As of this afternoon there were 189 people pre-registered for the first ever Grand Rapids Bike Summit, this Friday, April 24th at Loosemore Auditorium on the downtown GVSU campus. Due to the deadline of the catering service, free registration will stop at 200 225 and any attendees after that will have to sign-up on the day of the event and pay a $10 fee for the box lunch. The capacity of Loosemore Auditorium is only 232, so get there early if you’re not pre-registered.
I’m very excited that over 200 people will be joining us to kick off our effort to make Grand Rapids bicycle friendly. Back in the early planning stages, our committee was optimistically hoping to get 100-150. I think this really shows that the demand for increased access to bicycling for transportation and recreation is there. We just need to help our cities and the county along in developing and implementing a solid bicycle plan, make the case for building complete streets, and work to nurture new bicyclists and get more people out riding! The City of Grand Rapids is well on it’s way, with a new Bicycle Plan being drafted through the Green Grand Rapids master planning process and using input from this summit.
After the Bike Summit, there are more things planned, with the start of my PedalGR rides and the first ever Mayor’s Bike Ride on May 6th at 6:30 at John Ball Park! With a short kid’s ride at 6pm, kid’s activities during the adult ride, and a bike polo demostration afterwards, this promises to be a fantastic event! Mark your calendar and join hundreds of your closest friends and the Mayor! Longer routes will also be available for those that want to continue after the 5 mile ride with Mayor Heartwell.
Also, there are still plenty of spaces in my Smart Cycling – Street Skills 101 courses.
I am ecstatic at the possibilities for bicycling Grand Rapids!!!
