April 2021 – In March, Plan Hillsborough staff participated in Love to Ride’s Tampa Bay Bike Challenge along with 37 other workplaces. Bike/Walk Tampa Bay organized the event, and Plan Hillsborough placed first in its size category. With overwhelming participation, the agency also managed to outride many larger organizations. Overall, participants in the challenge rode 111,441 miles with a total of 584 people taking part.
The Tampa Bay Bike Challenge is a fun, free competition between workplaces to see who can earn the most points for riding and encouraging others during the month of March. Participation is simple:
- Individuals must only ride for ten minutes to earn points and enter into prize drawings
- Encouragement is at the core of the Challenge and is the best way to earn the most points
- Everyone can join in – it does not matter if someone rides every day or has not been on a bike in years
As Plan Hillsborough celebrates its success, it is also preparing for its next challenge.
“May is National Bike Month,” MPO Principal Planner Lisa K. Silva, AICP, PLA told the Plan Hillsborough team. “Keep those tires pumped up… Love to Ride will be promoting cycling in May, too.”
Ms. Silva helped coordinate bike rides with the agency’s Vision Zero planning partners. A multiagency, community-led effort, Vision Zero aims to reduce pedestrian fatalities in the Tampa Bay area.
Principal Planner Wade Reynolds, AICP, who plans projects related to walking, bicycling, regional and local trails, spearheaded the agency’s participation in the Love the Ride Challenge. To participate in Love to Ride’s National Bike Month Challenge, visit its website at https://bit.ly/3d1u9vN.
