Come hear Preston Tyree, Director of Education for the League of American Bicyclists, speak on ‘Complete Streets’ and how they increase transportation choices at The Anchorage Museum at Rasmuson Center (625 C St.) on Tuesday, August 31, at 7 pm in the museum auditorium.

In communities across the country, a movement is growing to “complete the streets.” States, cities and towns are asking their planners and engineers to build road networks that are safer, more livable, and welcoming to everyone. Instituting a complete streets policy ensures that transportation planners and engineers consistently design and operate the entire roadway with all users in mind – including bicyclists, public transportation vehicles and riders, and pedestrians of all ages and abilities. Preston Tyree will speak on how this approach to street design can improve transportation choices, safety, and economic development.

This event is co-sponsored by Alaska Transportation Priorities Project, Bicycle Commuters of Anchorage, Anchorage Citizens Coalition, Alaska Center for the Environment, and the Spenard Complete Streets Coalition.

We’ve got three Energizer Stations for bicycle commuters this Friday! Come enjoy a variety of fresh baked goods and fresh coffee along the bike trail! Maybe you can take a route that will take you to all three stations, so that you can sample the fare at all of them!

BCA Bacon Station Location

(Sorry, no bacon, I just can’t resist calling it the Bacon Station Location), where the Chester Creek bike trail travels under the Seward Highway from 7:00 AM to 9:00 AM. We’ll have Raven’s Brew coffee and goodies from Great Harvest.

Chain Reaction Cycles

At the corner of Elmore and Abbott from 6:30 AM – 8:00 AM with Kaladi Brothers Coffee and home baked treats.

Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium

At the intersection of Tudor and Elmore (Bragaw) at the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium Building from 7:00 AM – 8:30 AM.

It was a rainy Renewable Energy Alaska Project Fair on Saturday, but 161 of you still came downtown via bike! A big Thanks to our volunteers Matt, Brad, and Karen for helping with our Free And Secure Bike Parking! It just goes to show…in Alaska when the weather changes we don’t change our plans, we just change our clothes!

ADVOCACY
The BCA has received numerous responses to the Title 9 notification we sent out last week. Thank you for your support and commitment to bicycle safety! A big Thanks to the people who contacted the Public Safety Committee and the Assembly to share your feelings on this important subject! The muni Traffic Department requested BCA notify folks Thursday’s Title 9 meeting (August 5th from 2:30 PM to 4:30 PM at the Municipal Planning and Development Center in the first floor conference room #30, 4700 Elmore Rd), is not an opportunity for public testimony. It is rather a work session and an opportunity for the Traffic Department to explain their position on the subject. Bearing that in mind, if you are a cyclist interested in becoming, or are already well versed, in Traffic law, and understand the practicalities and challenges facing Anchorage’s cyclists, BCA would like you to attend this meeting. We’ll be sure to send an update after the meeting to notify you all of the results of the meeting.

A reminder of the wording BCA is objecting to in Title 9.38.060

“Persons operating a bicycle upon a sidewalk, recreational trail or bike trail must yield the right-of-way to traffic before crossing a roadway, street, or driveway.”

and section 9.38.020

“A person propelling a vehicle by human power upon and along a sidewalk, trail or pathway, (or across) except when crossing a roadway or driveway intersecting a sidewalk, trail or pathway, shall have all the rights and duties applicable to a pedestrian under the same circumstances.”

This is placing the burden of responsibility on the must vulnerable users, children riding their bicycles on the sidewalk.

ENCOURAGEMENT
This Saturday from 11AM – 9PM is the Renewable Energy Alaska Project Fair on the Memorial Block of the Downtown Parkstrip. We’ll have our Free And Secure Bike Parking available, so you can leave the car at home, get some exercise and fresh air, and enjoy a front row parking spot at the Fair. We’re looking for volunteers to help park bikes, so if you have a spare couple of hours on Saturday to lend a hand, please email bikemoredriveless@hotmail.com.

There will be 4 Free Coffee And Treats stations for bike commuters this Friday morning, July 30th! Stop by for fresh coffee and other delicious goodies to fuel your ride. We can always use an extra set of hands, so if you are available to volunteer please email Kristi at bikemoredriveless@hotmail.com.

BCA will be at the Bacon Station (sorry, no fresh bacon this time), where the Chester Creek bike trail travels under the Seward Highway from 7a to 9a, and

Campbell Creek trail hike and bike section next to the Seward Highway from 7a – 9a.

Chain Reaction will also host a Free Coffee And Treats station, on the corner of Elmore and Abbott from 6:30 to 8:00, and

Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium /Southcentral Foundation will serve coffee and yogurt parfaits at Tudor and Elmore from 7 – 8:30.

If the rain has thwarted your bicycle commuting, prepare for Friday; bring an extra set of dry clothes and a towel, or realize the more clothes you wear, the wetter you will become. Consider sin clothes and a poncho.

Please join us Friday morning and enjoy some fresh treats on your way to work or around town!

Yippee! It’s Bike First Friday with a new funner finish location, Cafe Amsterdam at 530 E Benson (Metro Music and Books Mall) for beer!

BCA’s July Bike First Friday theme is Anchorage’s 1% for Art.

For thirty years the 1% for Art Program of the Alska State Council on the Arts and the Anchorage Municipality has celebrated artists and the visual environment by installing permanent artwork throughout  the state and in the city of Anchorage. Most all artwork is selected by a committee of community members dedicated to making Anchorage a better place to live by enhancing its urban landscape. All the artwork is situated in everyday locations frequented by visitors and residents alike. You will visit artwork you might have previously missed that was right before your eyes.

