Reno-Sparks bicycle advocates are teaming up with the local Food Truck Friday event as a way to increase both bicycle ridership and attendance at the food truck gathering.
Food Truck Friday and the Truckee Meadows Bicycle Alliance are sponsoring free bike valet and free bike maintenance every week at the street food event held at Idlewild Park in Reno from 4 to 9 p.m. on Fridays through Aug. 25th.
Alliance volunteers have parked more than 120 bikes at the Friday events, said Ky Plaskon, TMBA president. “That frees up another 120 parking spots for more customers,” he said. “We can handle up to 400 (bicycles) a day – which is a huge parking potential for events.”
Plaskon noted surveys show that opportunities to ride bicycles or scooters to an event – and eliminating worries about inadequate parking spaces — brings more customers to a venue. The bottom line, he said, is that micromobility boosts event revenue and improves the health of our community.”
Some patrons of the street food event combine car and bike travel, said Steve Schroeder, Food Truck Friday organizer. People put their bikes in a car, park at Reno High or downtown, and then ride the last quarter mile to avoid traffic and having to hunt for parking spaces. By not having to park relatively far from the event, bike riders can enjoy the bands, shade, and savory food faster and without having to walk a long way in the summer heat.
Bicycle Alliance volunteers also have repaired more than 50 bikes at no charge since the service began in June. People are dusting off bikes that may have been in storage for a long time and riding to the event, Plaskon said. “When we check the bikes out we discover problems that the riders weren’t aware of,” he said. “We have seen little kids bikes with brakes that don’t work — which is terrifying for everyone.”
The alliance also is offering profit-sharing for any non-profit groups that want to learn how to operate a bike valet and do light bicycle repair. Those interested may go to the BikeWashoe Facebook page for details and sign-up information.
The Reno Bike Project on Grove Street is also a sponsor, and provides bike valet equipment to the event at no charge.
“This is a big move for Reno,” Plaskon said. “International bike advocates recommend sponsorships like this. Now groups in Reno are coming together, recognizing that bikes and scooters are the solutions to congestion and parking challenges posed by events as well as a major revenue opportunity.”