This week, May 15-May 19, 2006 is Bike to Work Week in Los Angeles and in many other cities in California.
Today is officially Bike to Work Day, and I proudly participated in it. I have been biking to work for awhile now.
When I arrived at one of the pit stops in LA, the YMCA in Downtown, at 7:00 AM, I was the first one there. I didn't see anyone else there except for one lady who was setting up the registration tables. I thought to myself, "Man, am I the only one biking to work today?"
I'm not sure how many people know about this event. I don't think it was well publicized. I don't think anyone besides people who already bike or take alternative means of transportation knew about it. I don't think anyone who doesn't already bike to work participated in it. There were no new people who started cycling on Bike to Work Day. I think this is an important event to get people to start biking, but nobody really started biking because of this event. This is sad.
I'm sure there were other people who came in after me and there must have been other people at the other pit stops, but I just don't think there were any big numbers and hardly any new bike commuters. During my 10 mile ride to work, I didn't see any cyclists at all.
At the pit stop, I got a bag full of goodies like a bike patch kit, cliff bars, gum, water bottles, a bike map of L.A., and other stuff. Before today, I was totally excited by this event, but I was kinda bummed out that no one else was there. They said I could use the YMCA showers for free today. I thought it was going to be great. This particular Y looked pretty modern and clean. I thought I would have my own shower stall, but they were public showers. No stalls! Yuck! I saw all these old guys walking around naked with their tiny little weiners hanging out. I was not going to take a shower naked in front of all these strangers. So, I just washed my face, neck, and arms at the sink. I am just not comfortable with public nudity. I need to have a lot of alcohol in my body in order to do that.
When will people actually start bicycling to work? What will it take? Gas prices to go up as high as Europe's? Gas prices in Europe average $9 per gallon now. There are tons of cyclists there. Look at China, billions of people bike there.
Don't get me wrong. I'm not complaining about our freedom to drive anywhere we want in America due to relatively low gas prices. I love driving and am obsessed with cars. I drive a lot. I put 50,000 miles a year on my last Mustang driving to work at my old law firm.
What I'm saying is that people who can bike to work should bike to work. I know that old song "Nobody Walks in L.A." by the 80's band Missing Persons is true. People in L.A. drive their cars a couple blocks to get lunch instead of walking.
People still seem to have that mentality that only a nobody walks in L.A.
I think biking is fantastic! I live only about ten miles from work which takes me about 35-40 minutes. That's the same time it would take me driving to work during rush hour. Sometimes, it takes longer driving home! I'd rather be using pedal power and get great exercise than be stuck in traffic getting stressed out and elevating my blood pressure.
The benefits of biking are:
1. Great exercise
2. Fun
3. Fulfills my need for speed without getting speeding tickets
4. Saves money on gas
5. Saves wear and tear on car
6. Get a nice tan
7. Feel better about yourself
8. Helps save the environment
9. Saves on parking fees
10. Helps reduce traffic
11. No traffic for cyclists
12. You can speed by cars stuck in heavy traffic on congested streets and feel great as you pass them
13. Save money on gym memberships
14. Improves your sense of balance and coordination
15. Feel tougher
16. You can site-see more and notice interesting things and places around your neighborhood
17. Appreciate nature more
18. Feel happier
19. Sweating is sexy
20. May increase virility due to increased blood flow in key areas
21. Become more physically attractive to the opposite sex as you become more fit and athletic
22. Gain more energy throughout the day
23. You become nicer to other people because you feel better
24. Since you're nicer to other people, other people become nicer too
25. The world then becomes a better place for all of us to live in
If you participated in Bike to Work Day, let me know. Or let me know whether you like to bike. Or if you have anything you would like to comment on, please feel free to leave a comment. I really appreciate getting those.
8 comments:
Bike to Work Day? What a great idea! I can't do that here in Florida, though, because my job is in another town about 25 miles away. When I get the chance, though, I really enjoy biking on the Pinellas Trail. I usually start at the north end and go to the south end. What a blast! Thanks again for sharing about Bike to Work Day and its benefits!
Pinellas Trail looks like a fabulous place to bike.
Thanks for leaving such a nice comment, Randy!
I like the idea of biking to work, but there are obstacles.
1) too far.
2) dangerous traffic.
3) perspiration.
Ostensibly, legislation is in the works to make LA more bike friendly, but it will likely take several years.
But yeah, they are doing a bad job promoting it. I listen to morning radio every day and heard absolutely nothing about it.
"Helps save the environment"
You don't really believe that do you?
Yes, I do believe that biking to work can help save the environment. If a substantial number of us starts biking to work, then the damage we cause to the enviroment can be dramatically reduced, all things being equal. Look at how wasteful SUV's are especially when only one person is in them everyday. We need to proactively maintain the environment so that our future generations don't inherit a planet full of pollution and toxins from us. Biking is a wonderfully fun way to achieve this goal.
The study of the effects of pollutants on the environment is scientifically debated and not as clear as some would like you to believe. Politicians on both sides (but more on the left) have the habit of propagating specious ready-made generalizations on the topic. Too many people follow one wagon without a thought.
If I were an environmentalist, I'd emphasize that it is "better to be safe than sorry" rather state with false certainty that our pollutants significantly impact the environment. Too many environmentalists are portrayed as unthinking, vegan, animal loving, gai worhshipping, eco-terrorist zealots as it is.
Anyone can notice how dirty the air is in cities like L.A. The air is noticeably cleaner in the countryside. I'd choose to breathe in clean air over smoggy air anytime.
You missed my points and you are talking about another but related subject, but yeah I agree smog is not good for health. A long time ago in London, a noticeable amount of people (mostly elderly and sick) actually died during acute episodes of "London Fog" - this prompted legislation. So now we have stuff like this:
http://www.epa.gov/
http://airnow.gov/index.cfm?action=airnow.outlook
First, you would have to define what you mean by "the effects of pollutants on the environment". Whereas I was talking in general terms, you seem to be talking about global permanent effects on the environment. Reducing air pollution means helping to save the environment to me. That's one of the common terms of protecting/saving the environment. Maybe, you're talking about adverse ecological effects of pollutants.
My vision for a world that bikes more is very idealistic. I know that people will probably keep doing what they're doing. The world will probably become a lot more congested and polluted. It'd be great if more people did start biking though.
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