Salty takes the prize

Last week in the throes of BikeFest we passed 3,000 walking miles on the Car Free Calculator. Marking this new milestone, a new raffle winner was drawn. The caveat was that in order to take home the prize, the winner must have logged at least one walking mile on the calculator. Fortunately for our winner Salty, he had logged twelve.

We do have some dedicated walkers on the calculator like dwillen, ljferdinand, caitlin, librarywalker, bikerant, and leaves_cried that appear to walk laps around Salty, but he had the luck of the draw. It’s no mystery either, because Salty has 110 entries on the calculator, that’s like 110 raffle tickets. His chances were pretty good.

Salty chose a $20 gift card from our good friend’s at OTB Bicycle Cafe. Once again, a winner has taken a pass on the one month of free Bikram Yoga. This ought to be a coveted prize, but it looks like the burgers and beers crowd has been dominating the Calculator winner’s circle so far. Or maybe they’re just waiting till the weather cools off so they can look forward to a 105 F yoga practice. We’ll just have to wait and see.

BikePGH member extraordinaire

We would be lying if we said we weren’t happy to see Salty win. He’s an exemplary BikePGH member, a frequent volunteer, a generous donor, and an intimidating force on the BikeFest silent auction (it’s rumored fingers are crossed when he starts looking over clip boards). As if this wasn’t enough Salty actually did a BikePGH membership drive at Google where he works. Maybe Salty’s victory had nothing to do with 110 Calculator entries. This could just be  karma laws in action. Salty is definitely an exception, we couldn’t expect this level of awesomeness from everyone, but it’s worth noting. All of our nearly 1600 members are pretty amazing, and help BikePGH accomplish our mission in so many ways.

Salty signed up for the calculator because he thought it would be a fun way to track his miles. And what a bonus that these tracked miles are not  tracked in vain, but for the greater good. The Car Free Calculator is all about showing what our collective effort can amount to. “Although my daily commute isn’t long enough for me to crack the top 10, it’s still cool to watch the miles add up,” he says. He has also proof in Quicken that not driving saves him a lot of money. Selling your car, as he’s recently done, helps too. He and his wife are now a one-car family.

Since Salty’s only logged 12 walking miles, he was amused to win the prize. He admits that he likes to walk but most of the time the bike wins out because of how much faster he can get from point A to point B. But, if he’s in no hurry, he enjoys a leisurely walk from his residence to the nearby neighborhoods of Shadyside, Squirrel Hill, and Oakland.

When asked about the favorite part of his commute, Salty responded, “Beechwood Boulevard [is] fantastic both because of all the trees and the bike lane, which makes it a pretty relaxing ride.” He also likes that it’s mostly downhill in the morning and uphill at night, which better matches his moods at the bookends of the day. Salty doesn’t take for granted how easy it is for him to walk and bike to so many places. ” . . . mostly I consider myself lucky that I get to ride my bike, and occasionally walk, to work every day.”

Next target

The next raffle prize will be announced  when we reach 400 Car Free Calculator subscribers. We’re only about 50 shy. Please tell your friends to sign up to unleash the prize!

Have you signed up for the Car Free Calculator? 

Log in today!

Start tracking the miles you bike and walk to commute, run errands, and shop. The Calculator is another form of advocacy to show that better conditions for pedestrians and bicyclists are an important matter for people in our region. As we reach certain milestones you have a chance to win raffle prizes from local businesses. The more  you track your miles the better your chances of winning. For more info, check out: www.carfreecalculator.org