RIDE Solutions Celebrates Open Streets at Festival in the Park

RIDE Solutions and EventZone are partnering to turn downtown Roanoke into an urban park on Sunday, May 27^th.  Roanoke Open Streets at Festival in the Park will host a series of outdoor activities and special events as part of the annual Festival in the Park celebration.

“The Roanoke Open Streets initiative is an effort to turn automobile space over to people space,” says RIDE Solutions Program Director Jeremy Holmes.  “We want people to rethink how streets are used, to reconsider our urban landscape, and to think about other productive uses for this space – primarily by getting out and playing in it, like we did in the neighborhood streets when we were kids.”  In line with the goal of the RIDE Solutions program, Holmes says that he hopes Roanoke Open Streets will show citizens of the Roanoke Valley how transportation choice can effect something as fundamental as how our cities are built by reducing the amount of space needed to move and park cars.

Among the highlights of Roanoke Open Streets at Festival in the Park are the return of Powertool Drag Racing, in which competitors turn everyday powertools and appliances into racing machines, and the Bike Fashion Show, which will feature bicycles from Starlight Bicycles and clothes from Davidson’s and Erstwhile Wardrobe, among others.  Powertool Drag Racing will run the length of the event, while the bike fashion show starts at 3:00 P.M. that afternoon.  Both will take place on Jefferson Street.

Other events include street soccer and street tennis, outdoor Yoga led by Uttara Yoga Studio, and the Roanoke Outside Urban Playgound with hula-hoops, Frisbees, dodgeballs, and other toys for the general public to take advantage of.

Roanoke Open Streets takes place Sunday, May 27^th from 11:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M.  A complete list of events and map of closed streets can be found at www.ridesolutions.org/openstreets.

Roanoke Open Streets at Festival in the Park is part of Bike Month in Roanoke.  The Bike Month mission is to bring attention to both the opportunities and challenges of bicycling as recreation and transportation in the Roanoke Valley by creating events that involve all interest, skill, and age level of cyclists.   More information can be found at www.bikeroanoke.com.

RIDE Solutions is a service of the Roanoke Valley-Alleghany Regional Commission.

2012 Bike Month Award Winners Announced

The Regional Bicycle Advisory Committee, organized by the Roanoke Valley-Alleghany Regional Commission, is excited to announce the winners of its 4th Annual Bike Hero and Extraordinary Bike Professional awards.  Award winners will be recognized at the Mayor’s Ride on Saturday, May 5th, 9:45 am.  Mayor David Bowers and RIDE Solutions Program Director Jeremy Holmes will present the winners with their plaques and describe what each has done to improve cycling in the greater Roanoke region.  The presentation will take place in the Bennington Park parking lot of the Roanoke River Greenway, near the water treatment plant immediately before the start of the ride.

The Bike Hero Award is awarded to an individual who has shown dedication to the use and advocacy of the bicycle as a transportation alternative in their day-to-day activities, their work in the community to improve bicycle accommodations, and their encouragement through advocacy or by example for others to replace vehicle trips with bicycle trips.  Rob Issem is the winner of the 2012 Bike Hero award.  Rob is recognized for his personal dedication and passion for cycling in all of its forms, whether for transportation, recreation or utility; his tireless support of many bicycling programs and organizations; and his clear goal of making bicycling fun for everyone in the Roanoke Valley.

The Extraordinary Bicycle Professional Award is given to an employee in the public or private sector who has shown remarkable leadership in encouraging the use of bicycling as a transportation alternative.  Wake Fulp is the winner of the 2012 Extraordinary Bike Professional award.  Wake is recognized for his support for cycling through both his professional and personal activities; his work with the Junior Cycling team and passion for mountain biking; and the valuable services he provides to the bicycling community and his customers through his knowledge and expertise of the bicycle business.

The Bike Month Awards are part of Bike Month in Roanoke.  The Bike Month mission is to bring attention to both the opportunities and challenges of bicycling as recreation and transportation in the Roanoke Valley by creating events that involve all interest, skill, and age level of cyclists.   More information can be found at www.bikeroanoke.com.

RIDE Solutions is a service of the Roanoke Valley-Alleghany Regional Commission.

