Apr 27 '06 - 552 W, 1 I - Vote Good + 11 :: Bad - 7 Bicycling commuters extol benefits of riding to work
Published April 26, 2006 by The Olympian
By Christian Hill
Photo:
Tony Overman/The Olympian Sara Lucia, 21, a junior at The Evergreen State College, locks her
bicycle Tuesday at the downtown transit center before catching a bus to
campus. She uses a mix of bicycle riding and city buses to get to and
from school.
If high gasoline prices haven’t persuaded you to bike to work, Intercity Transit is offering another incentive: prizes.
The transit service kicks off its monthlong Bicycle Commuter
Contest on Monday as the motoring public is smarting over gasoline
prices around $3 a gallon.
“I do expect there to be more
attention to this contest by people who might be on the edge” of
embracing a transportation alternative, said Kris Fransen, Intercity
Transit’s marketing and communications coordinator.
After
registering, participants log the number of miles they ride to work,
school or on errands. Those who return their completed mileage logs are
eligible for prizes, including movie passes and gift certificates.
The
event can introduce first-time participants to bicycle commuting, which
advocates say saves gasoline, increases fitness and reduces air
pollution.
It also helps officials identify ways to improve
cycling for Thurston County residents. After the contest, participants
give comments that are compiled in an annual report on cycling
conditions around the county.
In the 2004 report, for instance,
participants noted that bike lanes were needed along Fourth Avenue and
Capitol Way. Olympia will include bike lanes in its reconfiguration of
Capitol Way from 14th Avenue to Carlyon Avenue.
In Lacey, they
noted the need for bike lanes along Pacific Avenue. The city is in the
process of transforming abandoned railroad right of way along or near
the thoroughfare into a paved trail for walkers and bicyclists.
Gasoline prices aren’t expected to dip anytime soon.
On
Tuesday, AAA reported the average price for a gallon of unleaded
gasoline in Olympia was $2.93, a penny increase from the day before.
The average price is nearly 39 cents higher than last month’s average
and more than 44 cents above last year’s average.
Linda Long
Weaver, a research analyst for the Washington State Department of
Social and Health Services, once again will participate in the contest.
She took up bicycling years ago when she decided to follow the example
of a co-worker who was an avid bicyclist.
She saw bicycling as a
way to lose weight and help the environment. Now, she bikes to and from
work three to five times a week, rain or shine.
“I’m in the best
shape I’ve been in probably since high school, and I’m a middle-aged
person, which is a thrill,” she said. “Plus, it’s just fun.”
Midge
Price, a 44-year-old physician assistant at the Group Health clinic in
Olympia, started biking to work in August and will be a first-time
participant in the contest.
Her employer has been promoting
bicycling and has sponsored bike races and commuting contests. Price
said she enjoys bicycling and found the exercise more convenient than
trying to set aside time to work out at a gym.
“It’s been a good thing for me,” she said.
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