Denver Regional Council of Governments, a government agency with programs that support clean air, safer roads, better public transportation, and a healthier community, use Colorado Bike To Work Day as an event to spotlight alternative modes of transportation in the Denver community. Event participation dropped during the pandemic and only returned to 18,351 in 2022 compared to a five year average of 31,000 from 2015-2019. Throughout the Covid pandemic, Denver area roadways and traffic congestion were dramatically improved, simply because more than one-third of workers aged 16 and older in the Mile High City were still working from home or in a hybrid situation in 2021 — outpacing the national average of 17.9%. However, by 2023, traffic congestion and resulting drop in air quality was back to pre-pandemic levels.

Our objective in 2023 was to leverage the Bike To Work month of June and the keystone Bike To Work Day event at the end of the month, to draw attention to the problem of traffic congestion and air quality, and the free DRCOG programs that exist to solve the problem, by encouraging participation in biking and other eco-friendly ways of commuting. Our social media campaign turns the event into a celebration of biking in general, and uses “group riding” as the hook for getting more people interested in alternate modes of commuting. The “Joyride” campaign concept came to life in bright design, colorful costumes and e-Bike group rides to local business sponsors venue. The costumed dinosaur group ride stunt, captured in our social campaign, was designed to grab attention, make light of finding other ways of getting to work that don’t rely on fossil fuels, and encourage Denver residents to ride together.