An illustration from Long Beach’s Bike Saturdays.
Want to encourage more people to ride bikes in and around Albany? Check out what “Bike Long Beach” publicizes there, in Southern California.
Not too long ago Jim Lawrence, a member of the Albany Bicycle and Pedestrian Commission, was wondering what else could be done to encourage more routine bike transportation around town. I was thinking of that when I came across a reference on the blog “BikingInLA.” The reference was to Bike Saturday in Long Beach. There, the local bicycle advocacy group has arranged for dozens of businesses all over town to offer discounts and other special deals to customers who come on their bikes on Saturdays.
The organization’s website has maps showing the locations of all those places, ranging from coffee houses and barber shops to interior decorating stores and anything else you can think of. Each site details the nature of the offer, usually 10 to 20 percent off. Participating businesses have decals, so cyclists can find them even without the map.
Don’t tell me — I know: We’re not in California and Albany is not Long Beach. We have nasty weather to worry about, among other things. Still, businesses looking for a gimmick to draw customers might want to check out Long Beach’s Bike Saturday. What could it hurt?
