Major events --cycling encouragement to reduce traffic congestion

[shootingstar]

Impressive Crankin that some restaurants offer bike parking for certain events. I just got a notice from local cycling group for informal celebration event for opening of city's first separated bike lane. The group plans to drop by a local pub to prove to the owner that cyclists are customers, that they don't take away business because of a bike lane installation.

I'm just curious because it would require event organizers to even think about need for traffic management and offer options to get to the destination.

I've never been to LA, only San Franscisco. So not even thinking of cycling to a casual large outdoor play or outdoor concert?

Vancouver just had their annual jazz festival last weekend. It's downtown (and also accessible by light rail transit/buses). Bike valet parking below. Plus there were tons of spectators just standing with their bikes or hanging out, listening to the free concerts.

There are also (fee-based) Shakespearean plays on for several weeks every summer by the ocean shoreline. There's bike parking.

Calgary is behind VAncouver in bike culture, infrastructure but they make absolutely sure there is bike valet parking in the park for the folk music festival since it's a huge event. OTherwise it is a problem to plan parking. Just a few days after the flood, there were volunteers for the folk festival, cleaning up the flooded park area where the event may be held in 1 month. This same park area hosts every weekend different large public festivals and events. Not every event has bike parking, because yes, it requires volunteers/someone to man area. (But I think more enjoyable than standing around directing cars to parking lots with the fumes around..)

Vancouver's annual folk music festival is even larger and offers a ton of bike parking which also gets heavily used. Several VAncouver farmers' markets have been providing bike valet parking for the last few years. From what I noticed for last few years, Calgary has just begun in the direction.

[OakLeaf]

There's one event in Columbus that offers a free bike corral, but that's done by the event organizers, not by the city. The music festival is one with a distinct political bent (it's all volunteer, including the bands, and community organizations are invited to set up information and fundraising booths), and they've had the bike corral as an environmental initiative since long before the park's neighborhood was gentrified, the festival's popularity exploded, and car parking in the area became completely insane.



... you know, though, I'm going to suggest a bike train to the organizers of the other music festival I went to last month. It's a small but crazy great festival about 12-15 miles from a university town, 10-12 miles on either side from any hotels or motels, but directly ON a MUP. They've partnered with local environmental organizations to target zero solid waste from the festival - all food vendors are required to use either compostable or recyclable containers and tableware, beer is sold in reusable mugs only, and I think they achieved over 90% waste recovery this year. They offer carbon offsets that go back into local environmental initiatives. This year was the first year I went (but I *will* be back!), and it seemed to me that only about half of the attendees camped, and the rest were mostly nearby residents who commuted in their cars. There were only a handful of bikes, and I'm guessing most of those were people who lived closer in. I would've been uncomfortable riding back to my hotel alone at 1 or 2 a.m., but riding back with a group would've been a great way to wind down each night. But it would strictly be an environmental thing - the festival is so small that there was no traffic whatsoever, other than getting out of the parking lot on the last day.

[Jolt]

The Common Ground Country Fair in Unity, ME encourages cycling to the fair and has "park and bike" areas for those of us who live too far away to ride from home--beats the heck out of sitting in the HUGE (miles long) line of cars waiting to get in. The Bicycle Coalition of Maine has bike valet parking and they have a bunch of people cheering and ringing cowbells whenever someone rides up to their parking area!

[shootingstar]

The Bicycle Coalition of Maine has bike valet parking and they have a bunch of people cheering and ringing cowbells whenever someone rides up to their parking area!

Hope they get enough each event.
Occasionally sometimes bike parking valet areas, offer a raffle. At the farmers' markets, you can donate some change money..convenient after people finish shopping.

An event doesn't need to be environmentally focused or whatever to attract cycling as an option. As I said, for outdoor Shakespearean plays, etc.

Outdoor events are a convenient, tippy-toe way for event organizers to try bike parking/encourage cycling: people might be less fussy worrying about sweat, looking very formal, etc. when arriving ... If you are older than the hip younger generation, arriving by bike, would slash those stereotypes about the aging folks.