Bicycling for Transportation is an Act of Climate Resilience. Join our “Bike Month is Climate Month” Rides in May!
Rachel Schaeffer
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Pedal for progress on climate change throughout May by riding your bike for transportation.
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Learn about the intersections of transportation, climate, and land use–and help us advocate for safer biking.
Every trip we take by bike instead of by car is a powerful statement that we care about the climate and want to live in communities where bicycling is safe, accessible, and affordable for everyone.
Riding a bike alone won’t solve the climate crisis, but it spotlights a big truth: Transportation is the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in our state and region. It’s vital that we shift to healthier, cleaner, and more affordable alternatives.
Bicycling, walking, and mass transit can play an important role in shifting our transportation system away from its reliance on fossil fuels. As people who love bikes, we must do more than ride–we must also speak up, join with others and push for action to make our communities more resilient to the harmful impacts of climate change, and enable people to live low-carbon lifestyles.
To celebrate “Bike Month is Climate Month,” Cascade is hosting events throughout May that explore how bike advocacy and climate action go together:
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All Month Long – Join the Pledge to Pedal by committing to replace one car trip a week with a bike trip;
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May 7 – Connecting Seattle to South King County by Trail;
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May 12 – Lunchtime Panel: Transportation and Climate: Is Land Use at the Crux?
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May 20 – Bike Everywhere Day - Visit Celebration Stations in your area, and if you’re in Seattle pedal over and say “hello” at the Cascade Fremont Celebration Station.
Find out more about our events below.
Pledge to Pedal: Building a Habit Towards Sustainable Change
Shifting our transportation system to be more climate-friendly requires action at all levels of society. While holding governments and major polluters accountable is the long-term goal, individual action taken collectively can reap benefits immediately.
Image source: https://smartgrowthamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Driving-Down-Emissions-FINAL.pdf
To start, we can bike, walk, and take transit more, and encourage others to do the same. More biking means a reduced reliance on fossil fuels for short trips, preventing more pollution from getting into the air and water, and decreasing the effects of urban heat islands.
Did you know that almost 50% of car trips are less than three miles long? That’s a perfect distance for a bike trip!
Pledge to replace a car trip with a bike trip today
Saturday, May 7: Connecting Seattle to South King County by Trail
Seattle’s Georgetown neighborhood and the northern terminus of the Green River Trail are a few miles apart, but are not connected via an all ages bike route. Join us for an education and advocacy ride to hear about final plans for the Georgetown to South Park Trail (coming in 2023) and a project to extend the 19-mile long Green River Trail to South Park, from where it currently ends in Tukwila.
Participants will ride the route and learn what it will take to make a safe, simple trail connection from South King County communities to South Park, Georgetown, and beyond.
Who’s coming: Leafline Trails Coalition members, representatives from the Duwamish Valley Safe Streets, Cascade Bicycle Club, the Seattle Department of Transportation, King County Parks, the City of Kent and many more.
RSVP for the South King County advocacy ride by May 5.
Thursday, May 12: Bike Month Panel – Transportation and Climate: Is Land Use at the Crux?
To Get More People Biking, We Need Better Land Use.
As we advocate for safer, more connected neighborhoods it’s crucial that we think about the reasons that people don’t currently bike for transportation. Land use is a major reason. Land use policies define where and how our communities are built. Because so many cities are car-centric and our systems are so sprawled out, current growth policies restrict many people from meeting daily needs by bike. Driving a car becomes the likeliest option when communities are so spread (and do not include safe infrastructure). These policies also lead to rising housing costs and gentrification, leading in turn to high displacement, especially of communities of color who have fewer options of neighborhoods they can move to compared to white counterparts.
Protected bike lanes that help people reach their everyday destinations are part of the solution. But communities also need options for housing, schools, jobs, and more that are close enough to each other so that biking, walking, rolling, and transit are easy and accessible.
Join us May 12 from 12:30 to 1:30pm with leaders from Futurewise, Share the Cities, and the Duwamish Valley Affordable Housing Coalition to discuss the intersections of housing, climate justice, transportation, and land use to build more resilient communities.
RSVP for a Zoom Panel on the Intersections of Housing, Transportation, and Climate Justice
Friday May 20: Bike Everywhere Day
An all-day celebration on May 20, 2022!
To build a network of support and fun for the thousands of cyclists on Bike Everywhere Day, Cascade Bicycle Club and our local partners will host dozens of celebration stations along major bike routes in the region. We've provided our station hosts with suggestions on how to host no-contact stations and we encourage everyone to follow local public health guidance.
Find a celebration station along your route
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