DRCOG rolls out enhancements for Bike to Work Day and earns May Bicycle Friendly Business of the Month honors.

Clif Bar and BikeDenver are pleased to announce Denver Regional Council of Government (DRCOG) as the May Bicycle Friendly Business of the Month. The Denver Regional Council of Governments, or DRCOG, brings together city and county governments and other interested groups in the metro area each year to plan Bike to Work Day as a way of raising awareness of bicycle commuting. DRCOG is headquarted in Denver.

BikeDenver’s Bicycle Friendly Business (BFB) of the Month Awards help highlight organizations that are making standout contributions and offering great success stories from among BikeDenver’s Bicycle Friendly Business (BFB) Program members. The BFB program, with 100 honorees to-date, recognizes businesses, organizations and workplaces that are leading the way to make bicycling an easy and accepted form of transportation in Denver. Nominate a workplace as a Bicycle Friendly Business here. 

What’s the story? The Denver Regional Council of Governments (DRCOG) is presenting a greener and more focused Bike to Work Day! Two big improvements presented for 2010 are the brand-new, functionally enhanced website, and mission statement.  The new website offers online registration for companies and individuals, the opportunity to organize and publicize group rides, create communities and the opportunity for breakfast/bike home stations to add themselves and information about their offerings to the online map, making sure that cyclists have the most up-to-the-minute information on all Bike to Work Day activities. Materials are provided in downloadable format, making the event more eco-friendly. 

How did they do it? Designing and deploying the new website involved substantial effort from almost every division at DRCOG: transportation and GIS planners, communications staff and RideArrangers staff, not to mention IT and administrative support. The vision for the new site website took shape through discussions in a working group hosted by DRCOG and made up of representatives from local governments and biking interest groups, as well as some members of the business community.   The working group also created a new mission statement (click here for the full story) to re-focus the event on getting people to try riding their bikes on Bike to Work Day and more throughout the year.  Bike to Work Day is a regional event which draws more than 29,000 riders and 1,000 organizations to participate each year.  DRCOG takes pride in acting as the convening organization, soliciting regional sponsors, providing the website and customer service for registrants, creating an array of promotional materials and hosting working group meetings to bring interested organizations to the planning table. Everyone is invited to ride their bikes and “Make a Fun Shift!”

What people are saying:

Keri Olmstead, Bike to Work Day Coordinator – “We have exciting changes this year and I feel they will be beneficial to the event and really further the goal of getting people to ride their bikes more throughout the year.”

Piep van Heuven, Executive Director BikeDenver – “We are very excited about the new website and its added features, as well as the tone and look of the promotional materials that will support Bike to Work Day efforts this year.  The changes will benefit everyone in the community, from participants, to those of us on the planning end, the media, and the residents and communities that will learn about the benefits of biking via these efforts.  Thanks, DRCOG, you hit a home run!”

What makes DRCOG a great bike-friendly workplace? Linda Dowlen, Transportation Demand Management Program Manager, says - “Being a bicycle-friendly business can be easy, and DRCOG certainly walks the walk. Some employers may only need to provide employees a map of nearby bike racks. DRCOG has taken an extra step by providing bike lockers and working with the health club here in the building to offer affordable shower availability. Whether it’s a small first step or a major accommodation, employers who encourage bicycling to work will find they need less parking and have healthier employees.”