Happy USA National Bike Month

May is National Bike Month in the United States, and with gasoline approaching $4 per gallon in the United States now is as good a time as any to ride your bike to work, to the store, to school, to the park or just for fun.

The League of American Bicyclists suggest 50 ways to celebrate Bike Month (large PDF), Bike Snob NYC critiques some of those ideas, and cyclist groups outside of Colorado are organizing Bike To Work Day events.

In the past, transportational bicycling was just one of many parts of bike promotion events during Bike To Work Month. In 2008, though, commuting by bike seems to take center stage. This article from New Hampshire exhorts people to “Get in the car free habit.” The Sacramento Bee encourages readers to bike to work. College newspapers tells students to park their cars and bike to work and school. Even the insurance industry reminds cyclists to lock their bicycles so they don’t have to make a theft claim.

The 2008 Bike Commuters of the Year were announced last week in the San Francisco Bay Area. A bike commuter from each of the nine counties of the Bay Area is selected.

The League of American Bicyclists also announced 11 new Bicycle Friendly Communities this morning. Colorado Springs, CO; Durango, CO; and Minneapolis, MN each received a “Silver” designation, while new “Bronze” level Bicycle Friendly Communities are Arcata, CA; Bainbridge Island, WA; Charlotte, NC; Charlottesville, VA; Coeur d’Alene, ID; Oxford, MS; Port Townsend, WA and Sitka, AK.

What’s going on in your area to promote commuting by bike? What media attention do you see encouraging people to ride their bikes?

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