Michiana Bike to Work Week 2012, on the heels of Bike the Bend, kicks off Monday, May 21^st and continues into the Memorial Day weekend through Sunday, May 27^th throughout the Michiana area. Events for the week include activities for commuting adults, competitive teams, school children, a ride-in luncheon, and an organic blueberry pancake breakfast.

Anyone can join the fun and compete on mileage individually or as teams for recognition and sponsor discounts by registering with friends and co-workers at michianabiketowork.org

Tuesday, May 22^nd brings the most popular event of Bike to Work Week, the Organic Blueberry Pancake Breakfast, starting at 7 a.m. and running through

9 a.m., sponsored by 1^st Source Bank and hosted by LaSalle Grill. In addition, a bicycle-decorating contest will be judged at 8:00 a.m. during the pancake breakfast. Should it rain, the entire breakfast event schedule will be moved to Wednesday, May 23^rd.

School kids can join the fun on Bike to School Day, Thursday, May 24^th. Children are encouraged to ride to school with friends, providing their schools pre-approve riding to their particular school as safe.

Friday, May 25^th is the annual bike to lunch feature event, located on the College Football Hall of Fame gridiron in downtown South Bend. The event offers cyclist fellowship and special visits by local supporting dignitaries. Lunches will be available for purchase on-site.

About 70 cyclists, along with over a dozen walkers/runners, and motor vehicles joined in the procession meant to draw attention to the need for all users to share the roadway and crosswalks. The procession concluded at the County-City building in downtown South Bend where there was a press conference, and short speeches by local dignitaries. The gathered crowd seemed especially inspired by the words of Yatish Yoshi, the chairman of the event.  I am re-printing his speech below, and it is well worth reading.

Let it be known to humanity of mankind, to citizens of South Bend, Mishawaka, St. Joseph County and all surrounding counties and cities: we as bicyclists, we as walkers and runners, we as wheel chair users, are here to stay. We as motorists and motorcyclists are here to stay.  The roads and streets belong to all of us: bicyclists, motorists, walkers/runners, motorcyclists, wheel chair users. We all must feel safe all the time while we are using the roads/streets/sidewalks/bike paths and trails.

Hi, my name is Yatish Joshi, appointed Chair of the Procession Committee. The Procession Committee came about because various groups and citizens in our community wanted to raise the awareness “Share the Road….Every Life Counts”.

The fact is that accidents will happen: the most important thing is how we as individuals and citizens of our community can reduce the number of accidents; how we can make our community, our city, our state, our nation and world as a whole a better place to live where everyone can enjoy their freedom: freedom to walk, freedom to ride bicycles, freedom to drive motor vehicles.

As Louise Addicott said “It is not what we can do for ourselves but what we can do for others: that is what matters”.

The accidents of Steve Carey, a bicyclist hit by a car from behind in St. Joseph County, and Edna Mast, a motorist who was hit by a semi-truck from behind in Goshen while stopping for a bicyclist: they both were killed and are the catalysts for this procession. We as individuals and as community have to take these accidents as a starting point and make our community better. And by doing that, bicyclists, motorists and walkers/runners all can coexist side by side and share the road. It is not about “them” vs. “us”. We as a community, we as news media, we as elected officials must focus dialog and solutions on a common approach that all users of the roads can live by.

As Martin Luther King Jr. said “I have a dream……” and yes, we all are here because we also have a dream to make our communities, our cities better places to live. Another great man said “We as an ordinary people have a capacity to do extra ordinary things” and that we shall do.

I will now present to you Mike Keen, Office of Sustainability, Indiana University-South Bend, Alfred Guillaume, Vice Chancellor, IUSB, representing area higher education institutions, Hodge Patel, representing Congressman Joe Donnelly, and our Mayor Pete Buttigieg.

Thank you for believing in yourself and having a dream.

May – all month. South Bend Bike Month, as proclaimed by Mayor Pete of South Bend. And, of course, National Bike Month and Indiana Bike Month.

May 2- Mishawaka & South Bend. The Share The Road…Every Life Counts procession. This procession is an outgrowth of cyclists wanting to give final respects to Steven Carey, an area biker who was recently struck and killed by a motorist. But further, the cyclists wanted to raise awareness that roads and crosswalks are to be shared by a lot of folks: cars, motorcyclists, pedestrians, people with disabilities, even infants in strollers.

