Celebrating Halloween on wheels and in costume

Zombies, witches and other creatively costumed-cyclists made their way from Temple University to Laurel Hill Cemetery this Saturday to celebrate Halloween and promote sustainability.

The group, known as Bike Temple, traveled six miles on a journey that took them through Broad Street, Fairmount Avenue and Kelly Drive.

“We wanted to get people together for a fun October bike ride,” said Lindsay Graham, coordinator for Bike Temple, who donned a handcrafted “Jolly the Green Giant” costume. “We had great weather and the motorists were good, they shared the road.”

The group aims to raise awareness for rider safety while promoting bicycle use by Temple students, faculty, and staff.

“It’s festive,” said Ashley Tryba, who sported a skeleton costume. “It’s nice to see the fall foliage. I’m at school, so I don’t get to do things like this a lot.”

Tryba, who is double majoring in environmental studies and French, says she has seen a growing bike culture at Temple. Her biking pal, Katy Ament, an environmental studies major and outreach assistant at Temple’s Office of Sustainability, shared similar sentiments.

“Philly is a really bike-able city,” said Ament, who fashioned a zombie “Wayne’s World” character costume.

Bike Temple hosts “Urban Riding Basics” courses throughout the year to inform cyclists about the basics of safety, laws of the road, and how to conduct an equipment check.

Ament explained that due to a city law, cyclists are not permitted to ride their bikes on sidewalks, a fact that she believes many motorists are unaware of.

“It’s a sidewalk, not a side-cycle,” explained Ament, who noted that a bicycle is classified as a legal vehicle.

Kathleen Grady, coordinator at Temple’s Office of Sustainability says the school is focused on creating sustainable campuses and notes a growing “bicycle-friendly culture” at Temple.

Bike Temple organizes several group bike rides throughout the year, including “Bike to Breakfast,” “February Frostbite,” and “Awesomely Bad Movie” rides.