The eMessenger – Volume 5, Issue 5 – May 24, 2006

Volume 5, Issue 5 – May 24, 2006

Our mission is to establish Pittsburgh as a city that is increasingly safe, accessible, and friendly to bicycle transportation. We are working to make riding to work, shopping, and exercising by bike safe and fun for everyone in the Burgh.

Thank you to our BikeFest sponsors and supporters:
UPMC Center for Sports Medicine, Gary Fisher Bicycles
Planet Bike, Big Bang Bicycles
East End Brewing, Dirt Rag Magazine
Enrico’s Tazza D’Oro Cafe, Gatto Cycle & Fitness
Henry J. Simonds Foundation
Iron City Bikes, REI
Pfaltzgraphics
TRM Bicycles, Trek of Pittsburgh
Venture Outdoors, Whole Foods Market

In this issue:

* Bike to Work Week – Thank You!
* Rescheduled: Bike Pittsburgh Fundraiser at Whole Foods
* Guyasuta Fellowship on Transportation – Call for Applicants
* Join Bike Pittsburgh’s Tour de Cure Team
* Bike Swap @ The Warhol
* Sign Up to Receive a BikeFest Calendar
* Wish List
* Bike Events: May – July
* Spare Parts (News + Links)
* Become a Member!

BIKE TO WORK WEEK – THANK YOU!

Thanks to everyone who volunteered, donated, and braved the weather to participate in this year’s Bike to Work Week activities! It was great seeing both new faces and old friends during the week. Thanks to everyone who stopped by to say “hi” and to learn more about Bike Pittsburgh. If you like what we’re doing and like the idea of Pittsburgh becoming a better place to ride a bike please become a member of Bike Pittsburgh today.

Thanks to the Brillobox, Carnegie Mellon, Enrico’s Tazza D’Oro Cafe, Crazy Mocha, Whole Foods, and REI all generously contributed food, beverages, and water bottles to Bike Pittsburgh during the week. Thanks to all the local bike shops who offered free safety inspections.

RESCHEDULED: BIKE PGH FUNDRAISER BBQ AT WHOLE FOODS!

June 10th: Mark your calendars! The BBQ fundraiser has been rescheduled for Saturday, June 10th from 11am-2pm at Whole Foods. Whole Foods Market will be Barbecuing up some eats. Meat and veggie options available for $5 a plate. Proceeds go to supporting Bike Pittsburgh. We’ll be there to valet park your bicycle for free!

GUYASUTA FELLOWSHIP ON TRANSPORTATION – CALL FOR APPLICANTS – DEADLINE JUNE 9TH

Pittsburgh City Councilman Bill Peduto’s 2006 Guyasuta Fellowship

Call for Applicants

* Do you ride a bike? Public transit? Well, for that matter, a car? Ever wish for a better crosswalk?
* Are you concerned about deteriorating roads, bridges and traffic signals in your neighborhood?
* Are you concerned about the funding, priorities and social equity of transit and transportation in Pittsburgh and the region?
* Do you realize that Port Authority and other Pennsylvania transit providers are about to face another state funding crisis?
* Would you like to learn from key transportation officials, experts and activists?

Then we want you to participate in the 2006 Guyasuta Fellowship.

WHAT’S GUYASUTA?

Guyasuta is a citizens’ forum for Pittsburgh’s and the region’s young people and young-at-heart to propose their own solutions to transportation needs – while also enjoying access to the information resources that only elected officials typically have. We’ll help you understand the local transportation issues thoroughly so that you can become informed and effective, and help others to do the same.

Guyasuta is unique: Hard-working transportation activist groups don’t have official government sanction. Meanwhile, official government commissions have hand-picked members – and citizens can only make their views known at “public hearings.” Guyasuta strives to fill both a grassroots and official role.

Guyasuta recommendations will be presented to Pittsburgh City Council and other regional governments, authorities and key appointed transportation-related committees.

Guyasuta will take it public. Your recommendations won’t be locked up in the PowerPoint prison. At the end of the sessions, Guyasuta fellows will produce an interactive television/radio broadcast, aimed at making their ideas interesting and accessible to the public at large.

DETAILS

The total Guyasuta Fellowship class will include 30-125 members.
The Guyasuta Fellowship classes will begin in mid-June. Fellows will meet two evenings per month for about six months.
You don’t get paid to be a Guyasuta Fellow – but it won’t cost you anything either!

To apply, or for more information: contact program coordinator Josh Punchur at 412-849-3134 or punchur@hotmail.com or Pat Clark at 412-853-3211 or pat@jacksonclark.net. Application deadline: June 9.

The Guyasuta Fellowship is sponsored by the office of City Councilman Bill Peduto, managed by Jackson/Clark Partners, and funded by grants from the Heinz Endowments and the Grable Foundation. Other partners include the Center for Civic Participation, Sustainable Pittsburgh and GroundZero Action Network.

JOIN BIKE PITTSBURGH’S TOUR DE CURE TEAM

This year there will be a Bike Pittsburgh team for the Tour de Cure. If you are interested in joining please contact Paul Ricci at riccipt@yahoo.com. The Tour de Cure is a fundraiser for the American Diabetes Association. Now in its ninth year in Western PA, the Tour de Cure raises over $10 million dollars nationwide to prevent and cure diabetes and to improve the lives of all people affected by both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes. The Tour de Cure is happening during BikeFest on June 25. It begins at Seneca Valley High School.

This Week ONLY (May 22nd through May 26th) 50% off Tour Registration – $10 instead of $20!
You Must Register by PHONE: 412-824-1181, ext. 4604. Offer not valid through online registration.

