two hours longer than you could tolerate, you heard more cliches in that time span than you probably heard the entire year previously, it was hot and sweaty, and your only relief came by way of the plastic water bottle you were likely handed upon entering the gym or field (how nice of the university, and look, how cute, they have their school logo on the bottle). Now get this, graduates this year have the opportunity to buy caps and gowns made of, yep, you guessed it, recycled plastic bottles. It's the "greening" of graduation garb and enough greenwashing to make us gasp with disgust. Read more HERE.
Do you own a car in the city? Since we bike a lot, it always comes as a surprise when people find out that we also own an automobile. Grist has a cool list of photos of reasons for not owning a car in the city. To wit: “The woes of owning a car run the gamut from pricey maintenance to sitting in traffic, parking tickets to CO2 emissions. And even if you're not an auto owner, you've probably dealt with the hassle of an errant car alarm going off at 2 a.m. or some putz taking up three spaces in your lot when all you want to do is park your Zipcar near your building to unload groceries. Well, some folks put down their swords and pick up pens to voice their road rage anonymously. Have you been the author (or victim) of such a note? Snap a photo and send it our way.” Full article HERE.
