Picture thousands of people biking and skating along traffic-free boulevards on Sundays in Chicago. Bikes Belong, a national bicycle industry group, is supporting the work of the Chicagoland Bicycle Federation to help make this free health event a success.

"Transforming streets to trails on Sundays is an exciting cutting edge new idea. We'd love to see this come to the United States," said Bikes Belong Executive Director Tim Blumenthal. "Chicago is the perfect place to try it, and the Chicagoland Bicycle Federation has the experience to bring together sponsors, community and city hall partners to pull it off. We want Sunday Parkways to run so smoothly and be so much fun that it can happen every Sunday. We want it to spread across the county."

The $10,000 grant from Bikes Belong Coalition underwrites the Chicagoland Bicycle Federation's community outreach efforts in the predominately Latino neighborhoods through which the Sunday Parkways pilots will travel. If successful the network could extend throughout the city to other interested neighborhoods.

"This event is a proven success in Bogota, Columbia, and Guadalajara, Mexico. Chicago is ready for a new opportunity for healthy activity right in the neighborhood," said Rob Sadowsky, executive director of the Chicagoland Bicycle Federation. "We see Sunday Parkways as something for everyone - bicyclists, pedestrians, skaters, and families - and we are proud to have the explicit support of local bike shops and the national bike industry."

Founded in 1985, the Chicagoland Bicycle Federation works to improve the bicycling environment and thereby the quality of life in the region through the promotion of bicycle safety, education and facilities, and by encouraging use of the bicycle as an energy-efficient, economical and nonpolluting form of transportation and as a healthful and enjoyable form of recreation. The Chicagoland Bicycle Federation recognizes the synergies between promoting bicycling and promoting walking and public transit. For more information on the Chicagoland Bicycle Federation, call (312) 427-3325 or visit www.biketraffic.org