Annual Bike to Work Day Offers Many Benefits

Thousands of residents in nine Bay Area counties are preparing for the 15th Annual Bike to Work day on May 14.

During this popular event, San Francisco Bike Coalition volunteers will be standing by to cheer you on at 26 Energizer Stations around the city where you can stop on your way into the office for free coffee, snacks and convenient tote bags for future commutes. After work, you can join back up with your fellow riders at the Bike Away from Work Party at The Rickshaw Stop, 155 Fell St. The “after party” is from 6 to 10 p.m. and there is free valet bike parking available.

Cyclists have many reasons for clinging to two wheels, be they health-related, cost-related, environmentally driven or just because, hey-it’s fun. But there are also added benefits for biking to work.

According to the San Francisco Department of Health Bicycle Environmental Quality Index, the benefits of biking to work include increased worker alertness and efficiency, improved worker health and fewer job-related injuries. Examples of neighborhood and community benefits consist of increased social interaction and decreased air and noise pollution.

Transportation planners and urban designers have long understood that neighborhood design and development affect transportation choices. Factors that influence transportation choice are based upon two primary aspects of land use: 1) proximity (distance) and 2) connectivity (directness of travel). Other factors include travel cost, environmental quality and aspects of convenience, such as parking availability. And, um, fear of steep inclines? (To plan your best route to work, visit 511.org).

According to the 2007 American Community Survey, 43,000 dedicated Bay Area residents use a bicycle as their primary means of getting to work every day. More than one million residents live within five miles of their workplace and ideal distance for cycling. However, the work commute only represents about 23 percent of all trips taken, meaning there are numerous other opportunities to decrease air pollution, relieve congestion and minimize time waiting in traffic for other types of errands such as shopping or social events.

But even if you commit to biking to work even just once during the month of May, you can enter for a chance to win a new Lakespur Bicycle by Marin Bikes, a Novara Commuter Kit from REI and many other bike related prized at btwd.bayareabikes.org/register. You also can connect with other bicycle commuters in your area, share your story, watch videos or upload your photos onto the Bike to Work Day San Francisco Bay group on Facebook.

How ever you choose to take part, make it a safe, fun ride on Bike to Work Day and be part of the two-wheeled movement!


For more information and Energizer Station location, visit sfbike.org.

Christina Foushee is an RN, MS, PhD(c) Environmental Health Policy Analyst at San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center, SF Department of Public Health.

San Francisco Weather Forecast, CA (94124)