Southeast Florida Bicycle Month

Are you ready to dust off that two-wheeler that has been sitting in the garage for the last few years? Nope, not your Harley – we’re talking about your bicycle! In the Southeast District, March 2008 has been declared as Southeast Florida Bicycle Month.

Bicycling is a healthy, viable and environmentally friendly form of transportation. To bring awareness to the health and environmental benefits of bicycling, the DEP Southeast District partnered with the Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPO), as well as other county and municipal organizations to sponsor Southeast Florida Bicycle Month events.

On March 1, a kickoff event honoring the start of Southeast Florida Bicycle Month was held. A bicycle ride beginning in Tequesta and spanning Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade counties ended at Oleta River State Park in North Miami. Dozens of cyclists made stops along a 75-mile trek to Oleta River State Park, distributing the Southeast Florida Bicycle Month proclamation to town and city officials interested in promoting bicycling and alternative modes of transportation.

According to a nationwide personal transportation survey, 25 percent of all trips are made within a mile of the home, 40 percent of all trips are within two miles of the home and 50 percent of the working population commutes five miles or less to work, according to the League of American Bicyclists. Yet more than 82 percent of trips five miles or less are made by car. In Southeast Florida, over half of air pollution comes from motor vehicles.

For more information, visit the Southeast Florida Bicycle Month Web site at http://www.1800234ride.com/bicyclemonth for a complete calendar of events and to learn more about the benefits of bicycling and how it plays into the importance of keeping our air clean.