Thousands of bikes take over Chicago's Lake Shore Drive

Source: Xinhua| 2017-05-29 02:42:28|Editor: Mu Xuequan
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CHICAGO, May 28 (Xinhua) -- Over 21,000 cyclists flocked to Chicago's iconic Lake Shore Drive on Sunday for the 16th annual MB Bike the Drive, the only event in which the city closes down one of the most trafficked streets for thirty miles of safe, family-friendly biking.

The event also includes a free festival in Butler Field with live music, food, and fun.

The event punctuates the recent distinction of Chicago as the nation's number one bike-friendly city by Bicycling Magazine, a significant improvement from tenth place in 2010. Chicago has over one hundred miles of buffered and protected bike lanes and the second largest bike share program in the United States.

"In Chicago you get around so easily. We could just drop these bikes off in whatever spot, go into a store, and do whatever we need to do. It's amazing! I don't have this in Kansas City, so I think it' s cool. You can see so much of the city in a short amount of time," Laura Vanderwei told Xinhua.

MB Bike the Drive is the largest fundraiser supporting Chicago's Active Transportation Alliance. The Active Trans organization works with the City of Chicago to develop projects related to biking. Supported by 7,000 members and 1,000 volunteers, the organization works to build a movement around active transportation, encouraging physical activity, increasing safety, and building a world class transportation network.

"It's good to get people out and active and to see a different perspective of the city. We hadn't gotten our bikes out yet, this was the first nice day to do it," said local bike rider Charles Smunt. He and his wife plan to return to the event next year.

"On our next ride we're hoping to go further, see more scenery," Roshanda Smunt told Xinhua.

With most riders starting between 5:30 am and 7:00 am., roads begin opening up around 11 a.m., allowing Memorial Day Weekend visitors and traffic to return flowing normally. MB Bike the Drive will return next year to kick off another Summer in Chicago.

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