FORT WORTH FREE PUBLIC BIKE RALLY RETURNS ON SAT. SEPT. 26 AT TRINITY PARK
Two-wheelers will take over the streets on an 8.5 mile loop just west of downtown for a revival of a popular Fort Worth free bike rally that was held by the city for many years each fall.
The 1st Annual Clean Air Bike Rally will be hosted by The T and the North Texas Clean Air Coalition on Saturday, September 26, starting at 9 a.m. from Fort Worth Trinity River Park, and is free for bicycle riders of all ages and skills.
The first 1,000 cyclists to register for the event will receive a free bike rally T-shirt.
Registration for the bike rally is required and is encouraged ahead of time at www.cleanairbikerally.eventbrite.com. Participants are required to wear bicycle helmets.
“The trigger to revive this citywide bike rally followed the tremendous turnout of the Bike to Work Day at The T’s Intermodal Transportation Center this past May,” said Dick Ruddell, president of The T. “The city had just completed its Bike Fort Worth Plan and suggested that The T could help resume the fall rally to raise awareness of the positive benefits of urban biking on our air quality.”
Ruddell is encouraging all volunteers and participants to ride The T to get to the event by utilizing bike racks that are on its buses.
The Bike Rally will start and end at Fort Worth Trinity Park by the Police & Firefighter Memorial, 2300 W. 7th Street.
With organizing support from various City of Fort Worth departments, area bicycle organizations and shops, the family-oriented rally will include free bike inspections for Bike Rally registrants, prior to the event, at Bicycles Inc. locations in Fort Worth, Hurst, Arlington and Keller. Bicycles, Inc. also will be at the rally to assist those making a last-minute fix.
Live music will be at the finish line where participants may enjoy free water and snacks and visit bike related displays including the city’s new “Bike Fort Worth Plan.”
The riding route will head south toward the University area following Trinity Park Drive, Crestline, Harley and Gendy, then turn west along Van Cliburn, Baily and Boland. It will turn northwest on N. University becoming W. Northside Drive, then turn southeast along Main Street and Houston to 6th Street. It will head south on 6th and end at 7th & Trinity Park. See route diagram at www.cleanairbikerally.eventbrite.com.
Sponsors are Fort Worth Business Press, media; Chesapeake Energy, water; Coors Distributing Company, snacks and Bicycles, Inc., free bicycle inspections. MedStar’s EMS Bike Team and the Fort Worth Police Department Bike Patrol also will participate and assist at the rally. The T and the North Texas Clean Air Coalition are organizing sponsors. Music by Mega-Mix Mobile D.J.
The North Central Texas Clean Air Coalition cites some of the benefits of bicycle riding:
- The U.S. could save 462 million gallons of gasoline a year by increasing cycling from the current one percent to 1.5% of trips.
- With 25% of all trips within a mile of home, it’s easy to use a bike to save gasoline and reduce air emissions.
- The average person loses 13 pounds during the first year of commuting by bicycle.
- Fort Worth residents can use bike racks on The T’s buses and take them on the Trinity Railway Express to help bridge the gap of longer commuting distances.
Bicycles are advocated by The T and The American Public Transportation Association as a cost-efficient way to address mobility and air quality concerns while improving physical health and quality of life. The T recommends use of bicycles to bridge the gap between bus or train stops to final destinations, and as an enhancement to transit-oriented development. All of The T’s regular route buses have bike racks, and bikes are allowed on the Trinity Railway Express.