"Should be an everyday thing:" City leaders encourage bicycling as transportation, kicking off "Bike Week"



MILWAUKEE -- Bike Week began on Monday, June 6th, and City of Milwaukee leaders hope residents will continue to use bicycles for transportation long after the week is over. So they hit the streets to help push the effort, showing you that if they can do it, so can you.

With the wind in their face, they trekked through town on Monday -- enjoying the sights and feeling the pace of the city.

It was a different kind of commute to work for Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett and members of the Milwaukee Common Council.

"This is very unusual," said Mayor Barrett.

They each took a different route -- riding Bublr Bikes as they celebrated Bike Week in Wisconsin.

"This is a great way for the city to celebrate summertime and it's a great way for the city to get into better shape," said Mayor Barrett.

Proving to be healthy, fun and cost effective -- biking is not only a form of recreation -- but a form of transportation.

"We have about 2,500 bicyclists on a typical day in Milwaukee who bike to work," said Bob Schneider, UW-Milwaukee professor.

City leaders want that number to increase 10 times.

"As we go for platinum, the League of American Bicyclists has certain standard and guidelines that they look for. A city of our size will have 25,000 people biking to work to a regular day at a platinum level," said Schneider.

And the Bublr Bikes bike-sharing system is helping to reach that goal -- as the number of stations continues to grow.



"We are envisioning with Bublr a regional system, at least for the coming years, and entering the suburbs. That's going to transform how people move around," said Kevin Hardman, executive director of Bublr Bikes.

"We want people to realize that biking should be an everyday thing, should be a fun thing," said Milwaukee Alderman Nik Kovac.

Bike Week kickoff in Milwaukee