Marvin Stockwell started riding his bike to work about six weeks ago.
“That was after a year of thinking about it,” he said. “I would see my buddy [bicycle advocate] Anthony Siracusa ride his bike everywhere.”
It was just in time to get the jump on National Bike-to-Work Week. Today’s Bike-to-Work Day dawned sort of cloudy and overcast, perfect weather for a group of seasoned and inexperienced riders to bike downtown, where the Center City Commission had “energizer stations” on North Main, South Main, and in the Medical Center District.
- Energizing at Central Station
Dawn Vinson is the project manager for Downtown Bike to Work Week. The Hickory Hill resident often rides her bike to do casual errands.
“We were sitting around one day and we thought, how can we get more people to ride their bikes?” she said. “How could we make it safe and fun?”
In addition to the energizer stations, the CCC organized group rides into downtown, as well as practice rides in the days leading up to Bike to Work Day.
“It can be stressful to ride with traffic if you’re not confident in your skills. I prefer neighborhood streets with lower speeds. I’m must not ready to ride down Poplar Avenue,” Vinson said. “We organized the meet-ups for those not confident in their riding skills or who don’t want to do it by themselves or don’t know how to choose a route.”
