The Top  10 feature has gone kaput

According to our sources, “the data collection component of the top 10 process is probably still working but it’s taking so long the the web server is timing out waiting for the database call to return results.” In other words, 130,000 + miles logged was more than version 1.0 could handle. Way to go!

Pittsburgh  1         Car Free Calculator  0

On that note BikePGH has another calculator that’s about ready to launch with the upcoming  introduction of a new Car Free Calculator and the National Bike Commuter Challenge!  This version will tie Pittsburgh cyclists in with commuters around the country; allowing us to log miles and see how we fair as individuals, teams or a whole city against the rest of the nation.  Sure the competition will be obvious and fun, but our focus is still on the Pittsburgh community coming together making a difference. Hold on to your saddles, the official announcement is around the corner.

Spring is here!

And in it’s honor we have some exciting news to kick-off the upcoming season of bike commuting.  During the depths of those long mid-winter nights we clicked to 498 users of our Car Free Calculator and we had a new raffle winner too!

Let us extend a sincere congratulation to the winner of a delicious $30 gift certificate to Piper’s Pub, Eric Schmadel!  With a 17.4-mile commute between a fulltime job and a fulltime course load, this commuter can use it.

Even though his packed schedule has him pedaling all over Westmoreland County, Eric says that riding his bike “makes [him] feel like a kid again” because he grew up riding consistently from second grade through college.  However, as we too often hear, jobs and other commitments had him off his bike for over decade, even though his thoughts were there each day.

“Now that I’m back in the saddle, I get out around 5 a.m. and I have the run of my town because there’s almost nobody out.  I get to explore alleys that I never even knew existed because I never had occasion to take them.  I also think about how I used to know every crack in every sidewalk in my hometown and I like that I’m starting to notice things like that again.”

Eric is a self-described “message board lurker” and was intrigued by the Car Free Calculator, “I know its not a competition, but I just wanted to see how I stacked up against other commuters.”  As the calculator has shown, he’s in good company.

Building the bicycle user community in Pittsburgh

 Throughout 2011, Bike Pittsburgh worked to bring about a sense of community among all types of Pittsburgh pedalers in every way we could. On the web, Bike Pittsburgh message board is an open forum where bike-lovers can find news, information, events or just fun facts about every kind of riding in the Pittsburgh area and beyond.  Also, The Car Free Calculator has allowed cyclists like Eric to keep in touch with fellow commuters and build the bond that a bicycle can bring.

Bike Pittsbugh also tries to bring people together with events like BikeFest and Car Free Fridays, which is gearing up for its 4th year of encouraging people to test out alternative modes of transportation.  In previous years, Car Free Fridays events have brought us very successful stories of BikePGH collaborating with Pittsburgh area businesses, organizations, and neighborhoods to reduce the number of single-occupant vehicle use on Fridays, or any day throughout the year.  We’ve seen hundreds of people try something different on a Friday and we know that this year will be even more successful.  Stay tuned to future blog post to learn how to make the most of your Car Free Fridays.

 It’s always inspiring for us to hear how people are stitching bicycles into their day-to-day.  It encourages us all to keep riding one pedal over the last.  Again, congratulations to Eric Schmadel for being this raffle’s winner, and thank you to all Pittsburgh pedalers for sharing your stories.  We look forward to seeing you all out aht and abaht!

Not a member of BikePGH? Become one today! We need you! Bike Pittsburgh works to protect bicyclists’ rights and promote the vision of making Pittsburgh a truly safe, inviting place ride. For more info, visit: www.bike-pgh.org/membership or to donate over and above membership click here.