Media Contact:  Karyn Le Blanc at (202) 671-3490

(Washington, DC) On Friday, May 16th, the District will host Bike to Work Day. The annual event, where hundreds of bicycle commuters gather at Freedom Plaza, promotes and celebrates this healthy mode of transportation. The event, which has been celebrated since 1977, has grown into a truly regional celebration with 17 pit stops in DC, Maryland and Virginia.

Where & When:

• Freedom Plaza (bordered by Pennsylvania Avenue, 13th and 14th, and E Streets, NW)
  8 am to 9 am

The rally will include food, drawings for prizes, and other activities. There will be convoys of cyclists arriving at the plaza from all over the region.

If you would like to join a convoy, register, or need help finding a bicycle-friendly route to work, please contact the event organizers at the Washington Area Bicyclist Association (WABA) at www.waba.org or (202) 518-0524. If you register online by Monday, May 12th you will receive a free T-shirt and the chance to win a new bike and other prizes.

Over the last several years, DC has worked hard to become a more bicycle-friendly city. The District Department of Transportation (DDOT) continues to build trails, add bike lanes and bike racks, and teach bicycle safety in the schools.  In the next few weeks, DDOT will launch SmartbikeDC, an automated bike rental system that is the first of its kind in North America. DC was recently identified as the most improved city for bicycling in the US by Bicycling Magazine and supports bicycle transportation by DC government employees, with bike parking at work sites.

For additional information please contact Jim Sebastian at DDOT at (202) 671-2331.