Ryan ChartrandIn the cool air of a Thursday night, voices and laughter resonate from downtown as bicyclists gather in their post-Halloween costumes illuminated by the brightly colored reflectors and lights that adorn their bicycles.
The Bike Happening, or “Bike Night,” as Cal Poly has coined the event, happens the first Thursday of every month with a different theme.
This month’s theme was Halloween Hangover. Students and community members came in their worn-out costumes to take part in what is now a San Luis Obispo tradition.
“It’s really fun; we come with a group of people. It’s a community celebration,” business senior Caryn Laveman said.
Laveman and friend business senior Raksha Patel do not own bikes but find it hard to pass up the Bike Happening.
“We go through hell getting bikes; we hit up any one we know to borrow bikes,” Patel said.
“It’s really a mingling event with people of all ages, but it’s cool to see that Cal Poly can really take over downtown.”
San Luis Obispo City Council member Christine Mulholland first started hearing about Bike Happening a few years ago.
“It’s a fun program that doesn’t have to be political but promotes alternative transportation,” Mulholland said.
Bike Happening was started in 2000 by cyclists of San Luis Obispo and is still put on by an underground network of San Luis Obispo cyclists. The event starts at 9:30 p.m. at the San Luis Obispo Mission.
Hundreds of cyclists celebrate the theme and come together to ride a couple easy loops through downtown, after which groups take off in all different directions to local bars, cafes and restaurants or the Bike Sumo event held at Cuesta Park, where bikers face off and challenge each other.
Neil Girling, a computer engineering senior and Bike Happening veteran, dressed as a San Francisco performance artist.
“We are freaks; that’s why we like Bike Night,” Girling said. “And the cops seem to tolerate us allright. There is never is any property damage.”
The police department believes traffic congestion is really the only problem with the Bike Happening.
“The event is loud and it takes up the streets of downtown but there are really no problems are property damage,” said Police Sgt. Kurt Hixenbaugh.
Police said about a dozen people were ticketed Thursday night for offenses such as running a red light at the Bike Happening. This is about the average amount of tickets written for this event.
Mechanical engineering junior Max Maloney comes every month and loves the chaos involved with the hundreds of riders circling downtown.
“It’s like a riot but no one is breaking anything. I meet a lot of people,” Maloney said.
“Last month I ghost-rode a guy’s car all the way down Higuera and then all the way up Marsh I held on to other cars, so I did not have to peddle the whole way. The drivers were encouraging me, so I did it.”
Police and the San Luis Obispo County Bicycle Coalition receive some complaints from the motorists after each Bike Happening, complaining of bikers weaving in and out of traffic along without stopping at red lights.
“Bike Happening can be a two -edged sword,” said Executive Director of the SLOCBC Adam Fukushima.
“About 85 percent of the people are doing great while others are not following the rules. Bike Happening really has a way of celebrating bikes and not having a political statement behind it.”
Although neither the local bike coalition nor the city has a position on the Bike Happening, they all agree it is an event of tradition here in San Luis Obispo.
“I think it’s kinda cool; I find it fun to see the wild things people are wearing,” San Luis Obispo City Council member Andrew Carter said.
“But some people run lights and the lack of helmets are a negative impact. The positives outweigh the negatives, however. (Bike Happening) is similar to Farmers’ Market; it’s an event that makes San Luis Obispo unique.”