Greenbelt was bustling with bicycles on Friday, May 19, as local riders of all ages converged at Roosevelt Center for Bike to Work Day, which expected to see around 14,000 commuters participating across the region this year at 107 pit stops.
This is the 11th year the city has hosted a pit stop, and more than 140 people signed up to stop by, according to Di Quynn Reno, the Community Center supervisor. Greenbelt’s pit stop is fully sponsored – participants received a free T-shirt and were treated to muffins, fruit and a free coffee as well as raffle prizes. The city also set up a water station so those passing through could refill. “Greenbelt is one of our premier pit stops,” said Nicholas Ramfos, director of Commuter Connections at the Metropolitan Washington Council of Gov-ernments, which organizes the regional event with the Washington Area Bicyclist Association.
The first convoy of about 15 bikes left Greenbelt for D.C. at 7 a.m. after a series of stretches led by Sage Garrettson. The convoy was led by Proteus Bicycles’ Jeff Lemieux, and Paul and Priya Lemieux, also from Proteus Bicycles, were on hand performing free tune-ups and checks for anyone interested.
Residents and local officials expressed a variety of reasons for using bicycles as transportation, but most agreed that the best benefits were cost savings, reduced traffic congestion and improved health.
“Bike to Work Day is such an important regional event where we can take time out and enjoy the outdoors. It also relieves congestion, is good for the environment and has many health benefits,” said Greenbelt Mayor and cyclist Emmett Jordan, who left with the 7 a.m. convoy.
Jan-Michael Archer, who had his bike tuned up at the pit stop, commutes by bike to College Park most days because of its sustainability, and for the exercise.
Archer’s sentiment was echoed by Jackson Tan, a member of the GHI Bicycle Committee, who bikes to work from Greenbelt to the Goddard campus two or three times a week. “It’s a friendly way to commute and also saves money and keeps me healthy,” said Tan.
Aileen Kroll, who moved to the D.C. metro area in 2008 because she wanted to live a car-free lifestyle, said, “I bike everywhere because my bike is my car!”
District 22 Delegate Ashanti Martinez, himself an avid cyclist, stopped by to encourage bike commuters and support alternative forms of transportation. “Bike to Work Day is a great opportunity to speak about the importance of multimodal transportation and investments in infrastructure that all people can feel safe using,” Martinez said.
Safety was also on the mind of Kiara Thomas, who commutes most days from the area near Eleanor Roosevelt High School to her job in Beltway Plaza on her Jetson e-bike. She usually uses Spellman Overpass and cuts through Old Greenbelt to avoid as much of Greenbelt Road as she can, because even with the bike lane, “It’s a little scary,” she says.
When asked what she’d like motorists to know about sharing the road with cyclists, she said, “Don’t speed up when you pass us because the gust of wind from the car can throw you off balance. Slow down, and then speed up once you pass us.”
But, overall, Thomas loves commuting by bike. “My commute is more relaxed, and you get to see more of your neighborhood,” she said.
