For the third year, Bank One is partnering with the City of Chicago, the Chicagoland Bicycle Federation and the Chicago Park District for 'Bike One Chicago,' a diverse offering of free bike programs and services throughout the summer.
Bank One's Bike One Chicago 2005 program will offer complimentary valet bicycle parking at Grant Park festivals and other events, free 2005 Chicago bike maps at Bank One branches and bike retailers, bike racks at neighborhood street festivals, and more.
Bank One also is sponsoring the City of Chicago's summer bike program ( 'Bike Chicago 2005' ) , which runs from May through July and encompasses more than 125 biking events.
Mayor Daley notes that with more than 150 miles of bikeways and 10,000 public bike racks, Chicago leads the country in biking resources.
The City of Chicago's Bike to Work Week promotes the health, economic and environmental benefits of bicycling.
For example, biking to work just one day a week can reduce commuting costs up to 20 percent and can decrease travel times as well, all while reducing pollution.
Yet, while more than half of all Americans live less than five miles from their job, only 1.67 percent of them commute by bike, according to Bicycling magazine.
After parking nearly 6,000 bikes last summer, Bank One is underwriting an expanded schedule of free valet bike parking—11 city events, comprising 27 days—throughout the summer.
The Chicagoland Bicycle Federation will operate valet bike parking at: Taste of Chicago ( June 24-July 4 ) and Country Music Festival ( June 25-26 ) ; Outdoor Film Fest ( every Tuesday night, July 12 - Aug. 23 ) ; the Lollapalooza concert ( July 23-24 ) ; Chicago Air & Water Show ( Aug. 20-21 ) ; Viva! Chicago Latin Music Fest ( Aug. 27-28 ) ; Jazz Fest ( Sept. 1-4 ) ; and Celtic Fest ( Sept. 17-18 ) .
For all Grant Park events, the bike valet facility will be located at the northwest corner of Lake Shore Drive and Monroe.
See www.BikeOneChicago.com .