Summer is here and we are already seeing lots of people out on their bikes. We have some great events coming up to get you to go by bike.

Thanks for the opportunity to comment on the draft 2015 – 2018 Transportation Improvement Program (TIP).  Through this process approximately $25 million per year of Federal transportation dollars will be allocated to road, non-motorized, and congestion/air quality improvement projects in Anchorage and Eagle River.   As an organization whose mission is to make Anchorage more bicycle friendly, we find a lot to like in the proposed allocation:

BCA’s 5th Annual Winter Bike Fest is coming. For the month of February, BCA will be celebrating all things bike with rides, movies, slideshows and the first ever Winter Bike to Work Day. We look forward to this series of events and connecting with our great BCA supporters.

At the start of 2014, a long-time commuter, Eldridge Griffith, was stuck and killed by a motorist. This tragedy strikes all of us at our core. And serves as a stark and solemn reminder that what BCA is about and what we are striving for in Anchorage are important to everyone in this city. With any tragedy like this, the effects are felt across the community. Family and friends’ lives are changed. Someone dear to them is gone. And no words can really serve to address the pain and loss. For those that don’t know Mr. Griffith, the loss is a tear in the tight fabric that is the Anchorage bicycling community. BCA was created in 2008 with the mission of making Anchorage more bicycle-friendly. Our vision is a city where it is safe, convenient and desirable to go by bike. We know we have a lot of work to do. We also know that much has been accomplished to date. The city is changing, and moving in the right direction. Although, admittedly not at the rate any of us would like to see. BCA will continue, with hearts saddened by this tragic loss, to work to make Anchorage safer for everyone. With this tragedy, BCA takes time to reflect on Anchorage as a bicycle-city.

With winter biking in full force, it is time for another I Bike Anchorage by Tim Woody. We hope this latest installment inspires you to go by bike regardless of what the weather has in store.

Anchorage’s Federal Transportation Funding entity, AMATS, is currently accepting proposals for transportation infrastructure spending for 2015-16. We at your favorite non-profit all-volunteer organization – Bicycle Commuters of Anchorage – plan to submit a variety of bike infrastructure proposals. To help shape this request we’d like to hear from you!