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• Bike Week & Commuter Challenge
• Water Transportation Awareness Week
• Best Workplaces for Commuters
• Commuter Fortune Cookie
• Lunch Time Walking Series

2010 Bike Week & MassCommuter Challenge

 

May is National Bike Month and here in Massachusetts we’re doing our part to celebrate this great event with the MassCommuter Challenge, May 17-21, 2010 during Bay State Bike Week.

The MassCommuter Challenge is a friendly competition amongst Massachusetts businesses and institutions.   Support your workplace or institutional team by pledging to bike for all or part of your regular functional trips, such as commuting to work or school or running nearby errands.  If work/school seems a little farther than you’re willing to pedal, those trips to your local mass transit station or stop count too!!    

Hop to it!  It’s time to pull that trusty steed out of the garage and begin incorporating a fun, health, non-polluting and sustainable commute into your routine!

HOW DO YOU WIN?

Companies compete against businesses and institutions of similar size.   Awards are granted based on total bike miles pledged.   The categories are below.

Teams earn “Bicycle-Friendly Bonus Points” by completing the Employer/ Institution Registration Form to list the bike-friendly amenities available at their worksite or institution.   Bonus points will be added to your team’s final score.  

Join us at the Bike Bash on May 26!

After everything is said and done, we celebrate the conclusion of the MassCommuter Challenge with the event wrap up party, the Bike Bash!  We are happy to announce that this year’s bash is proudly sponsored by our friends at Harpoon Brewery!

The MassCommuter Challenge planning teams invites all Challenge participants to join us at Flat Top Johnny’s Bar & Grill located at  One Kendall Square, Cambridge MA on Wednesday, May 26th from 5:00pm through 7:30pm.  The Bash is our opportunity to acknowledge all of the participating teams and individuals contributions to the Challenge Pledge and to award the winningest teams of 2010.  In addition, we have a crew of fantastic sponsors who are donating some great prizes towards the Bike Bash raffle which we promise you, you won’t want to miss!

 

Business & Institutional Categories # OF EMPLOYEES or STUDENT/FACULTY & STAFF

1-24 25-99 100-499 500-1,499 1,500-2,999 3,000-4,999 5,000 + Academic Small 0-999 Academic Medium 1,000-4,999 Academic Large 5,000 +

 

WHY SHOULD A BUSINESS OR INSTITUTION PARTICIPATE?

• Employee Health: Bicycling is great exercise, PERIOD!   Employees who incorporate exercise into their work day routines are more likely to be in over all good health, have less sick leave-time and report fewer workman’s compensation claims.  Lower overall healthcare-costs translates into employer cost savings.  

• Corporate Philanthropy:  Supporting bicycle commuting promotes your company’s public image as a community-oriented and environmentally responsible employer.  Your support says to the public that your company is concerned about air pollution, traffic congestion, energy use, public health and employee well-being.

• Cost-Efficiencies:  On average, the amount of space needed to accommodate one car in a parking facility is equal to the amount of space needed to accommodate twelve bicycles. Furthermore, the cost associated with one car parking space is at least ten times the cost associated with bicycle parking infrastructure.

• Zero Pollution:   The bicycle is virtually a zero-emissions form of transportation.  Since short car-trips (0-5 miles) generate a significant amount of pollution, employers and institutions can reduce their workplace’s impact on regional air quality by encouraging commuters to incorporate bicycling into trips to work, school, errands or recreational opportunities. 

• Employee Morale:  Employees who commute by bike arrive at work more alert and relaxed.  In addition, bicycle commuters recognize and appreciate the support they receive from their employer for their transportation mode.