The Bike Way: May 10th

The purpose of the College Street Bike Way event is two-fold: 1) to provide a direct route to downtown along a common bike route with reduced traffic; and 2) to provide an introduction to on-street riding for people interested in participating in Bike to Work Week.

Event organizers will install "Local Access Only" signs at College St. intersections with Gilbert, Dodge, Governor, and Muscatine to reduce motor-vehicle traffic and make College St. more bike-friendly. Access to College St. will remain at all other streets.

Bike Parade from City High to College Green Park departs at 12:30 p.m.

College Green Park will serve as the hub of The Bike Way event, providing the following services:

* A Bike Prep Station: People can get their bikes ready for B2WW. Volunteers will be on-hand to check tire pressure and pump tires, adjust seat/handlebar height, attach racks/baskets, or install lights or other needs for commuting

* A Mapping Station: People can ask advice about the most bike-friendly route to to get from their house to their workplace. Volunteers familiar with biking in Iowa City will help people plan a route to work, taking into account the availability of city biking facilities and the level of skill/comfort of the rider. Maps will be provided.

* Practice Rides: Volunteers will lead small groups on practice commuter rides to help people get familiar and comfortable with the idea of commuting to work on bike.

* Commuting 101 Clinic: From 1:00 to 2:30 p.m. the Iowa City Bike Library will host a beginning bicycle commuter class. This class will focus on the very basics of bike commuting: riding with traffic, safety issues, signaling, gear, etc. The goal of this class is to make commuting more accessible to more people more of the time. Everyone is welcome; women and GLBTQ folks are encouraged to attend. This class will be taught by Erin Fleck, a long time Bike Library volunteer who commutes year round.

* A Bike Contest: Prizes will be awarded for the most unique bikes. Be creative!

* Bike and Gear Swap Meet: Clean out your shops, garages, basements and give your unused bikes and bike-related gear a new home. Buy, sell, trade. Bring your own tables. No registration required.For more info, go to www.cicbikeweek.org