TPA hosts National Bike Month celebration in Main Terminal

Bicycle enthusiasts from across the Tampa Bay Area converged on Tampa International Airport last week for a special event celebrating National Bike Month.

The event kicked off with a guided bike ride to the Airport, followed by a keynote presentation by Caron Whitaker of the League of American Bicyclists on what local governments can do to support bicycling and other alternative forms of transportation.

Tampa International Airport was selected to host the event as the first airport in the United States to be named as a Bicycle Friendly Business. TPA Sustainability and Resilience Program Director, Eric Caplan shared how TPA built a bicycle and pedestrian fitness path around its new SkyCenter One office building for Airport employees and nearby residents to enjoy. SkyCenter also has an indoor bicycle storage area for employees who want to ride their bikes to work. Several bicycles are even available for check-out by employees who want to take a ride while participating in the Airport’s wellness activities. Also, the Airport’s North employee parking lot is equipped with a covered bike storage area for Airport tenant employees.

Covered bicycle racks are also available for the public near the ground transportation pick-up area at the Rental Car Center.  These racks come equipped with a bicycle fix-it station for anyone who needs to add air to their tires or make minor repairs.

Tampa International Airport’s employee bike share wellness program, employee and public bike racks are all in support of TPA’s overall sustainability mission. Along with the TPA bike path on the south side of the Airport, several other public bikes trails and lanes can be found around TPA including the Skyway Park Trail, and Courtney Campbell Trail to the Airport’s west, bike lanes along Hillsborough Avenue on the Airport’s north side and a bike trail running along Air Cargo Road along the Airport’s east side.