(Photo: Pexels)
Oct. 23, 2018 By Tara Law
Update 10/26, 12:33 p.m. – The event has been cancelled due to inclement weather, and will be rescheduled to a later date.
The community is invited to take bicycle rides and learn bike safety tips at a special Elmhurst Hospital event in Forest Park this weekend.
About 200 people are expected to attend the event, dubbed “Bike with a Doctor,” at the park entrance at 115th Street and Park Lane South this Saturday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Attendees will be offered guided bike rides, free protective gear, and important street safety tips from the people who know safety best— the police, the Department of Transportation and doctors.
The event is being organized by Anju Galer, the Trauma Program Manager at NYC Health + Hospitals/ Elmhurst. Galer said that the event was made possible by a grant from the city’s Building Healthy Communities Program, which is funding the hospital’s effort to promote bike riding. The hospital also plans to use the funding to host smaller safety events and to install bike racks on its grounds.
Galer said that the hospital has decided to promote bike riding because it is good exercise and can take cars off the road, which promotes safer streets and a healthier environment.
“Bike riding is not only good for health— it’s good for the community,” Galer said.
Attendees will be broken into small groups, which doctors will lead around the park on bikes. The groups will bike between four and five miles between Myrtle Avenue and Metropolitan Avenue, Galer said.
At least four doctors will attend the event, along with physicians assistants, nurse practitioners and other hospital staff.
Participants will also have a chance to snag free protective bike gear— knee pads, elbow pads, reflectors and helmets— at the event. Gear will be available as supplies last, although the organizers will have enough for about 200 people.
Attendees will also be able to visit tables set up by the DOT, the hospital and the NYPD, where participants can learn important tips for staying safe on the road.
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One Comment
This should be corrected. The entrance to Forest Park at the Buddy Monument is across from mid block between 109th and 108th Street on the north side of Park Lane South. It’s more accurate to say at the intersection of Park Lane South and Myrtle Ave. There’s no clear entrance to Forest Park at 115th and Park Lane South.