Providence will continue its annual event with details below:

Date: Friday May 18th
Location: World War 1 Memorial, Providence (College St and South Main St.).
Time: 6:45AM to 10:30AM.

In the last week, we’ve had Mayor Taveras agree toride to and speak at approximately 8AM.  We’re hopeful that he’ll be able to share information about an exciting request from local cyclists that he is considering.  We’ll also have Melanie Army from the City Planning Department on hand to talk about development of the next Providence Bike Plan and Rep. Art Handy to present a resolution from the state legislature declaring May 18th 2012 Bike To Work Day in Rhode Island.

Breakfast and coffee is being provided by Whole Foods Market, LÄRABAR, and New Harvest Coffee Roasters,

Onsite bicycle mechanic services are being provided by REI from 6:30 to 9:30.

Raffle of donated items to benefit RIBIKE will be held, including a fashionable rainhood from CLEVERHOOD, bike bag and Donkey Boxes from Legend Bicycle, Bontrager floor pump from Caster’s, Bicycle Jewelry from Recycle-A-Bike and more!

Other activities:

• Product demonstrations from Caster’s Bicycles,  Dynamic Bicycles.
• Get photographed at the ZipCar photobooth with your commuter gear or bike commuter friends.
• Learn how to combine Bike with Bus with RIPTA Rack and Ride

We are also proud to welcome the following presenting organizations:

Caster’s Bicycles
CLEVERHOOD
Commuter Resource RI/RIPTA
Dynamic Bicycles
Legend Bicycle
Recycle-A-Bike
REI
US Open Cycling Foundation
ZipCar

A Federal Highway Administration pilot program designed to explore the impact of biking and walking on the transportation load reported that four communities that invested heavily in nonmotorized transportation diverted 32 million driving miles over four years.

The Nonmotorized Transportation Pilot Program sent roughly $25 million a year to four pilot communities to invest in alternative transportation infrastructure, education and outreach. According to a summary report released this week, the four communities saw a 49 percent increase in the number of bicyclists and a 22 percent increase in pedestrians between 2007 and 2010, as well as a boost in transit ridership.

Over the four-year program, the share of bicycling increased 36 percent, while walking was up 14 percent. Driving mode share, meanwhile, was down by 3 percent over those four years. There were also no negative safety implications, according to the report.

That outpaces the increases in biking and walking in the rest of the country and, according to the FHWA report, shows that greater investment in bike paths, bike racks and sidewalks can mean more travelers will opt for nonmotorized trips.

The change in modes also translated to a savings of 22 pounds of carbon dioxide per person in the last year of the program, the equivalent of 1 gallon of gas per person

It would be great to know what the estimated cost savings (if any) will there be over the lifetime of this infrastructure?  Take all these people out of cars and there should be a noticeable decrease in the amount of wear on road infrastructure.  This is likely the easiest way we can win support for this type of infrastructure investment.

The Newport City Council passed a resolution Wednesday night commending Bike Newport for its initiatives and achievements, and inviting the organization to assist the city in making Newport more bikeable.

The resolution requested Bike Newport to assist in educating motorists and cyclists on how to share the road, and helping Newport achieve recognition as a bicycle friendly community.

Rhode Island is one of only two states in the country without a certified “Bicycle Friendly Community,” defined by the League of American Bicyclists, as a community that “welcomes cyclists by providing safe accommodation for cycling and encouraging people to bike for transportation and recreation.”

It would be awesome to add a city in Rhode Island to this list.

For the first time ever, three cities in Rhode Island will be holding Bike To Work events during Bike To Work week, and several other bicycling related events are scheduled.

Wednesday, May 16

Pawtucket Bike Committee is joining Newport and Providence in having it’s first ever Bike To Work Day. It will be held at the Veterans Memorial Amphitheater (Exchange St. and Roosevelt Avenue) at 8:30AM, with light refreshments available and an address from Mayor Grebien.

Friday, May 18

Providence will be holding a complementary breakfast, community fair and more throughout the morning (6:45 to 10:30AM, World War 1 Memorial)

Newport has a full slate of events throughout the day, including a complementary breakfast, community bike ride and much more.

Other events during bike to work week:

May 14th – RIBIKE will be holding it’s monthly advocacy meeting on at 6PM at the Brown University Book Store.  Join us to learn what how RIBIKE is working to make cycling in Rhode Island better, and learn how to get involved.  If you haven’t had enough of bike love during the meeting, an informal dinner and discussion is usually held afterward.

May 16th – The International Ride Of Silence will be held in Providence at 7:00pm.  The ride is a silent procession of bicycles intended to mourn and remember those who have been killed in collisions with motor vehicles while bicycling and tries to raise awareness for drivers that bicycles are on the roads.  Arrive at 6:30

May 17th – Gallery Night Providence is bringing back it’s guided bicycle tours of the galleries open.  Meet the guides on Greene Street at 5:30.

