Tag Archives: bicycle

Time for National Bike to Work Day on Friday

Bike Lane on 14th Street South.One can hope that most people will in fact ride their bikes to Railroad Park on Friday morning to take part in the now annual National Bike to Work Day group ride through downtown Birmingham…

Due to the average commute distance for most working in the city’s central business district (or the time they normally have to leave for work in the morning), it would be OK to forgive a few for bringing the bike into town via a bike rack – for now. There have been several improvements made in the area in the past year, including the installation of bike lanes, particularly along 2nd Avenue South and 14th Street (pictured above). The area around Railroad Park will serve as the starting and ending points for this year’s group ride; the official route (available in PF format) will take riders through Central City near Linn Park, Lakeview and the UAB campus.

Event organizers CommuteSmart and the Regional Planning Commission of Greater Birmingham have even created a video to help advertise this year’s effort.

Critical Mass rolls through Birmingham tonight

Critical Mass in New York City - Seth W./Flickr

Critical Mass March 2007 (New York City). Seth W./FlickrĀ 

The grassroots movement known as Critical Mass will attempt to make its presence known in Birmingham this evening at 6 p.m. Their inaugural ride will begin at Linn Park downtown. These rides, which take place monthly throughout the country (and the world) are geared to remind drivers that cyclists should be allowed to share the road and that they’re here.

The cyclists follow all of the rules of the road, emphasizing bicycle safety and a sustainable method of transportation. There’s no real leader or plan to the route – it just seems to happen (and it’s been happening now for more than 15 years). As you can see, the longer it goes, the more people get involved – like the scene from NYC up above.