May 17, 2010

JHU co-sponsors this week’s Baltimore Bike to Work Day

On Friday, May 21, Johns Hopkins University joins the Baltimore Metropolitan Council as a co-host of the Greater Baltimore region’s annual Bike to Work Day. This free annual event celebrates bicycle commuting and all of its direct and indirect benefits.

JHU will host a rally point from 7 to 9 a.m. on the Homewood campus (on the lawn in front of the south-facing side of Mason Hall), where participants can gather, stretch and enjoy light refreshments and the company of fellow bikers. Registered participants also will receive a complimentary T-shirt and be entered to win cycling-related prizes.

University administrators say they chose to participate in the event because commuting by bike is a fun, inexpensive, clean and healthy way to get to and from work, offering wellness benefits to the individual, university and community. Arriving at work energized benefits both employer and employee, participants improve their physical and mental well-being and save time by combining their workout and commute, and bike riding reduces the strain on both the environment and traffic infrastructure. Single-occupancy vehicles produce 20 percent of ozone-emission pollution in the Baltimore area, and motor vehicles in general contribute 30 percent of the emissions that dirty the air.

Registration for the event and bicycle safety information are available online.