May is Bike Month in Cleveland Heights

For the third year in a row, Cleveland Heights City Council has declared May Bike Month. Each year, the array of Bike Month activities in our city and region has grown.

The heart of Bike Month is Bike-to-Work Week, May 14–18. Highlights include Bike-to-Work Day and the annual Ride of Silence to honor those killed while riding their bicycles.

Ride of Silence participants assemble at 5:45 p.m. on Wednesday, May 16, at the Whole Foods Market in University Heights. The ride starts at 6 p.m., and progresses through Cleveland Heights to the Adelbert Road entrance of University Hospitals, where bicyclists meet with others from Cleveland for a ceremony.

During morning rush hours on Bike-to-Work Day, 6:30–9:30 a.m., Friday, May 18, the Heights Bicycle Coalition, with the support of Phoenix Coffee and others, will provide a coffee station at the intersection of Edgehill and Overlook roads. Bicycle commuters are invited to stop for free coffee and edibles. Edgehill Road, between Cleveland Heights and University Circle, is one of the busiest bicycle routes in Northeast Ohio, with hundreds of bicyclists using this roadway every workday. 

Other bicycling events will occur throughout Bike Month:

  • On Thursday, May 3, at 7 p.m., the Heights Bicycle Coalition holds its first annual meeting since gaining 501(c)3 status from the IRS earlier this year. The meeting is at the Lee Road Library and includes the election of officers and board members, a progress report, a talk by newly appointed Bike Cleveland executive Jacob VanSickle, and opportunities to get involved.
  • On Wednesday, May 9, schools are invited to participate in the inaugural national Bike-to-School Day.
  • On Saturday, May 12, 10 a.m.–noon, the Heights Bicycle Coalition and the Cleveland Heights Historical Society collaborate on a free Biking Tour of Historic Districts. Meet at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 2747 Fairmount Blvd. Brief lectures describe architectural features and styles to look for in the ride's historic districts and sites. Preregister by calling the Cleveland Heights Planning Department, 216-291-4878. (Rain date is Saturday, May 26.)
  • On Friday, May 25, Fairfax Elementary School will present a Bike Rodeo to train students in safe bicycling. Fairfax is also home to a weekly after-school bicycle club from mid-April through May. These pilot programs are anticipated to spread to other schools in the future.


Bike Cleveland also lists many Bike Month events in Cleveland and the region on its web site, http://bikecleveland.org/.

Diedre McPherson

Deidre McPherson serves on the education and encouragement committee of the Heights Bicycle Coalition.

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Volume 5, Issue 5, Posted 12:20 PM, 05.01.2012