Now that we're deep into spring and the weather has changed, hopping on your bicycle probably is looking more and more tempting -- just in time for national Bike Month.
Bike Month is, as the name implies, recognized throughout May. But it kicks into gear today with the start of Bike to Work Week and hits its zenith Friday with Bike to Work Day. Megan Cahill, spokeswoman for the League of American Bicyclists, says "Every month is Bike Month," but you'd expect her to say that.
The bike industry started Bike Month decades ago, and the League took it over in 1956. Cahill says it is more than a celebration of cycling. It is a way to encourage those who don't ride to give it a try and "experience it as an alternative to driving everywhere." That's what communities nationwide are doing. Festivities range from free safety seminars in places like Saratoga Springs, Florida to big get-togethers like Pedal Pittsburgh, which is expected to draw more than 2,000 riders.
Participation has grown steadily in recent years, something Cahill attributes to increasing awareness of the environmental and health benefits of riding instead of driving. People also are increasingly fed up with the price of gas. This runs along trends that have been seen throughout the United States with people moving into citiesand asking for more pedestrian and bicycle friendly communities.
Although the increase has been seen throughout the United States, it is growing most dramatically in those cities and towns the League has named Bicycle Friendly Communities. Such communities are making big efforts to create an environment that makes it safer and easier for people to join in the fun.
More than all that, the Bike to Work campaign has helped push national policy. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood has been a vocal advocate for cyclists and recently turned transportation policy on its head when he declared the needs of cyclists would be placed along those of motorists when planning and funding transportation projects.
After years of hard work by cycling advocates, the atmosphere is changing. Those of us who embrace cycling as a viable, even preferable, mode of transportation are changing attitudes and changing policies. We are building, however slowly, a more bike-friendly nation. Hop on your bike and join the revolution.
Photo of bike commuters in Palo Alto, California on May 13: richardmasoner / Flickr
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