Bike to Shop Day

Like Bike to Work Day, Bike to Shop Day is an annual program that encourages people to ride bicycles for everyday transportation as part of National Bike Month celebrations. This day is a one-day promotion to encourage people to shop by bike at local businesses. Bike to Shop Day for Silicon Valley is May 17, 2014.Shopping by bike is a great way for people to have fun and get a little exercise while taking care of our daily or weekly errands. Unlike most work commutes, most errands are local trips of under 2 miles. That's less than 15 minutes of bicycling for most people and only about 5 minutes more than a trip by car. Other benefits include:

  • Shopping by bike is an easy way to get the recommended 30 minutes a day of exercise health professionals recommend. Plus you're "double dipping" by using errand time as exercise time.

  • Bike parking is usually closer to the shop door. It's great to roll right up to premium parking.

  • Since you're buying only what you can carry, there's less temptation to buy more than you need

  • Many bike shoppers come home feeling energized instead of drained, especially after a chain of errands.

Shoppers that arrive by bike are great for local businesses. Where parking is limited, having people arrive by bike means more customers with fewer parking spaces as well as less street congestion. Customers that shop by bike are more loyal. They shop at businesses closer to home, shop more frequently and do less shopping around for the best deal. For many shoppers, pedaling to another city to save a buck isn't worth it.

Shopping Tours for Bike to Shop Day Silicon ValleyWant to try shopping by bike in a new neighborhood? Or just want to ride and shop with other bike lovers in your area? Join one of our four Bike to Shop Day tours in three cities throughout Silicon Valley. Each ride has its own distance, style and shopping districts visited, but all are designed to let you ride a little, shop a little, ride a little, eat a little. Stops will be oriented to allow you to shop or snack at businesses offering special deals or incentives for Bike to Shop Day.

San Jose Tour #1, Caltrain Station. Starts at 10:00 am at the San Jose Diridon Caltrain Station and cruises 10 miles with stops in three shopping districts: shorter shopping stops in Willow Glen and Japantown, plus a longer lunch stop on the Paseo de San Antonio in downtown San Jose. Moderate to low-stress route includes off-street bike trails and bike lanes where possible, with some shared lanes on city streets. Returns to Caltrain Station for 2pm train. Tour leader: Janet Lafleur.

San Jose Tour #2, Naglee Park. Starts 10:30 am at House of Bagels in Naglee Park and cruises 5 miles with stops in two shopping districts: a shopping and coffee stop in Japantown, plus a lunch stop on the Paseo de San Antonio in downtown San Jose that meets up with San Jose Tour #1. Low-stress route includes off-street bike trails, bike lanes and quietest streets possible. Tour leader: Candice Stein.

Mountain View Kid-Friendly Tour. Starts 10:00 am at the Mountain View Public Library and cruises 2.5-3 miles. At the library, pump up your tires at the new bike repair station and pick up your goody bag, then cruise over to Diddam's for special kid-friendly offers. Then roll downtown to finish with an ice cream stop at Ava’s Market and shopping on Castro Street. Family-oriented route chosen by and tour led by a League of American Bicyclists Certified Instructor. Tour leader: Winona Hubbard. 

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SVBC San Mateo County Committee minutes April 3, 2014

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Talk with state representatives at California Bike Advocacy Day