Cheers to Cyclists!
The personal vehicle is one of the primary culprits of global warming. It is also one of the primary culprits of traffic, pollution, energy consumption, and obesity. Every time we get in our cars, no matter for how long, we are spewing carbon dioxide into our atmosphere. We are also just sitting there, burning few calories and thus causing our waist lines (and our health care expenditures to grow).
But there is a panacea - cycling!! More people need to "just get on your bikes and ride." I have been bike commuting fairly regularly for over 8 years now. I currently live about 5 miles from work and find it very easy to commute to my office via bike. On the way home, I often ride as much as 10 -12 miles because I will run errands on the way.
But change is in the air. When I first started biking to work, I was greeted almost daily by motorists who would yell at me to "get off the road" or do even nastier things that I will not repeat here. Rarely would a car yield to me. However, as gas prices started to go up, I noticed a significant shift in attitude. It started with fewer cars being on the road, and the remaining drivers being slightly more accomodating. There was no more yelling to get off the road (possibly thanks to improved signage from DDOT and the campaign reminding motorists that cyclists have the right to be on the road too). In addition, there were more cyclists on the road, thus forcing motorists to be more pleasant.
And then something really strange happened - I was waiting at a red light one cold winter morning when a car pulled up along side me. The window rolled down and I immediately braced myself for the onslaught of anti-cyclist diatribe I was sure was about to come my way. Instead, the young woman inside the car asked me if it was hard biking to work. I replied that it was a lot easier than sitting in traffic or paying for gas or Metro. She then said, "I have always wanted to bike to work, but am not sure what I need." I briefly told her that any local cycling shop would be happy to help her figure that out. I gave her a few more words of encouragement as the light turned green and smiled to myself, realizing that I might have just helped convert someone!
But this was not a single, isolated incident. Over the next few months gas prices climed and Metro announced that it was once again raising its fares. More and more people, both at work and in public, began asking me questions about biking to work, such as what equipment they would need and how I handle inclement weather.
Change is in the air. I am confident that, within the next year, DC will resemble Amsterdam, Copenhagen, or some other cycling-friendly European country. I drove through Adams Morgan the other evening to pick someone up and was absolutely shocked at the number of cyclists out on the road at 9:00 PM. They were everywhere, in bike lanes, on the road, on the sidewalks. It made me smile.
Visit the links below to learn about a local woman who has also turned her commute to work into a cycling adventure: