$4 Gas and Still no more Bicyclists?
According to an article by Reuters, Americans don’t seem to be picking up the habit of riding their bikes regularly to work, despite the fact that gas is over $4 a gallon in some parts of the country.
The article points out that some who can ride their bike to work, might do it. But the majority of people still live too far away from work to consider it. Their is also the danger of traffic congested roads mixed with bicyclists which can get ugly if the streets weren’t designed to share the road. The article also mentions that the amount of people that regularly ride their bikes is also down compared to previous years.
Here in Oregon, however, bicyclists seem to be a staple characteristic of what makes Oregon so green. College towns are notorious for bicyclists like Corvallis and Eugene, but even some local studies suggest that ridership is down compared to previous years. The cited reason for reduced bicyclists is poor city planning and the monopolistic car to street relationship. The local studies say if more bicycle routes and paths were developed that ridership would be up.
Either way, I am personally making a commitment to ride my bike to work starting June 1st until September. My work is only 7 miles away and I have the leisure of taking a beautiful bike path along the Amazon Creek all the way to work. If you have the ability to ride your bike due to the proximity of your home and work, please consider riding your bike. It saves the air and saves you money from our outrageous gas prices.
Thoughts, Comments, Questions…
Just living life in Portland, Oregon and enjoying every day that goes by. I love the environment, and I love community, and I love being able to share my experiences and perspective with the world.
