WASHINGTON, May 20 (UPI) -- This week, bicycle enthusiasts are trying to turn a four-wheel nation into a two-wheel one. Across the United States bicyclists are launching a "Bike to Work" campaign to advance bicycling as a means of travel to work, school or for errands, along with calling for a "bicycle-friendly" America.
In New York, bicyclists started celebrating their month-long "Bike-Month-NYC" on May 1, 2004 with various events. In Washington D.C., there is a "Bike-to-Work-Week," starting from May 17 to May 21. In San Francisco, a celebration for "Bike-to-Work-Day" will kick off on May 20. They all have one vision -- promoting bicycles for everyday transportation. Altogether, 22 cities have signed for action plans for "bicyclists-friendly communities."
This year saw the League of American Bicyclists sponsor the event for a 48th time.
"There is certainly a growth of bike commuters over the year," said Patrick McCormick, communications director for League of American Bicyclists. There are 42.5 million U.S. cyclists; around 3 million use bikes to commute. In New York City alone, there are 105,000 daily bike commuters, although in Washington, D.C. only about 3,000 bike to work every day.
The League of American Bicyclists promotes bicycling "for fun, fitness and transportation and works for a bicycle-friendly America," says McCormick. According to him, bicycling is part of the solution to many of our nation's problems: the obesity epidemic, traffic congestion, air pollution and more.
Some 64 percent of U.S. adults and over 15 percent of U.S. children are overweight today, causing 300,000 premature deaths and a cost to society of $117 billion a year.
A survey by the League also shows that over 22 percent of all motor-vehicle trips U.S. residents take are less than one mile long, and 50 percent of the working population commutes five miles or less to work, an easily-bikeable distance, according to the League.
If the average person biked to work or shopping once every two weeks instead of driving, the United States could prevent the pollution created by close to one billion gallons of gasoline from entering the atmosphere every day, the League's Web site reads.
"It's practical, healthy and enjoyable," said McCormick, he himself bikes to work everyday. It takes him nearly 45 minutes each time to go from home to office, but McCormick thinks that he saves a lot of time and money. "Just imagine how hard it is to find a parking lot in the downtown area and how expensive it will be, plus sometimes, you could be stuck in traffic... and bicycling could save both your time and money."
McCormick says he feels it was a "step backwards" when he learned that Shanghai in China restricts bicyclists in some streets. He goes on adding that in this way, the developing countries would soon face the problems the developed countries are facing now.
Yet not all agree with McCormick and his League. Radio talk shows in Boston and Atlanta recently ridiculed cyclists by calling them a "big pain." Drivers insist that bicyclists belong to the sidewalks and refuse to share the roads with them.
Maybe this attitude accounts for the high traffic death toll of cyclists. Each year, nearly 42,000 people are killed and injured in road accidents, among which 5,000 are cyclists and pedestrians.
The League is aware that there is still a long way to go for the United States to becoming a bicycle-friendly country, though all 50 states signed bills allowing bicyclists to share the roads with the drivers.
The U.S. Department of Transportation delivered the National Bicycling and Walking Study to the U.S. Congress with an aim to double the percentage of trips made by foot and bicycle, while simultaneously reducing crashes involving the walking and biking by 10 percent. And, the League calls for the Department of Transportation to renew its commitment to increasing bicycle safety and use.
State and local agencies should adopt and implement the goals of the National Strategies to Advance Bicycle Safety, the League said. Aside from that, every individual bicyclist, car driver, trucker, and pedestrian also has a personal responsibility to do what he or she can to avoid traffic accidents, the League added.
The League also points out that with fuel costs climbing above $2 a gallon, bicyclists say bicycling to work becomes an attractive money-saving alternative to commuting by automobile. Bicycling just one day a week saves enough money in gas to treat yourself to lunch -- plus, you arrive to work more refreshed and alert.
Senators also recognize the positive effects bicyclists have on the conservation of our nation's energy resources. Sen. Rich Durbin, D-Ill., and Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, have introduced the Conserve By Bike Act. The League says that it will continue to monitor this bill through enactment and implementation.
