From the Cambridge Police Department, May 2, 2017: National Bike Safety Month begins this week, and Cambridge police and Community Development Department are leading or participating in a variety of initiatives and events intended to increase the safety of all people who walk, bicycle, drive or walk.

As part of the month, police and CDD will be giving away free bike lights, reflective gear and child bicycle helmets at more than a dozen outreach events throughout the city. (The free helmets are thanks to a donation from Breakstone, White & Gluck, a Boston personal injury law firm, which donated 140 bicycle helmets in hopes of keeping children safe and preventing traumatic brain injuries from bicycle accidents.) Officers and city employees will be stationed at highly trafficked areas in the city and provide giveaways, fliers with bike safety tips and address questions or concerns at these dates and areas:

May 3 from 7 to 9:30 a.m. Bike/Walk to School Day at Cambridge Public Schools

May 3 from 7 to 9:30 p.m. Bike Safety Month Outreach with MIT Police at 77 Massachusetts Ave.

May 8 from 7 to 9:30 a.m. Bike Safety Month Outreach in Inman Square

May 10 from 7 to 9:30 a.m. Bike Safety Month Outreach with MIT Police at 77 Massachusetts Ave.

May 13-21 Bay State Bike Week

May 15 from 7 to 9:30 a.m. Bike Safety Month Outreach and Bicycle Breakfast at University Park, Sidney Street and Massachusetts Ave.

May 16 from 7:30 to 10 a.m. Bike Safety Month Outreach and Bicycle Breakfast at the Alewife Bike Path, where the Minuteman Trail starts

May 17 from 7 to 9:30 a.m. Bike Safety Month Outreach and Bicycle Breakfast in Harvard Square

May 18 Bike Safety Month Outreach and Bicycle Breakfast in Kendall Square at Broadway between Galileo and Ames streets

May 25 from 7:30 to 9:30 a.m. Bike Safety Month Outreach at the Porter Square “Bike Turnaround”

May 26 from 7:30 to 9:30 a.m. Walk/Ride Day Corporate Challenge Celebration at City Hall, 795 Massachusetts Ave., Central Square

Bike workshops and rides

The Community Development Department will take part in these activities:

Two bicycle maintenance workshops are scheduled from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. May 17 (for the basics) and from 7 to 8 p.m. (beyond basics) at a location to be determined.

A citywide “Bow Tie Bike Ride” on May 20 starting at 9 a.m. at the Cambridge Main Library, 449 Broadway, Mid-Cambridge.

A complete list of events is here.

Bicycle patrol

With the warmer weather, the Cambridge Police Department once again has a full staff of bicycle patrol officers riding around city streets and neighborhoods. These officers are to enforcing traffic laws, help provide residents with a greater sense of safety around the city and promote safe driving, riding and walking. One area of emphasis will be keeping bicycle lanes clear from illegally parked vehicles. Police will also aggressively seek and look to mitigate bicycle theft.

#CambMARoads hashtag

As a way for people to identify and search for anything related to bicycles, pedestrians or motorists in Cambridge, the police and Community Development Department will relaunch its use of the social media hashtag #CambMARoads. The hashtag will be featured on all relevant social media content produced by the two departments on their associated accounts, including Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. These accounts will help educate bicyclists, motorists and pedestrians about the rules of the road, as well as offer theft prevention tips.