On Friday, May 15, from 7 to 8:30 a.m., the City of Rockland will host its annual Bike to Work and School Day. The event will take place at Chapman Park, on the corner of Park and Main Streets,Community members are invited to pedal over for free coffee, breakfast snacks, and a morning of fun on bikes.

This year, the City is once again inviting South School students and their families to join the event. A bike obstacle course and bike safety lessons will be offered for students, and a bike bus — a group bike ride to South School — will depart Chapman Park for South School at 8:15 a.m., chaperoned by Rockland Police Department’s Bike Patrol Unit and volunteers.

“Bike to Work and School Day is such a great day," said Jenny Carter, the City’s sustainability and community development coordinator, in a City news release. "It’s a great opportunity to get your bike out of the shed and ready for biking season, and to connect with friends and neighbors about biking in Rockland. The City has an active transportation planning project underway for the streets surrounding the South School — the Safe Routes to South School Project — so we’re excited to share information about that effort and get feedback from the community at this year’s event, too.”

According to the news release, the City’s Safe Routes to South School Project is a planning and design project to improve bike and pedestrian accessibility on Pleasant Street (from Main Street to Broadway), Broadway (from Pleasant Street to Thomaston Street), and Thomaston Street (from Broadway to Main Street). Community members are encouraged to attend Bike to Work and School Day to learn about and share input on this project, as well as the City’s 2024 Bike Route Network Development Plan.

This year’s Bike to Work and School Day is made possible thanks to the generous support of Good Tern Co-Op, Rock City Coffee, Atlantic Baking Company, Walgreens, Maine Sport Outfitters, Sidecountry Sports, MaineHealth Community Health, the South School, Bicycle Coalition of Maine, and Rockland Rolls.

For more information and a full event schedule, visit www.rocklandmaine.gov/bikeday.