Save Energy, Be Healthy, Ride Your Bike to Work!!

The Town of Manchester invites its residents and individuals employed in Town to tune up their bikes and join us for a Bike to Work celebration.  We will be meeting bicycling commuters on Friday, September 29, 2006 at the corner of Hartford Road and Prospect Street from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. with free breakfast, gifts, and a chance to win a new, high quality bicycle. 

Our event is part of a region wide Bike to Work promotion organized by the Central Connecticut Bicycle Alliance (CCBA).  The CCBA is dedicated to promoting bicycling as a healthy, economical and environmentally friendly form of transportation and recreation in central Connecticut, and works with representatives of several organizations to promote bicycling to work.  Through the sponsorship of Bike to Work events, CCBA seeks to:

• Educate bicyclists and others that the bicycle is a sensible and beneficial means of transportation;
• Make basic information on bicycle commuting available to potential riders;
• Encourage people to try bicycle commuting; and
• Increase the general public’s awareness of and respect for bicyclists.

More people riding more bikes results in community benefits:  energy savings, pollution reductions, air quality improvements, and reduced traffic.  In fact, every mile ridden on a bike keeps one pound of carbon dioxide, which is a major contributor to global warming, from spewing into the air.  And bike commuters reap individual benefits:  savings in fuel expenditures and improved health.  Plus they receive the personal benefit of enjoying their commute while improving their cardiovascular health! 

Organizations participating in the region’s Bike to Work promotion along with the Central CT Bicycle Alliance include the Capitol Region Council of Governments, and the Connecticut Departments of Public Health, Environmental Protection, and Transportation.  The local event in Manchester is sponsored by the Manchester Department of Public Works.

With the sky rocketing price of fuel, there has never been a better time to give bike commuting a try.  Not only is bicycling inexpensive and non polluting, it is the stress free, fun way to get to work!  The CCBA encourages those who have never commuted by bike before to give it a try, by contacting a bike buddy, or taking part in a bike to work “meet-up”.  These and other commuter tips and resources are available at www.wecyclect.org. 

Good for you, good for everyone:  Bike to Work!  The Manchester Bike to Work event will take place, rain or shine, from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m., at the corner of Hartford Road and Prospect Street, on Friday, September 29, 2006.