TAMPA, Fla. -- Tampa International Airport has been named the first bicycle friendly airport in the United States, according to The League of American Bicyclists.
Christopher may work at the rental car center, but you won’t catch him driving a car to work, he prefers to pedal.
“It takes about 15 to 20 minutes to get here and it’s nice and easy. No traffic, just a nice bike ride,” said Christopher.
Christopher, like many employees who bike to work, is excited about all the improvements coming to the airport, including new sheltered bike parking about to be built.
“You don’t have to worry about it being stolen, vandalized, broken or nothing. It’s great,” said Christopher.
The airport is also adding fix-it stations.
“And these are really cool, so you can actually pump your tires or change out a bike tire or do some minor repairs to your bicycle,” said Danny Valentine, airport spokesperson.
At the heart of the improvements is a brand-new bike path circling the airport.
“And that will eventually connect into a broader regional trail network so one day in a couple of years, you’ll be able to bike from Pinellas County over the Courtney Campbell [Causeway] and then up to Tampa International Airport,” said Valentine.
Valentine said it’s an honor to be recognized as the first bicycle friendly airport in the country and hopes their ideas take off in other cities.
“We monitor each other and when an airport does something cool a lot of other airports take note and we think that this could be in fact an inspiration to other airports across the country,” said Valentine.
