All week
The Ride-Your-Bike-to-Work contest is a multifaceted action taking place each day of the European Mobilty Week. It is designed to involve many city institutions and individuals, and to attract community-wide interest and excitement. Harghita County Environmental Protection Agency is the organizer in partnership with the city govenment, the County Prefecture and the Romanian Partnership Foundation.
The first component is a competition between the employees of private sector companies, governmental agencies, schools and NGOs in the community. The competitors ride their bicycles to work throughout European Mobility Week, competing for the most kilometers ridden, the highest percentage of employees riding bikes, etc. The second component is public education of the benefits derived by employees, institutions, the community, and the environment from individuals riding bicycles, walking or taking public transportation to work instead of driving cars. The public education includes a billboard outside city hall displaying total kilometers ridden, newspaper articles, TV interviews, press conferences, roundtable discussions and an award ceremony. In the spirit of Mobility Week, the third component raises money to help a young man purchase a quality prosthesis for his recently amputated leg. The last component is the expansion of the campaign to the entire county in future years.