KUSP: Intro to HER Helmet Thursdays

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“What’s up with the bike helmet buzz?” is KUSP’s 2-minute introduction to HER Helmet Thursdays. Click here.

This intro was produced by Guy Lasnier of KUSP-Central Coast Public Radio. It was broadcast on KUSP on April 14, 2010 during NPR’s “Morning Edition” and “All Things Considered.”

The project’s fourth anniversary, Thanksgiving week 2013, is being celebrated with prizes from 10 local bike shops around Monterey County.

Read the transcript of KUSP’s Intro to HER Helmet Thursdays, which includes links for more info:

What’s up with the bike helmet buzz?

Bicycle on Monterey County’s 29-mile* coastal trail these days, and you may hear another cyclist call out, “Know about HER Helmet Thursdays?”

HER what? Must be some kind of new cycle thing for women. Nope.

Helmet?  Probably a bike safety thing.  Nope.

HER Helmet Thursdays is a long-term sustainability project, created and launched in Monterey County.  HER businesses and organizations give discounts every Thursday to anyone riding a bike.

HER? H-E-R, stands for:

H-Hotels,

E-Educational and Entertainment spots, and

R-Restaurants—

and related places.

And HER refers to Mother Earth, since she benefits from more people biking.

The project helps sustain the environment and economy while it helps make our county a more bike friendly place.

And why the helmet? It shows you’re cycling.  Walk in with your bike helmet on a Thursday, and—bingo!—get a discount, just because you biked there.

There’s a special exception for lodging; no need to bike there. Just gotta show you’re gonna do some biking. How?  BYOB—bring your own bike—or rent one from any Monterey County shop.

There are already a hundred charter participants, all over Monterey County—

from National Steinbeck Center in Salinas to Bernardus in Carmel Valley;

from San Ardo Café to Passionfish in Pacific Grove;

from Big Sur River Inn to Haute Enchilada Art Café in Moss Landing; and

from Scheid Winery in Greenfield to Sanctuary Beach Resort in Marina;

and Taqueria del Mar in New Monterey!

That’s what’s up with the bike helmet buzz.

________

*Correction: Although some online sources, e.g., mtycounty.com, refer also to a 29-mile coastal trail, when referring to the bike/multi-use trail, it is most accurate to refer to 18 miles (the approximate distance of the trail’s stretch from Castroville to Lovers Point, Pacific Grove).