National Bicycle Greenway Day
May 16, 2010
By virtue of the authority vested in me as Mayor of the City of Berkeley, I do hereby issue this proclamation honoring
NATIONAL BICYCLE GREENWAY DAY
May 16, 2010
WHEREAS, the bicycle was the first personal transportation vehicle and a century ago was an important part of American culture; and
WHEREAS, in 1884 Thomas Stevens rode a HiWheel bicycle through Berkeley on his way to Boston where he completed the very first bike ride ever made across America; and
WHEREAS, the city of Berkeley recognizes the National Bicycle Greenway (NBG) mission to build our city into its network of bike friendly roads and bicycle pathways that will connect Boston with San Francisco/Oakland; and
WHEREAS, NBG director and "Awake Again" author, Martin Krieg, daily spent hours biking the Berkeley hills as he rehabilitated from his head injury and prepared for his first bike ride across America; and
WHEREAS, the traffic calming that Berkeley long ago pioneered for the rest of America has contributed to the fact that 15% of the trips Berkeley residents make are done so on a bike; and
WHEREAS, the bike/ped bridge connecting Berkeley with its marina is a landmark piece of architecture that reminds the many tens of thousands of Interstate drivers who daily pass under it of the bicycle option.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, THE MAYOR OF Berkeley do hereby proclaim May 16, 2010 as "NATIONAL BICYCLE GREENWAY DAY" in Berkeley , CA
(signed)
Tom Bates
Mayor, Berkeley