May 20 – South Bend, Mishawaka, St. Joseph County.  Bike the Bend. This will be the third year for this event, which is causing a lot of excitement in St. Joseph County and beyond. It is a unique, non-competitive bicycle tour for all ages and skill levels – riding side-by-side on vehicle-restricted streets. Riders may start and stop at any point along the 34-mile route. Highlights are St. Patrick’s County Park, the St. Joseph River, Monkey Island, historic neighborhoods, Potawatomi Park and Zoo, Northern Indiana Center for History/Studebaker National Museum, the Indiana University South Bend campus, Kamm Island, Beutter Park and Eberhart-Petro Golf Course. Overnight camping is available at St. Patrick’s Park, the northern terminus of the ride. Last year there were 1,926 registered riders coming from 7 states.  Within the state of Indiana, there were registered riders from 17 counties. Bike the Bend is the kickoff event for Michiana Bike to Work Week.

May 20 – Elkhart. The city is inviting people to try three newly established bicycle routes through Elkhart  from 2:00 – 5:00 pm. Riders are meeting at NIBCO Water and Ice Park on the Riverwalk in downtown Elkhart. Cyclists who are considering riding their bicycle to work, will get a chance to experience the Elkhart routes and make suggestions to the city. The city is in the process of making maps available online at the city’s web site www.ElkhartIndiana.org.

May 21 – 25. Michiana Bike to Work Week is the oldest annual urban event in the area. The main highlight is the Corporate Challenge, where teams compete for bragging rights based on how many miles a team can log on their bikes (even public transit miles counts as a bike miles!). In 2011, colleges led the way with three teams in the top ten: Notre Dame, Indiana University at South Bend, and Goshen College. Other highlights of the week are the Tuesday Organic blueberry pancake breakfast, free to those on a bike, and Bike to School Day on May 24.

Goshen. A repeat of last year’s Mayor’s Ride is being planned, but details are forthcoming.

The St. Joseph County Parks Foundation and the Friends of the Pumpkinvine have each received $1,000 from the BMC to support development of their trails.

The Parks Foundation will use the funds for development of the IN-MI Trail, to help fill in the gap between Niles, Mich. and Roseland, Ind. The Park’s segment of this trail, the LaSalle Trail, has not yet started construction, and the BMC donation will be added to their trust fund earmarked for the trail.

The Pumpkinvine Nature Trail meanders between Goshen, Middlebury and Shipshewana in Elkhart County: they will use the funds to help close gaps in the trail. Currently under construction is a 1.2 mile section near Middlebury.

These donations support the BMC’s objectives of encouraging bicycling for commuting and recreation; expanding and improving bicycle infrastructure; and educating citizens and government about bicycle safety, laws and the benefits of cycling. Since the BMC’s inception in 2008, $11,481 has been contributed in cash. This cash has gone to the St. Joseph County Parks, South Bend Bicycle Network, IN-MI Trail, Friends of Granger Paths, and Friends of the Pumpkinvine. In addition to funding and organizing Michiana Bike to Work Week, the coalition has assisted the City of South Bend in developing their bike infrastructure, and cooperated with area non-profits in orchestrating cycling events and providing helmets and bike safety classes for third grade students in area schools.

Sources of funding for the BMC are private and corporate gifts, and an annual fund-raising event. Anyone wishing to make a gift to further the BMC mission can do so at this web site through PayPal, by simply clicking the “PayPal Donate” button at the top right of the page. The coalition is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, and donations are generally  tax deductible. Contributors may direct the BMC to allocate the funds to one of three specific objectives: Infrastructure, Safety, or Events, by mentioning that in the donate window. Contributions may also be made by a check payable to Bike Michiana Coalition, and mailed to BMC, 66841 Walnut Rd., Walkerton, IN 46574.

Wednesday, May 2nd

Call for Riders, Walkers, Drivers and Wheelchair Users in South Bend, Indiana

A coalition of local citizens seeking to promote road-sharing awareness and enhance area transportation safety announces its inaugural Share the Road….Every Life Counts procession, Wednesday, May 2. This event is the first of its kind featuring a positive, proactive approach to urge road-sharing awareness. All citizens are encouraged to join the Share the Road….Every Life Counts procession.