May 19th – Recycle A Bike will be participating in the West Broadway Neighborhood Yard sale on Saturday May 19th, 8:30AM to 1PM.  Check in with WBNA HQ to find out where RAB will be stationed, selling inexepensive, refurbished bicycles and a fleet of new folding bicycles.

May 19th – US Open Cycling Foundation Rhode Island Women’s Ride.  A bike ride designed to show off the beauty of Rhode Island, raise money to support bicycle education and bicycling for health programs.

And Much More:

More events are planned for the rest of the month, remember to check our National Bike Month page and RI Cycling Events Calendar.

All activities at Washington Square (unless otherwise noted)

ALL ACTIVITIES FREE (unless otherwise noted)

• 6:00am – 9:30am: Commuter Breakfast
• 10:30am: Special Event: Bicycle tour to Newport Mansions with Mansion historian John Tschirch.
  Register here. First come, first served!
• 11:00 am:  Bike Fair begins. Activities include:
• Bike Safety
• Bike Maintenance
• Bike Rentals
• Bike Spinning
• Bike Tech
• Vendors
• 1:00pm: Press Conference
• 2:00pm:  Bicycle Tour to Newport Mansions. Registration advised, not required. Limited spots.
• 3:00pm: Bicycle decorating begins
• 4:00pm: Community Bike Ride
• 4:00pm: Bike valet parking begins
• 5:00pm: Entertainment begins
• 7:30pm: Bike Fair ends – enjoy the local shops and restaurants, until …
• 8:00 pm: Breaking Away (1979) at Jane Pickens Theater ($10 admission)

UPDATE: Due to rain, the crack sealing has been moved back a few days.  The updated announcement from RIDOT:

RIDOT is scheduled to conduct crack sealing operations on the East Bay Bike Path from 7 p.m. on Sunday, May 6, 2012 until 6 a.m. on Monday, May 7th. The area to be sealed is from Riverside Square in East Providence to Thames Street in Bristol. Cyclists and other path users should avoid the bikeway during this important operation which will improve the riding surface and prevent further cracking. The schedule is weather-dependent and subject to change.

A big thanks to RIDOT for scheduling this during the evening, so they minimize any impact on commuters.  Enjoy the fresh pavement on Monday!

You did sign up, right?  If not, it’s NOT TOO LATE! You can still sign up and ride!  Just think, you could be pedaling your way to and from work or the grocery store this time tomorrow.  Now that you’ve signed up, did you tell your friends, co-workers, parents at your kids school about the challenge?  This is a great and fun way to help show the state that cycling is alive and well in RI.  It would be great if the smallest state in the union could pull of an upset and end up with the greatest number of trips per capita or the greatest number of miles per capita.

Once again, National Bike Month has arrived, and everyone is getting in the spirit of things by hosting, planning and celebrating the freedom and fun of riding a bicycle.

As part of this years National Bike Month, in partnership with the League of American Bicyclists, RIBIKE is participating in the National Bike Challenge, and invites all bicycle riders to log their rides.  Monthly prizes will be awarded based on accumulated points and competitions  between groups, companies, teams and states are possible through an automatic ranking system  During the “Warm-Up” event, Rhode Island ranked 18th out of 50 states (based on points earn divided by total state population).

Here’s what we know of going on so far in Rhode Island this month to support the call to get up & ride:

May 5th and 12th, 10AM to 4PM. Bike Sale @ Recycle A Bike 12 Library Court, Providence OLNEYVILLE. RAB 2012 Bike Sale Flyer  RAB volunteer mechanics have been working on a huge fleet of refurbished, recycled bikes all winter and they are ready to hit the road! There will be signs pointing in the right direction, music, bike blended smoothies and Recycle-A-Bike folks to talk to to. Bicycles range in price from $30-$250.

May 8th, 6:30PM, Women’s Only Bike Maintenance Basics @ REI in Cranston.

May 9th, Bike To School Day.  Check with local school districts or parents to see if there is an event for your school.  If you know of one, let us know in the comments!

May 13th.  CycloFemme, International Day of Women’s Cycling.

New May 16th, 8:30am.   Join Mayor Grebien and the Pawtucket Bike Committee for a celebration at 8:30am at the Veterans Memorial Amphitheater (corner of Exchange St. and Roosevelt Avenue, Pawtucket). Light refreshments will be provided.

May 16th, 6:30PM. International Ride of Silence, Nelson Fitness Center(Hope and Cushing St), Brown University.  More information in the Press Release.

May 18th, 6:45 to 10:30AM.  Bike To Work Day from RIBIKE, Providence, World War 1 Memorial, College and South Main.

May 18th, All Day, Bike To Work Day events from Bike Newport, Newport

May 19th, Rhode Island Women’s Ride from US Open Cycling Foundation, Roger Williams Park, Providence.

May 22nd, 6:30PM. Bike Maintenance Basics @ REI in Cranston.

May 26th, @ 10AM,  Bike the Independence Trail, Providence – Guided bicycle tour of Providence’s Independence Trail, more details forthcoming.