The fourth annual Bike to Campus Week was a success!

Hosting over a dozen unique engagement opportunities, students, staff, and faculty from local colleges and universities were able to learn and take part in the many joys of bicycling during this year’s event. The week-long celebration began strong with the Pitt Bike to Campus Festival and the Carnegie Mellon University Bike Fair, then culminated with Park(ing) Day activities and a Pitt Bike Cave group ride in conjunction with the Latin American Graduate Organization of Students (LAGOS.)

With a focus on more in-person opportunities, the University of Pittsburgh Bike to Campus Fair featured some brand new events such as a bike gear and clothing swap co-hosted by ThriftsBurgh. The week at Pitt was peppered with informational sessions, both in person and virtual, on topics such as choosing a new bike, finding a career in the bike industry, and riding on The Great Allegheny Passage rail trail. The week at Pitt culminated with a Park(ing) Day installation which transformed a parking lot into a bike skill practice zone and a group ride to Highland Park with The Pitt Bike Cave and LAGOS.

Carnegie Mellon’s events kicked off on Tuesday with a Bike Fair, featuring bike maps and resources from Bike Pittsburgh, demo rides and info from POGOH, campus-specific bike info and networking, and a special appearance by none other than Scotty the mascot! Several hundred members of the CMU community came by to chat, get help and info, and get more involved in future bike efforts.

The Bike Fair segued right into Operation Illumination- this year with simultaneous events on Pitt and CMU campuses! At both locations, volunteers and staff from BikePGH, Pogoh, Pitt, and CMU gave out over a hundred free front and rear light sets and over thirty free helmets to un-lighted folks on bikes and scooters traveling on busy Forbes Ave. We also made more connections and helped dozens of commuters get questions about biking in Pittsburgh answered. This year’s Operation Illumination supplies are all thanks to the generous support of Edgar Snyder and Associates!

Wednesday and Thursday were all about biking in action, with a Campus Bike Tour showing riders the best (and not always obvious) ways to connect from campus to nearby routes, and two City Cycling classes where League Cycling Instructors from BikePGH, Pitt, and Carnegie Mellon taught students, staff, and faculty the skills and techniques to safely conquer their bike commutes on Pittsburgh’s streets.

All in all, we were able to encourage a bunch of new and seasoned riders to choose biking to campus! 

More Photos Here 📸

Bike to Campus Week, as always, was a great way to get the new semester rolling! Check out the BikePGH Flickr page for pictures from all the great events!

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