CARTA and Owen Cyclery are pleased to announce the winner of the grand prize package in the "Rack & Ride" program.  Dana Ferguson of Hixson, Tennessee, is the winner of a TREK Navigator 300 bicycle, 3 months of free rides with CARTA and 10 passes for the Lookout Mountain Incline Railway. Owen Cyclery partnered with CARTA and the Chattanooga Bicycle Task Force in promoting the use of bikes and public transit services as alternative ways to commute around town.

The "Rack & Ride" program ran from May through October 2004, and rewarded bike riders who also used the city's transit system.  Each time a person used a bike and rode the bus, the rider received a Bike Buck from the bus driver.  The Bike Bucks were redeemable at Owen Cyclery in Hixson for a special assortment of bicycle gear prizes ranging from inner tubes and tire levers to cycle computers and helmets.  People also could register at Owen Cyclery to win the grand prize package.

During the promotion, bike rack use on the buses more than doubled. In 2003, CARTA recorded 936 uses of the bike racks.  In the first 10 months of 2004, there have been over 2,200 uses, an increase of 138%. CARTA installed bike racks on its fixed- route buses in the spring of 2003. This was made possible through grants from the City of Chattanooga and the Lyndhurst Foundation.  The stainless steel racks are attached to the fronts of the buses.  Each rack can accommodate two bikes at a   time. The devices are easy for cyclists to use and feature locking levers to secure the bikes in the racks while the buses are in motion. With 17 CARTA bus routes serving Chattanooga, getting around by bike and bus is a convenient alternative to driving.

Owen Cyclery and CARTA also worked with the Chattanooga Bicycle Task Force to promote the "Bike 2 Work" program.  On the first Friday of each month from May through October, there were organized bike rides along designated bike routes for folks who wanted to join other cyclists as they biked to work together. More information on the Chattanooga Bicycle Task Force programs can be obtained at www.BikeChattanooga.org or by calling the Regional Planning Agency at 757- 5216.

Both programs were intended to promote the use of the alternative transportation modes of bicycling and transit to enhance the Chattanooga community by reducing vehicle emissions and encouraging exercise. Additional information on CARTA's services may be obtained by calling the CARTA Information line at 423-629- 1473 or at www.carta- bus.org.