Lacey City Council proclaims Bicycle Month amid rising fuel costs  

With fuel costs climbing and transportation emissions stubbornly undercutting state climate goals, the Lacey City Council proclaimed May 2026 as Bicycle Month. 

The City of Lacey joined Thurston County and Yelm, Olympia, Tumwater and Tenino in backing the 39th annual Bicycle Community Challenge — a free, monthlong event open to people of all ages through May 31. 

The council adopted the proclamation at its regular meeting on Tuesday, May 19. 

State and federal data show transportation as the largest greenhouse gas emitting sector in both Washington and the United States. According to the latest figures from the Washington State Department of Ecology, transportation generated 38.6 million metric tons of greenhouse gases in the state in 2022. The sector accounted for about 40 percent of total statewide emissions, more than any other category. 

The U.S. Energy Information Administration separately reported transportation as the top source of energy-related carbon dioxide emissions nationally in 2023. The agency attributed that ranking to the sector's near complete dependence on petroleum fuels. 

Community mobility 

Ali Fuller, who oversees both the Intercity Transit Walk N Roll program and the Bicycle Community Challenge, appeared before the council and highlighted household finances as a growing driver of cycling interest. 

"So many (people) choose to cycle in order to lower their transportation costs during a time of sky-high fuel, vehicle and insurance prices," Fuller said. "Cycling presents a low-cost alternative. Others cite environmental impacts as a leading motivation, as cycling can dramatically reduce one's consumption of fossil fuels." 

Cycling also supports physical and mental health, Fuller said. Regular riding lowers blood pressure, increases cardiovascular health and brings down stress levels, she noted. 

She also said more than half of all vehicle trips in the United States are 6 miles or less. Those are trips a bike can handle, Fuller said, and the ones most easily replaced by cycling. 

The missing piece, according to survey data from past challenge participants, is infrastructure. 

When asked what would get them riding more, participants named one priority above all others: safer and better-connected cycling routes. Fuller said building that out improves safety for all roadway users, not just cyclists. 

Washington's transportation emissions are down 8 percent since 2000, although the sector ticked up 1.4 percent from 2021 to 2022 as pandemic travel restrictions lifted. 

Walk N Roll taught more than 2,600 people about bicycle safety skills last year and distributed 277 new and refurbished bikes. Riders recorded more than 76,000 miles in 2025, a number the program expects to reach again in 2026. 

The proclamation additionally cites Lacey's Pedestrian and Bicycle Plan, a citywide policy framework aimed at expanding safe and accessible cycling infrastructure. 

Upcoming events include a Youth Bike Summit ride on May 31. Full details are available through the Walk N Roll page on the Intercity Transit website.