The city of Tempe is on the look out for a few good riders.
Tempe is currently conducting its nomination process for the annual Bike Hero Award, a prize given to a resident or organization that continually uses a bicycle as a means of transportation.
Nominations have been accepted since July 6 and will end Dec. 31.
“We’re just looking to recognize those folks who go above and beyond using bicycling … or if they’re a bicycle-related organization and they’re really trying to get the word out about using bicycles to get around Tempe,” said Sue Taffe, community outreach coordinator for the city.
Last year’s winner was The Bicycle Cellar in Tempe.
Located at Tempe Transit Center, the Bicycle Cellar opened in August 2009 and provides customers with secure indoor parking for their bikes.
Co-owner Joseph Perez said he thinks city officials are leading the way for a more sustainable transportation model in the state by focusing on adding bike lanes to major roads and including them in all new construction.
“All those things contribute to a transportation system that gives people options rather than just exclusively the car,” he said.
The award began in 2008, and the first winner was the Tempe Bicycle Action Group, a nonprofit that promotes bicycle awareness and coordinates group rides throughout the city.
Tempe Bicycle Action Group member and ASU biology graduate student Rebecca Clark said the group also works with the city to assist in advising on bike, pedestrian and other alternative transportation construction projects.
Winning the award was an example of the good working relationship the group has with the city, Clark said.
“It was really great to have that kind of recognition from the city … there’s not a lot of other places that have that kind of relationship between bicycling organizations and city government,” she said.
Clark said she thinks Tempe has been very progressive in terms of recognizing the importance of alternative forms of transportation, and names the Orbit bus system as an example of that.
Perez named many Bicycle Cellar members who incorporate bicycling into their everyday lives.
“A lot of the bike heroes in Tempe are really unsung,” he said. “You don’t really see them, you don’t know who they are.”
Choosing to bicycle lessens your impact on the environment and society as a whole, Perez said, and frees up money which would otherwise be spent on gas, insurance or a car payment.
“That money is money you can spend on something else,” he said.
Reach the reporter at anatwood@asu.edu
