Baltimore, MD (May 15, 2015) – Today, Department of Transportation Director William M. Johnson joined bicycling enthusiasts to celebrate national Bike to Work Day. Celebrations were held this morning at various commuter stations throughout the city. Over 400 cyclists registered for Baltimore City's event, which is the highest number of registered participants in central Maryland.

This year marked the 18th annual Bike to Work Day celebration held in Baltimore, which originated back in 1956. Bike to Work Day events are held annually across the United States and Canada to promote cycling as a viable option for commuting to work.

"Bike to Work Day is an excellent way to encourage citizens to use alternative modes of transportation," said Director Johnson. "The City of Baltimore is making significant progress in becoming bicycle friendly, and we are committed to providing a safe and sustainable multi-modal transportation system. With the recent adoption of the 2015 Bike Master Plan, Baltimore will continue to implement programs that make the city safer for cyclists."

To promote Bike to Work Day in Baltimore, the Department of Transportation organized a number of cycle "commuter stations" at various downtown locations. These stations made it easy for cyclists to participate, by providing a number of convenient locations in the downtown area.

Sponsors of the commuter stations included:

Baltimore City Department of Transportation
750 East Pratt Street and Hord Coplan Macht
Baltimore Bicycle Works
Baltimore National Aquarium
Baltimore City Red Line
Joe's Bike Shop of Mt. Washington
Johns Hopkins Homewood Campus
Johns Hopkins East Baltimore Campus
Maryland Department of the Environment
State Highway Administration
MindGrub
University of Maryland Medical Center
Waterfront Partnership
ZipCar

In order to promote biking initiatives, the Department of Transportation continues to implement its updated Bicycle Master Plan, which will connect the city through an extensive network of bike lanes and trails. Within the past few years, 125 miles of bikeways and 41 miles of trails have been designated in the city. DOT has placed over 600 bike racks in neighborhoods throughout Baltimore for safer and more convenient bicycle parking.

The Department of Transportation also conducts bicycle commuter traffic counts in order to observe trends in Baltimore cycling. Several times a year, volunteers are stationed at various locations throughout the city to record bicycle traffic, including the number of cyclists observed, gender, helmet use and direction of travel. Since official counts began over four years ago, the City continues to see an increase in the number of cyclists and female bikers.