Bike to Work Day is coming to San Diego this Thursday May 18.

Bike to Work Day is a national event celebrated annually in the United States on the third Friday in May as part of National Bike Month, although it will be celebrated on a Thursday this year. Bike to Work Day was originated by the League of American Bicyclists in 1956 to increase public interest in biking and promote it as an alternative for commuting to work.

Bike to Work Day 2017 supports biking as an everyday, environmentally friendly, cost-saving commute choice, and is organized by the SANDAG iCommute program in conjunction with local jurisdictions, businesses, and other partners. The regional Bike to Work Day event offers 100 pit stops where riders can stop to pick up a free t-shirt, snacks, and receive encouragement to re-energize along the road.

As part of the outreach to employers during Bike Month, iCommute offers free mini tune-ups, bike safety classes, and guided rides designed to show groups of employees a safe route to commute to work. Organizers invite participants to get creative by decorating their bikes or coordinating a theme with coworkers.

In support of the San Diego Regional Bike to Work Day and National Bike Month in May, the SANDAG GO by BIKE and iCommute teams awarded grants of up to $3,000 for programs or projects that educate, promote, and encourage biking as an everyday transportation choice. The 2017 GO by BIKE Mini-Grant program will fund twelve projects and events taking place from April – June, and all are open to the public.

A recent release from Quality of Life Dashboard revealed that the percentage of San Diego County workers who bike to work is lower than most other major urban counties in California, and the number of bicycle commuters decreased by 0.2 percent from 2014 to 2015.

When the City of San Diego adopted an eye-opening climate action plan in late 2015, it set aggressive goals to get six percent of people to commute by bike by 2020 and 18 percent by 2035 in transit priority areas.

‘‘Today’s findings show that we have a lot of work to do to make San Diego the bikeable region it has all the potential to be, and that begins with implementing the local and regional networks of protected bike lanes that will make bike riders feel safe and encourage them to ride more’’, declared Andy Hanshaw, San Diego County Bike Coalition Executive Director. ‘‘The time to act is now to fund and implement our solid plans for a future that includes safer transportation choices for all people in San Diego to see this number grow.”

To celebrate Bike to Work Day 2017 in the border region, a pit stop near the San Ysidro Intermodal Transit Center Trolley Station will be hosted from 6 to 9 a.m. to help people using their bikes commute to work in the morning.

Share your photo by using the hashtag #SDBikeToWorkDay on social media. Our favorite picture will be published on this Friday’s newspaper.