BIKE SWAP @ THE WARHOL

June 24th from 12-4pm: We’re holding a FREE Bike Swap at the Warhol Museum to kick off Bike Pittsburgh’s summer BikeFest. Bring spare parts, bikes, frames and more to buy and trade. Local Bike Shops, Free Ride, Bike Pittsburgh, and Dirt Rag Magazine will all be there. Not only will you be able to buy and trade hard-to-find and bike components, frames, and gear, but there will be bike art activities for your kids! There are still spaces available for $10 if you have lots of stuff. Contact bikefest@bike-pgh.org to reserve a space or for more info.

SIGN UP TO RECEIVE A BIKEFEST CALENDAR

The BikeFest calendars are just about finished. If you are not a full-paid member (i.e. currently signed up to receive only our email newsletter), please contact us at bikefest@bike-pgh.org with your home address so that we can mail you a poster with the fantastic artwork by Pfaltzgraphics with the calendar of events on the back. All current members will receive one automatically.

WISH LIST

1) We need someone with a pickup truck the morning of June 10th. Please help us cart the valet bike racks to and from Whole Foods for the BBQ fundraiser they’re throwing for us. If you would like to lend us a hand, and your truck please call 412.726.5872. Thanks!

2) We’re still in need of a decent used color laser printer. Ink cartridges are getting very expensive for Bike Pittsburgh. Muchas gracias!

3) For our Sprout Fund Hothouse booth on June 17th we need to borrow two trainers (not rollers) for our video bike tour of Pittsburgh. It’s bound to be one of the best booths at the party! Contact scott@bike-pgh.org for more info. Thanks in advance!
BIKE EVENTS: MAY – JULY

Here is a listing of upcoming cycling events in the Pittsburgh Region. For complete details, visit Bike Pittsburgh and click on the “Events & Activities” section.

May 26th – Pittsburgh Critical Mass. Meet at the Dinosaur outside of the Carnegie Library at 5:30pm
May 27th – Ligonier Valley Road Race: Race Marshals and other volunteers needed! If you’re interested in helping out, please email briandiana@laurelweb.net
June 3rd – Historic South Side Home Tour, 10am-4pm, For more info contact SSLDC: 412-481-0651 (people who take the tour by bike receive $3 off)
June 10th – Whole Foods BBQ fundraiser for Bike Pittsburgh @ Whole Foods, 11am-2pm, free bike valet parking! $5/plate.
June 10th & 11th – MS 150
June 17th – Hothouse ’06 – Stop by to check out Bike Pittsburgh’s fun bike tour of Pittsburgh as well as Jessi’s ByCycle demo!
June 23rd-July 4th – BikeFest 2006!
June 24th – Bike Swap @ the Warhol, 12-4pm
June 30th – Bike Pittsburgh & Free Ride’s massive blow-out BikeFest party. Not to be missed! Free for members, $5 for nonmembers.
July 2nd – BikeFest – Family ride to the Bucs vs. Tigers game! Join Bike Pittsburgh on a short ride from Washington’s Landing to PNC park. Meet at 12pm for a pregame “tailgate.” Game is from 1-4pm. $14/ticket for members, $18/ticket for nonmembers. RSVP by emailing scott@bike-pgh.org to reserve a spot on this fun ride!

More events and rides can be found at WPW, P.O.R.C., and Venture Outdoors

SPARE PARTS (NEWS + LINKS)

Post Gazette: Pedal powered commute, Group pushing pedal-to-work program
Tribune Review: Along for the ride
City Paper: Getting Handle on Bars to Cycle-Commuting
Bike Pittsburgh’s Blog: http://bikepittsburgh.blogspot.com
BikeFest Blog: http://bikefestpgh.blogspot.com
MapHub: www.maphub.org
ByCycle: www.bycycle.org
Sign up to BikePool: www.commuteinfo.org
Free Ride: www.bike-pgh.org
Western Pennsylvania Wheelmen: www.wpwbikeclub.org
P.O.R.C.: www.porcmtbclub.org
Friends of the Riverfront: www.friendsoftheriverfront.org
Sustainable Pittsburgh: www.sustainablepittsburgh.org

BECOME A MEMBER!

Join Bike Pittsburgh today and start making a difference! Membership directly helps us transform Pittsburgh into a more bike-friendly city. Every great biking city such as Portland, Madison, San Francisco and Chicago have bike advocacy organizations working to make their cities more bike-friendly. Membership starts at only $25 per year. We can’t do this without you!

With your tax-deductible donation you will receive a Membership Card good for discounts with participating businesses, invitations and discounts to special Bike Pittsburgh-sponsored parties and events, and the satisfaction that you are making a difference for all of us who ride in Pittsburgh. For details, go to www.bike-pgh.org and click on BECOME A MEMBER. Join us today!

Help us make BikeFest one of the most amazing events in Pittsburgh this summer. We want to try to keep as many events as possible FREE to the public. In order to keep it free, Bike Pittsburgh needs financial support to offset our costs. Any money generated over and above our BikeFest costs will go directly towards supporting our important work on the behalf of all local bicyclists. If you’re not yet a member, please join today. If you are a member and would like to be an individual sponsor of BikeFest, please click here to find out more about our sponsor levels. We also want to do a Member Challenge ala NPR at the BikeFest party. We already have $450 lined up for this, but hope to grow it to $2,000 to “unlock” when we get get enough people to join during the event. Contact us today about donating to the member challenge!

Bike Pittsburgh gratefully acknowledges the Richard King Mellon Foundation for their generous support

The eMessenger is an electronic newsletter published once a month. Previous issues of the eMessenger can be found in the Newsletters section of our website. Bike Pittsburgh, Inc. does not rent, sell, or make available any personal information, including email addresses. If you would like to be removed from the distribution list, simply email remove@bike-pgh.org

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