The procession can be joined by bicyclists, motorcyclists and motorists at the Medical Plaza parking lot immediately north of the Indiana 23 Toll Road overpass at 5:30 p.m. Citizens wishing to walk, parents with strollers and wheelchair users will meet at Howard Park at 6:15.

Both legs of the procession will conclude at the north side of the County-City building in downtown South Bend. A news conference highlighting the need for understanding and mutual respect among public transportation pathway users will be held at 7:00 p.m. and will feature procession organizers, Mayor Pete Buttigieg, and other elected officials.

For more information please contact Yatish Joshi at yjoshi@gtacontainers.com or at
(574) 288-3459.

A special press conference will be held, and the center of the news will be bicycles! The announcement will take place at Noon, April 24th at Jon Hunt Plaza (in front of the Morris Performing Arts Center).  Please save the date and bring your bike. If this press conference is like the ones held in the past, the TV stations will want footage of people on bikes, and the more bikes, the better.

The purpose of the announcement is to:  proclaim May 2012 as bike month in South Bend, announce upcoming events in May, including Bike the Bend (May 20) and Bike to Work Week (May 21-25), and note other recent City of South Bend bicycling related accomplishments.

If you’d like to participate, enter the park through the gate off of SR2. The gate is just west of the Bosch facility. They will meet at the Otahnagon Shelter area.

They have all the tools needed to build the trail, and volunteers just need to bring a pair of gloves to help out. They will have water and lunch for everyone. Spring time is the best time to build trail so come out an give them a hand!

If you want to get a better understanding of what they are doing when building the trail, check out the following video:

For any additional information, please contact NIMBA president, John Marquardt at the following email address: NIMB.BIKE@GMAIL.COM

New Wayfinding signs have been recently installed, joining the Bicycle Friendly Community signs which were erected earlier this spring.

A South Bend Bicycle Wayfinding Committee looked at several sign formats used in United States and European cities before selecting the final design. Chris Dressel, South Bend Bicycle Coordinator stated that the installed signs represent just the first phase of the project, and cover two bike routes: 1) University of Notre Dame to Downtown South Bend (via Colfax Avenue and Notre Dame Avenue), and 2) Riverside Trail from Darden Road to Angela Blvd. A total of twenty-four signs have been installed in Phase I, which consists of 16 decision signs and 8 confirmation signs. Mike Divita, a South Bend Planner who worked closely with the Wayfinding Committee compares the sign system to other U.S. cities and believes it is second to none.

Dressel thanked the Bike Michiana Coalition, Bike the Bend, and Grass Roots Media for providing support for the first phase and making planning for the next phase possible. The Bike Michiana Coalition and Bike the Bend, each contributed $2,500 to subsidize the signs.

Judy Lee, BMC President’s reaction was immediate. She said it is “like a dream. The hard work of so many is becoming reality.” Betsy Kwiatkowski  exclaimed in an e-mail “I’ve already seen one sign and it looked awesome!” Glenda Lamont, of Bike the Bend agrees that it is “very good news indeed”, and already is looking forward to Phase II.

Although Michiana continues to make progress toward safer cycling, our community has suffered numerous such car vs bicycle tragedies, and it is clear that much work is still needed.

We offer our deepest condolences to Steven’s friends and family, and we also reflect upon previous Michiana fatalities.

In 2008 we lost cyclist Patrick Sawyer to a drunk driver. His widow, Nancy, recently created a video tribute to her late husband. With the video, she highlights the severe personal toll of drunk driving, and she makes a personal plea for safer cycling in Michiana.

Bikes on an Amtrak Train

As a bicyclist, you know how difficult it can be to transport your bicycle.  The League of Michigan Bicyclists is currently circulating a petition to allow bicycles on Amtrak trains without taking them apart.

The petition says “Seamless multi-modal connections are essential to a sustainable 21st century transportation system. It should be easy for travelers to make connections from one mode of transportation to another”.

Michiana cyclists are encouraged to learn more about the issue and sign the petition. You don’t need to be a Michigan resident to sign.  Click here to take the next step.