With increasing awareness of environmental protection, more and more people around the world start to pay attention to their transport habits. This is why different initiatives are being emerged in order to encourage us to use bicycles. One of them is an International Winter Bike to Work Day.
The idea is connected with Bike to Work Day – an annual event originated by the League of American Bicyclists in 1956. In different countries it is observed on different months, but the winter edition aims at convincing people, that it is good to use a bicycle even in this part of the year. Participating in an event has only positive consequences – people who use their bicycles instead of cars or other means of transport are healthier, happier, and take care of our planet.
Winter Bike to Work Day (as well as Winter Bike to School Day) is usually held on the second Friday of February. An official website of the event encourages everyone to sign up and provides a leaderboard showing which cities around the world have the most participants. The ranking allows to notice that people who sign up come from countries such as Canada, United States, Russia, Croatia, Germany, Poland and many other countries. The fact that people are likely to use their bicycles to get to work or school even in bad weather conditions makes authorities in these countries wonder how to make it easier for the cyclists. Due to the increasing interest in riding a bicycle in the winter, special winter bike tires are now offered by different stores. What is more, the United Nations General Assembly expressed its support for cycling and declared June 3 as International World Bicycle Day. This shows how popular winter cycling is becoming nowadays.
Did you know?
Every year more and more people support the idea of getting to work by bike. Even if they do not participate in an event directly, many businesses offer free breakfasts for the cyclists. The official website of the campaign gives an opportunity not only to sign up, but also to add an event, a party or a pit stop. An interactive map available on the website also allows to read some notes from the cyclists around the world.