Since 1956, May has been designated as National Bike Month. Bike to Work Day is an annual event held on various days in the Spring across the United States and Canada that promotes the bicycle as an option for commuting to work. Bike Month is May each year, and Bike to Work Week is the week of Bike to Work Day, which varies from city to city. This year, Bike to Work Day is Thursday, May 10.
I will ride my bicycle to my Anthro class that day, since I am no longer working, fulltime or hardly even part time these days. Bike to Work Day is meant to bring greater awareness to local, state, and national leaders that bicycles have a place in this car crazed world.
Having ridden bicycles through many countries and continents, I realize that Americans have been slow to the task. While we cannot all be like Amsterdam, Davis (CA), or SE Asia, where bicycles are a necessity, we are slowly making improvements in the bicycle infrastructure of our country. Yes, we have more bike lanes, paths, and clubs.
But the biggest problem remains cars and trucks, and mostly drivers who are using their cell phones!!! Every day that I ride, I pass a dozen cars with drivers still texting and talking on their phones!!!! Yes, some of you pull over, into the bike lane, of course.
Nothing I say or do will change any of this. I ride for my own enjoyment and health, not because of the bicycle movement. But next time a bicycle is struck by a car, think about all of on the road. There must be a better way.
BTW, my cycling app says I just passed the 8,000 mile mark. That is roughly the equivalent of riding from Seattle to Boston and back. In terms of air distance, it is roughly Los Angeles to Bangkok, or Ho Chi Minh City, or Jakarta, or Karachi.
