PRESS RELEASE PEDAL FOR PARKS Family Bike Ride May 12, 2018 April 30, 2018 Pedal for Parks 2018, hosted by the Friends of Astoria Heights Park, is a police escorted, family friendly bike ride to Astoria, New York neighborhood, public parks emphasizing the importance of safe, family outings that encourage physical activity and building appreciation of our local green spaces and their sustainability. “We are blessed to have many safe routes for kids and families to enjoy biking in Queens. There’s no better way to grow cycling than by joining on the Pedal to Parks ride and connecting families with great destinations by bike. Pedal to Parks is one of a growing number of annual events that celebrate our neighborhoods and build community at the same time,” Chris Furlong of Making Queens Safer. The Friends of Astoria Heights Park has been in existence since 2013 and are a group of parents and neighborhood volunteers advocating for a clean, safe and inspiring park space. Astoria Heights Park is located at 45th Street and 30th Rd in Astoria and is scheduled to reopen in the next month or two following a 1 ½ year reconstruction and design process. Astoria Heights Playground is a Community Parks Initiative (CPI) site chosen by the mayor to receive funding to transform the park space with community input. The Friends of Astoria Heights Park have hosted dozens of collaborative, community projects from park clean ups, art installations, book swaps, library book drop location, compost drop off and performances. The group is the recipient of a Golden Trowel award and Mayoral Service Award. This is the second year that the Friends group is hosting the Pedal for Parks. The ride takes place on May12, and begins at 9:45 am at Astoria Heights Playground. It will be escorted by 114th St Precinct ancillary police on a 6 mile bike ride to local parks ending at Paul Raimonda Park where a Learn to Ride event is taking place starting at 11am. Partners in this event include Councilman Costantinides, GreeNYC, DOT, Parks Department, Transportation Alternatives, Bike NYC, Make Queens Safer, Coalition for Transportation Safety, The Friends of Raimonda Park. Essentia Water and Dunkin’ Donuts. Registration for the ride at: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/pedal-for-parks-hosted-by-the-friends-of-astoriaheights-park-tickets-44617642570 “Council Member Costa Constantinides said, “The Pedal for Parks event will help children practice their bike riding skills, promote family togetherness, and support healthy living and physical fitness. Families will have the opportunity to enjoy our open spaces and get to know the surrounding neighborhood. I am proud to help sponsor this event as part of the Council’s Parks Equity Initiative. Thank you to Friends of Astoria Heights for their partnership on this important event.” Twitter: @astoriaheights, #pedalforparks, www.astoriaheightspark.org, Instagram: @friendsofastoriaheightspark