9th Annual Bike Swap at UPS
The 9th Annual Bike Swap will take place on Saturday, April 29 from 10 am to 2 pm at the University of Puget Sound, Thompson Hall Parking Lot, Union Ave & N. 14th St., Tacoma
Are you eager to sell one of the bikes cluttering up the garage? Looking for the perfect commuter bike? Whether buying, selling or browsing around, join us for this exciting community event! While you’re there, check out these highlights:
– Free Bike Corral for anyone with just one or two bikes to sell, with a special section just for kids’ bikes, scooters, and trailers! If you plan on selling a bike, bring your own bike lock.
– Bike experts from our local bike shops to offer advice at the Bike Corral and do minor bike repairs.
– Map Masters handing out the Pierce County Bike Map and offering advice.
– Children’s Bike Rodeo and vendors
– Learn how to put your bike on the bus.
– Food trucks!
Plus, Bike Month starts Monday, May 1, so this is the perfect time to prep for your new adventure. Here are some other resources that are just a click away:
– Find a bike buddy at www.RideshareOnline.com or if you work in downtown Tacoma check out Downtown On the Go’s Bike Buddy program. Your bike buddy will help you plan a route and ride the route with you.
– Try out one of the many free group rides.
– Live too far out to make the whole commute by bike? Put your bike on the bus or Sounder Train for part of the trip.
This year’s theme, Bike Everywhere, allows people to try short trips and non-work trips in addition to the usual bike to work trips. Get all the latest news and events by following Pierce Trips on Facebook and Twitter! Connect with other participants like you who are saving money, avoiding stress and making a positive contribution to our beautiful state.
Bike Month Events Include:
· Bike Month Proclamation: Tuesday, May 2, at 5 p.m., at the Tacoma Municipal Building in Council Chambers (747 Market St., first floor)
· Bike to Market Day: Thursday, May 4, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., at the Broadway Farmers Market (Broadway St. Between S. 9th and S. 11th)
· Bike to Work Day: Friday, May 19, stop by Manifesto Coffee (1003 S. 11th St.) from 7:30 – 9:30 a.m. and join us after work at Harmon Tap Room (204 St Helens Ave) from 4:30 – 6:30 p.m.
· Cycles on the Foss: Environmental History Bike Tour: Friday, May 26, from 5:15 – 7 p.m., at Foss Waterway Seaport Museum (705 Dock St.)
– City of Tacoma
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By Morf Morford
Tacoma Daily Index
It’s difficult to imagine now, but just a few years ago bicycles were virtually non-existent on the streets of Tacoma.
Even children did not ride them. The few one would see would be the high-priced speciality racing bikes with a rider in full stretch- lycra plastered with corporate logos – usually on the way to Pt. Defiance – and in a group.
No leisurely bike rides for them.
And for some reason, a whole generation missed out on bike riding as a formative act of late childhood independence.
As a long time bicycle rider, I was afraid that bicycles were slipping out of our collective memory.
As a kid, and particularly as a teenager, long, meandering bike rides were my first real taste of adult-free exploration of the physical world.
You don’t have solid grasp of distance or the difficulty of a hill until you have encountered it under your own power.
But, thanks to 2nd Cycle (http://www.2ndcycle.org/) the annual bike swap, and a few determined bike shops around town, the bicycle revival seems to be be on.
If you are a beginner, or have kids or have a special obsession (or problem) with your two-wheeled buddy, check out the bike swap. I’ve been several years and I always find something new, interesting or useful.
One word of advice; if you are planning on buying anything, cash is usually preferable.
If you have any random unwanted bike parts or pieces in your basement or garage, this is a great place to take them and trade them for something you do want.
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Stepping it up in Pierce County
Creating safer routes to school and transit, improving our sidewalks and streets for all users, and connecting our cross-community trail system. This is just a taste of what our regional Pierce County team is working on as a part of a recent call to action to Step It Up from the US Surgeon General.
Downtown On the Go’s next Friday Forum will be an opportunity to discuss these initiatives with the team on April 28, 2017 from noon to 1 p.m. Court House Square (1102 A St, Tacoma, WA 98402) in The Gallery next to Lift Bridge Coffee. The event is free and open to the public.
The Puget Sound Regional team, one of just ten teams selected across the nation, recently returned from a training with the National Association of Chronic Disease Directors in Atlanta, GA. Attendees of the Friday Forum will hear about this work from the entire team of Diane Evans, TPCHD, Meagan Kula, Downtown On the Go, Ryan Mello and Meredith Soniat, City of Tacoma, Kimberly Scrivner, Puget Sound Regional Council, and Shawn Phelps, Pierce County.
“Walking is fundamental to our community and it affects everyone. I’m excited about the strength of our Pierce County team and the collaborative work that we’re embarking on to make Tacoma and Pierce County more walkable for everyone,” said Councilmember Ryan Mello, a long-time advocate for walkable communities. “This is about a healthy, equitable, and connected community that encourages smart growth and puts people first.”
Downtown On the Go is the transportation advocate and resource for downtown Tacoma. Friday Forums bring together local leaders, experts, and the community to talk about transportation issues facing Tacoma and our region. For those who cannot attend, join the conversation on Twitter using the hashtag #DOTGForum and following @downtownonthego.
– Downtown On the Go