For Immediate Release: Roanoke Region Celebrates Cycling with the 5th Annual Bike Month

Program Director Jeremy Holmes and his daughter, Penelope, on the Green Hill Park greenway

May is Bike Month in the Roanoke Valley, and local organizations have teamed up to host a series of events celebrating bicycles, bicycle culture, and bicycle people.  Some of the events that have been planned for the month include:

• Mayor’s Bike Ride: Saturday, May 5 at 10:00 A.M.  Join Roanoke Mayor David Bowers on a short, family friendly ride along the beautiful Roanoke River Greenway from Bennington Park all the way to downtown Roanoke.   http://goo.gl/5FNM3

• Bike Shorts Film Festival:  The Taubman Museum of Art, The Shadowbox, and RIDE Solitions brings you the 2^nd Annual Bike Shorts Film Fest May 10th.  Submissions are still being accepted for locally made short films that center on cycling – anything from mini-documentaries to sweded films.  The winner of the film festival will receive $100.  http://goo.gl/LcvQ6

• Big Lick Fat Cat Classic:  What do you get when you cross an Alley Cat race with an individual time trial, and throw in a scavenger hunt to boot? The Big Lick Fat Cat Classic combines all of these elements to create the most entertaining and challenging cycling event in Roanoke Valley history.    http://goo.gl/ib1kk

• Night Rider’s Ball:  Celebrate bike month at the Night Rider’s Ball! Free refreshments, cash bar, live music, door prizes, and more. Everyone who rides a bike can get in FREE, and admission is just $5 for everyone else.  All proceed from the event will be donated to the Bridge the Gap campaign to complete the regional Greenway system.  http://goo.gl/bAJsj

A complete list of the growing roster of events can be found at www.bikeroanoke.com/events.  In addition, bicycle enthusiasts are encouraged to create their own events and submit them to event organizers.  Selected events will be promoted through the group’s website, their Facebook page, Twitter updates, and other outlets.

The Bike Month mission is to bring attention to both the opportunities and challenges of bicycling as recreation and transportation in the Roanoke Valley by creating events that involve all interest, skill, and age level of cyclists.   More information can be found at www.bikeroanoke.org.

RIDE Solutions is a service of the Roanoke Valley-Alleghany Regional Commission.

Clean Commute Challenge Returns for 2012

Clean Commute Challenge Returns for 2012

“Region’s drivers are challenged to bike, walk, carpool, take transit, or telecommute this May” 

Roanoke, VA. -  RIDE Solutions, the region’s popular sustainable transportation service, is encourage area commuters to take the Clean Commute Challenge this May by biking, walking, carpooling, telecommuting or taking public transit instead of driving alone to work at least one day during the month.  Commuters can take the pledge online at www.ridesolutions.org.

Jeremy Holmes, Program Director for RIDE Solutions, thinks this is a good time for drivers to explore their commuting options.  “Gas prices have topped $4 a gallon in the region, at a time when many families are still feeling the effects of a shaky economy.  Since most families pay over $3,000 a year in commuting-related expenses, it makes financial sense to make the simply change of trying a new commute mode even as little as one day a week.”

Clean commuting makes economic sense for the region as well as for the individual households.  With May being the start of ozone pollution season, when the heat of summer can react with vehicle and other emissions to create smog, which can affect public health and ruin majestic viewsheds, it’s important to recognize that keep our air clean and maintaining the region’s natural beauty is vital to the region’s economic competitiveness.

Commuters who take the online pledge will be eligible for a prize drawing the day of the event.  Area businesses, governments, and other organizations are also encouraged to form teams to compete for the Cleanest Team in the region in several categories based on organization size.  Winners will be announced the afternoon of Clean Commute Day.

The Clean Commute Challenge is part of Bike Month in Roanoke.  The Bike Month mission is to bring attention to both the opportunities and challenges of bicycling as recreation and transportation in the Roanoke Valley by creating events that involve all interest, skill, and age level of cyclists.   More information can be found at www.bikeroanoke.org

RIDE Solutions is a service of the Roanoke Valley-Alleghany Regional Commission.