MACON, Ga. — It's National Bike Month, and Bike Walk Macon encourages Maconites to try traveling differently around town.
The month is meant to help people see what their communities could be if they were built with less focus on cars. It also promotes people using alternate modes of transportation.
Bike Walk Macon has events all year, but they try to ramp up their engagement during May.
"In the month of May is when we really concentrate several activities and community engagement around encouraging people to bike and walk and try that for the first time as commuting or just get with a group and do a fun ride or a fun walk," Director Rachel Umana said.
So far, they've hosted an Open Streets Macon on Houston Avenue. The street was shut down to cars, and residents could imagine a more pedestrian-friendly environment.
They also hosted a Bike Party with Rock Candy Tours, where Biking enthusiasts cycled together and learned more about Macon's music history.
They also hosted a special Tattnall Tuesday Group Walk where people enjoyed the fresh air and connected with other walkers.
As they round out the month, they'll host classes for people wanting to get back into biking and Car Free Day.
On Friday, they encourage people to take other means of transport besides a car or a nice walk around their neighborhood.
Umana says their goal is to make people comfortable to enjoy their city in a new way.
"And that's our hope. It's that by trying these things in a very social way, in a comfortable way, that you'll gain the confidence and skills to be able to do it safely and comfortably on your own," she said.
On Car Free Day, the Macon Transit Authority will be offering free fares throughout the day. Also, if you go biking, Walk Macon's website and pledge to go care-free on Friday will send you a list of businesses helping incentivize people to go car-free.