Davis kicked off May is Bike Month with the annual city-wide bike ride
By OLIVIA HOKR — city@theaggie.org
May is Bike Month is a campaign throughout the country that encourages individuals to ride their bikes and promote sustainable transportation. In Davis, two of the main events held to promote active forms of transportation are Bike and Roll to School Day and Loopalooza.
Loopalooza is an annual community-wide day of bicycling through the 12-mile bike loop in Davis. On May 4, families, students and community members were invited to start biking through the greenbelt at any spot along the route. Different organizations participated in the 10 stations along the route to educate riders with informational posters as well as hands-on learning experiences.
The event is hosted by the city of Davis in collaboration with Bike Davis and other community organizations. The President of Bike Davis, Trish Price, shared more about Bike Davis’ role in the community.
“Bike Davis is a non-profit advocacy group that works to promote bicycling in and around Davis by providing expertise in infrastructure design and policy to city staff and leadership and bringing people together to celebrate and enjoy bicycling in Davis,” Price said. “We’ve been involved with many construction and engineering projects in Davis, including designing and paving the Davis Bike Loop. Some more recent projects we’ve been involved with include the road closure on G Street and the redesign of Third Street between University and A Streets to make those streets more friendly to bicyclists and pedestrians.”
The annual bicycling event brings around 200 to 300 participants and continues to grow in popularity. Price shared further remarks about the aim of hosting the educational and engaging event.
“Loopalooza started in 2011 and was always envisioned as an annual event,” Price said. “We didn’t realize it would become such a popular event, but we’re very pleased that it has. The main goal of the Loopalooza is to bring the community together to enjoy a fun bike ride around the city’s parks. Other goals include introducing families to the possibility of riding a bike to their school rather than driving and dropping off, and to show off the beautiful Davis Bike Loop.”
Loopalooza was originally developed and hosted by Bike Davis, but the city of Davis took over the organizing role in 2017. Lindsay Terry, the safe routes to school coordinator for the city, explained why it’s important to promote bicycling, especially in Davis.
“Davis is fortunate to have a 12-mile bike loop that is truly unique and sets us apart as a bike-friendly community,” Terry said. “In addition to biking, we encourage walking, riding scooters and taking public transportation whenever possible. Loopalooza itself originated as a way to highlight safe routes to schools in Davis and has expanded over the last 15 years to include partners from throughout the Sacramento region.”
Among the 10 stations were organizations and businesses such as Davis Bike Park Alliance, Explorit Science Center, Spin Shared Micromobility, Sacramento Area Bicycle Advocates, ASUCD Bike Barn and many more. They each offered a different experience for participants riding along the loop.
“Every station will host educational, hands-on and or food opportunities,” Terry said. “For example, participants who visit Patwin Elementary School will have the opportunity to create bike-powered spin art thanks to [Daivs] Oddfellows, learn about bike helmet safety from Yolo County [Health and Human Services Agency] (HHSA) Public Health and enjoy farm-to-fork gourmet African-inspired food from ZimCuisine. We have something for everyone.”
Promoting sustainable transportation is a way to simultaneously advocate for the environment and stay active. UC Davis Health takes part in the competition for May is Bike Month and encourages students and community members to register for the competition, providing a month-long celebration for the joy of bicycling.
Written By: Olivia Hokr — city@theaggie.org