Celebrate the beginning of the weekend, breath some fresh air while pumping your quads, and chase down scavenger hunt questions with your friends/family/kids.

Addresses for 1% for Art installations are here (click to print or save), and the map is here (again, click to print or save). Questions for the scavenger hunt can be found at bottom of this post. Click on the questions to see or print the two page version.

Pick a meet up location with your friends at one of the locations on the scavenger hunt. Plan your attack; concentrate downtown, or pedal to Kincaid to really stretch your legs.

No matter where you start, meet up at our new finish location Cafe Amsterdam 8:30pm to finish and quibble about the answers to the scavenger hunt. BCA’s free spanking bike valet will be set up, so you can relax and enjoy your delicious beer and rowdy friends. Participation prizes to be given out by your good friends from BCA at Cafe Amsterdam at 9:00 pm.

As always, remember to follow the rules of the road, you are BCA’s Bicycle Ambassadors.

Lots of fun things happening on the Summer Solstice, Saturday June 19th. From noon until midnight there is the Downtown Summer Solstice Festival with bike parking from noon until 5pm on F Street just north of 7th Avenue (brought to you by the good folks at the BCA). This PDF map of the event includes the bike parking location.

Then there is the Second Annual Solstice Midnight Sun Ride, registration is at 10:30pm and the ride starts at sunset, 11:42pm. The ride goes from the bunker (near the chalet) in Kincaid Park, down the coastal trail to downtown.

Yippee! It’s BCA’s Bike First Friday! Your favorite non-motorized art scavenger hunt is back June 4 with even more participating galleries and locations. Start anytime or place you wish, then gather at 8:30 pm in the Anchorage Museum Cafe for the wrap up.

This BCA event is designed to encourage you to enjoy First Friday in Anchorage on your bike! Celebrate the beginning of the weekend, get some exercise, and chase down scavenger hunt questions with your friends/family/kids.

Start by downloading the questions and map on this website. Pick a meet up location with your friends at one of the locations on the scavenger hunt. Plan your attack; concentrate downtown, or pedal west on chester trail to really stretch your legs. Enjoy a cup of delicious cayenne pepper hot chocolate at Modern Dwellers or sip a sudsy at Midnight Sun Brewing. Answer as many or few questions as you wish.

No matter where you start, meet up at the Anchorage Museum in the Cafe Muse at 8:30pm to quibble about the answers to the scavenger hunt. BCA’s free bike valet will be set up, so you can relax and enjoy the live music and vivacious conversations with the other participants. Around 9 pm BCA will review answers and give out a few participation prizes.

Remember to follow the rules of the road. You are BCA’s Bicycle Ambassadors.

Click here for the map.

Click the image for a printable version.

This Monday, May 24th, we will be meeting for an informal fun ride down the Coastal Trail, from Westchester Lagoon to the Chalet in Kincaid Park.  We’ll be meeting around 4:30pm at the intersection of the Coastal and Chester Creek trails (view map) and leaving around 4:45pm.  We should arrive at the Rachel Carson Celebration before it starts at 6pm.  For more information about the 10th Annual Rachel Carson Celebration please click here.

It is Bike to Work week and Friday is Bike to Work Day. To celebrate, BCA, along with Chain Reaction Cycles and ANTHC, will be out in the morning handing out treats, coffee, and juice to bicycle commuters.

This year, Anchorage bicycle commuters will have their choice of five energizer stations to choose from:

BCA’s Bacon Station at East Chester Park and New Seward, right off the Chester Creek bike trail (across from Shiloh Baptist Church), for fresh bacon courtesy of the Spenard Roadhouse! We’ll have Raven’s Brew coffee, treats from Rise And Shine Bakery, and cookies from Great Harvest! We’ll also have some handy bike safety gear for sale at a nominal price, and some fun give aways thanks to ConocoPhillips, Paramount Cycles and REI!

- Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium Bike Station – at 4000 Ambassador Drive, from 7 AM to 9 AM (Tudor and Elmore).

- Chain Reaction Cycles Energizer Station at Elmore and Abott from 6:30 AM to 8:30 AM. (a welcomed new addition for south anchorage commuters brought to you by Chain Reaction!)

- BCA’s Campbell Creek Energizer Station near  the Seward Highway, 7 AM to 9 AM.

- BCA’s Westchester Lagoon Energizer Station from 7 AM to 9 AM

Gosh, why not visit them all? You can report back to us on which station had the best coffee and delicious treats! No matter where you wind up on Friday, BCA hopes you have a great ride! We look forward to seeing everyone out there!

Team BCA
Rob Lynch, Erik Grafe, Carina Uraiqat, Michal Stryszak, Liz Perry, Dawn Groth, Rudy Owens, Rebecca Noblin, John Weddleton, Bev Rideout, Connie Wood, Tom Burke, Tracy Hess, Youssef Barbour, Breanna Mahoney, Monica Glenn, Bonnie Long, Patricia Atchison, Darrel Hamel, Amber, Smotnik, Linda Harrington, Nathan Eastman, Thad Wilkerson, Dave Arthen, Mark Thorndike, Barbara Rowland, Dean Potter, Marvin E. Colbert, Jr., John Monfils, Marta Mueller , Mary Logan, Todd Logan, Zoe Schanche, Eve VanDommelen, Lang VanDommelen, Frank Cahill, Kneeley Taylor, Kevin Cassity, Megan McBride, Mr. Alger, Jeff Kellerd…