Bicycle grant aims to improve commuter safety and accessibility, plans for improved city bicycle map and cycling safety course

National Bike to Work week will be held May 15-19 with community events sponsored by the Spearfish Community Bike Shop, formerly the Spearfish Bicycle Cooperative. The week will culminate with a Traffic Safety 101 course on May 20 at BHSU, open to 20 attendees.

A partnership between Black Hills State University and Hills Horizon has led to the creation of a new bicycle advisory group, Bike Spearfish!

Bike Spearfish!, a program aimed at enhancing bicycle commuter safety and accessibility around Spearfish through improved education, evaluation, enforcement, engineering, and encouragement, was established through two grants awarded to BHSU from Wharf Fund and SD Community Foundation. As part of the program, BHSU launched an advocacy group, which began in January 2017 to advance cycling in Spearfish.

In collaboration with the bicycle advocacy group, the City of Spearfish Police Department recently released a commuter safety guide that can be found at the Spearfish Police Department.

"The safety of all road users is paramount to the safety of our community," said Chief of Police Pat Rotert.

National Bike to Work week will be held May 15-19 with community events sponsored by the Spearfish Community Bike Shop, formerly the Spearfish Bicycle Cooperative.

"This is a fun and encouraging week of events at the beginning of the summer bike season to get people out cycling," said Jeremy Smith, cofounder of the Spearfish Community Bike Shop.

The week will culminate with a Traffic Safety 101 course on May 20 at BHSU, open to 20 attendees.

"We are excited to offer the opportunity for the community to participate in our bicycle safety training to help build confidence, skills and cycling ability. It's part of our goal to ensure all users are safe and feel secure on the roads in our community," said Petrika Peters, sustainability coordinator at BHSU.

Over the summer, the City of Spearfish will be installing bicycle signage around the community to indicate which roads have lower traffic flows and are designated for bicycle usage. The map of routes can be found at: https://www.facebook.com/BikeSpearfish/

The bike program is one of several sustainability initiatives the university is advancing including the Sustainability Master's program, events such as Earth Day and Sustainability Month, a robust recycling program, Green Restaurant certification at The Hive and Buzz Shack, Tree Campus USA designation, purchasing policies in favor of Energy Star appliances and electronics, green cleaning products and recycled paper, and water and energy reduction strategies.

For more information and to register for events, contact Petrika Peters, at Petrika.Peters@BHSU.edu or www.BHSU.edu/sustain