All University of Houston faculty, staff and students are encouraged to commute to campus by bicycle on May 1 to kick off National Bike Month and Stress Free Finals Week.

UH student Nabiha Hossain initiated the event through her internship at BikeHouston and is helping to organize it. She hopes it will help facilitate UH’s growing bike culture.

“Bike to UH Day is an opportunity to engage with other cyclists by commuting to campus together,” Hossain said. “By uniting, we pave the way to making our university a bicycle-friendly campus.”

On the day of the event, the Office of Sustainability and BikeHouston will be manning tables at Butler Plaza from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. There will be refreshments and food for those who bike to campus, as well as biking information and maps. People can also complete a campus bike survey. Then at 1 p.m., everyone is invited to take part in the social ride around campus, which will start in Butler Plaza.

Sarah Kelly, program manager for the Office of Sustainability, said anyone who is interested in bicycling to campus that day is asked to sign up online at an events page created by BikeHouston. Those who sign up will be sent the contact information of others who live near them so they can ride together if they choose to do so.

“By having a Bike to UH Day, we are hoping to build a sense of community for biking on campus,” Kelly said. “Biking is a fun way to relieve stress, stay in shape and get around town without polluting the environment. We hope as many people as possible decide to join us on May 1.”