THE BIKES WIN

I had to do a triple take when I read this article this morning: ”In Rush Hour Battle, The Bike Rolls On” Great concept, plus it’s a calculation I’ve actually done in my own head (see below), plus the starting line of this “race” was less than a block from my house. Strange, indeed.

Anyway, before I started walking my kids to and from day care, I was mostly biking, not so much for the fresh air and exercise (although on good days, those are nice perks), but really because it was the fastest way to get from Point A to Point B. Even going half as fast as the biker in the article, I was door to door in eight to ten minutes, versus twenty by foot and probably 12 to 15 by bus (plus or minus, given how long you have to wait). And don’t get me started on the hassle of firing up my own car, fighting through traffic, and finding a parking place.

I haven’t biked in a while, and of course Ride Your Bike to Work Day later this week is the one time in months I actually have to drive. But I’m glad to hear the virtues of biking are being told. As oil becomes dearer and dearer, we’d do better – nationally and locally – to do things to encourage more bike commutes and less car commutes.