Bicycle advocates had been planning Thursday’s Bike to Work Day activities for months, once again hoping to draw commuters out of their cars.
This year, though, they had more than energizer stations and giveaway bags to increase their numbers.
“High gas prices get people upset,” said Corinne Winter, executive director of the Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition. “A lot of people are figuring out that if they hop on their bike and they bike for transportation, they can save the money for something more fun than sitting in traffic.”
New members are joining the organization twice as fast as before, as the visibility of gas prices calls people’s attention to other costs associated with driving, including insurance and maintenance, Winter said.
Caltrain also is making hay out of the cost of gas, which is now at well over $3 a gallon, making driving more expensive than riding the train. The agency has been advertising a “commute calculator” on its Web site that compares the cost of fuel with day and monthly passes on the train.
Meanwhile, the city continues to gradually increase facilities for bicyclists (see box), going so far as to use eminent domain in order to provide a straighter route for future commuters on the Stevens Creek Trail. The city is set to begin tunneling under El Camino Real this summer.
“That’s really the biggest push right now, to secure as much funding … as possible,” said public works analyst Peter Skinner. “We’re working hard to start construction.”
Pedal power
Despite being named a bicycle-friendly city by the League of American Bicyclists, less than 3 percent of Mountain View residents regularly bike to work, according to the last census. Here are some of the steps the city is taking to coax people out of their cars:* Extending Stevens Creek Trail across El Camino Real
* Publishing an updated bike map of Mountain View
* Recruiting bike safety instructors to teach classes
* Designing a “bike boulevard” from downtown to the Palo Alto border
* Building a bicycle/pedestrian bridge over Highway 101 along Permanente Creek
E-mail Jon Wiener at jwiener@mv-voice.com
