Modern Mobility is a biweekly opinion column. The views expressed are solely the author’s.
May is Bike Month, and from what I’ve seen out and about so far, lots of you are already celebrating.
The pandemic has caused a lot of folks to drag an old bike out of the garage, pick one up from a local bike shop or just ride more frequently, which is fantastic to see. There are some great, free activities this month to help keep you on your riding journey.
Celebrate Bike Month with BikeArlington
BikeArlington is doing a bunch of fun events and challenges for the whole month of May, you can still register here. The first week, we got a prompt to encourage us to ride (Replace One Car Trip: try to make one trip this week that you would normally make in a car, on a bike) as well as delicious weekend deals (25% off at Nicecream? Yes, thank you!).
Bike to Work Day
Bike to Work Day is back for 2021 on Friday, May 21, after being cancelled in 2020, with some modifications to support COVID safety. Get your free T-shirt, some exercise and some fresh air. You can register here. Aren’t going in to the office? No problem – it’s a good excuse to just bike to your local pit stop, or anywhere really.
Bike to Work WEEK
If Bike to Work Day isn’t enough for you, the National Landing BID is continuing their tradition of hosting Bike to Work Week from Monday (May 17) to Friday (May 21) from 7 a.m.-9 a.m. at the Crystal City Water Park. Again, modifications have been made to ensure COVID safety, so don’t expect to linger. Participants who check-in all 5 days will earn coveted, exclusive National Landing Cycling Swag. Register here.
This beautiful May weather is a great chance to explore and learn how easy it can be to bike for those short trips that make up the majority of our typical travel. The majority of trips the average American takes are less than 6 miles. Bike to dinner, bike to ice cream, bike to the park, bike to the dentist, or bike to the pharmacy to pick up your prescription. You won’t sit in traffic, you won’t have to pay for parking, and it’s amazing what you’ll notice about your neighborhood when aren’t inside a steel & glass bubble.
I hope to see you out there! Be sure to wave!
Chris Slatt is the current Chair of the Arlington County Transportation Commission, founder of Sustainable Mobility for Arlington County and a former civic association president. He is a software developer, co-owner of Perfect Pointe Dance Studio, and a father of two.
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