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Hundreds of Mountain View workers will keep the car home and instead hop on their bikes this Thursday for the annual Bike to Work Day.
Now entering its 21st year, Bike to Work Day is designed to encourage commuters to give biking a try as a viable transit alternative in the South Bay. The event, organized by the Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition, includes dozens of “energizer” stations, where cyclists can grab snacks, water and other items.
As part of the event, many companies across Santa Clara County are competing through the month of May to see how many bike miles their employees can log. For the last three years, Apple Inc. took the top prize among the large companies, and this year looks no different. In the first two weeks of the month, Apple employees logged over 12,000 miles.
More information about Bike to Work Day, including maps and energizer station locations, can be found at www.bikesiliconvalley.org.
This is really a great program on many many levels. The inclusive, welcoming aspect and smiling faces got me into riding to work 8 years ago. I never thought I would, but I got talked into it on bike to Work day, and saw the light. Now I ride to work 2 days per week and have lost 60 lbs since back in those days. It may have saved my life, but it DEFINITELY improved it. My wife has nothing bad to say about the results of all my riding either 😉
We all know who biked to work, by the way they smell and it’s some bad funk!!
Another positive about cycling is that it helps alleviate stress. I used to be an angry old grump doing nothing buy mocking others who were taking positive steps in their lives. That was the old me, I’m much happier now. Others are invited to follow suit and improve your overall outlook and general sense of well being. It’ll also help you suffer fools more lightly as you come across them during your day. You’ll see them for what they are,
Starting with the gas crisis in 1978, I biked to work in Palo Alto for 7 years. I quit after I had too many close calls with cars at exit and entrance ramps on Central and Foothill Expressways and also all along El Camino. Bicycles don’t mix well with either pedestrians or cars. They are too fast and hazardous for mixing with pedestrians on mixed trails, and too slow and vulnerable for mixing with automobiles on major thoroughfares like El Camino. I now drive a car because life and limb are too precious to to me to risk with any bicycle commuting. Commuting on a bike is madness, pure and simple — unless it is a short commute along quiet residential streets.
Bicycling in this city is at least as safe as walking on sidewalks. Unfortunately, too many pedestrians have been killed in Mountain View in recent years. Drivers really need to obey the speed limits and stop signs. Also obey the 3-foot-passing law. Good behavior by car drivers does save lives.
Bike-to-workers could do the communty a favor on Thursday by biking in the left-hand lane each direction on El Camino to give drivers a taste of what commuting will be like if the VTA steals the lanes for its buses only. Of course, it will first take two years on construction of the lanes on El Camino. That should help to teach drivers to be thankful they are left with any lanes at all. And then the VTA will expand toll lanes to more and more highway and streets. Take a deep breath commuters – while there is no extra charge for breathing!
I guess different people have different comfort levels with regard to cycling in traffic. 15 years strong now and while I’ve had a few close calls, I’ve had far more in my car over the same time period. I haven’t stopped driving either though. The best thing I’ve noticed is the increased numbers each year. It’s really great to see so many faces smiling back at me when I ride by, and with the demand came better infrastructure. This is a continuing trend I’m more than happy to see.
@ parent “Drivers really need to obey the speed limits and stop signs. Also obey the 3-foot-passing law. Good behavior by car drivers does save lives.”
So does good behavior by bikers. They need to also obey the speed limits, stop signs and directions of travel. Most bikers fail to drive defensively which is why they get into accidents.
OK, so we all agree people’s behavior on the road sucks. Given and obvious. There are just a whole lot more drivers than cyclists, so obviously many more jerks in cars on the road at one time, again, obviously, just because of the numbers. Oh, drivers also kill many more people than cyclists, as well as accounting for the highest number of accidents and property damage. Again, the largest group so they win the prizes. If anyone was serious about making a dent in road safety, it’s obvious where the main focus should be. Obvious in reality, but someone will still come up with some way to argue the sky is green.
Since I’m on/in both cars and bikes, I’ve seen the close calls from both sides. I’ve become a better driver because I ride a bike, and I’ve become a better cyclist because I drive a car. Cars are still the most dangerous though, so don’t claim they are not…don’t <blank> down my neck and tell me it’s raining.
Oooh, here we go about “Out in Colorado” from our resident hater. This story about the 150 cyclists gets brought up every few years from him.
I’ll share the trails with you but I have a feeling you’re not on the trails I ride, but if so,….ON YOUR LEFT!!! hahhaha.
I hope all the spandex-wearing bike-to-work weenies know that I appreciate their sacrifice biking home through pouring rain, flooded streets, dodging cars with fogged up wet windows since most cars’ wipers have dried out/LOL.
We really need the rain so if it takes YOU riding to work on your bikes every day, I am all for it. Thanks again.
Kudos to Fenwick & West LLP for providing an awesome bike stop today on Castro Street for the “Bike to Work” Day. They offered cyclists a tote bag with a bike light and tire repair kit…I also got an OJ, bagel & tea 🙂 The fliers inside promoted some interesting events as well. Thanks for making it a fun commute into work today!!
I loved seeing all the bikes on the road this morning. How about we hold this event once a month now? Once a year was good for starters and awareness. Now let’s do it once a month to start building good habits.
He’s like the Pillsbury Dough Boy only instead of giggling he says “I hate people once they get on a bike”
On the plus side, Thanks to all the cyclists who helped reduce traffic yesterday. I’ll be with you next year! Remember, a smile and enjoyment of life is the best troll repellant ever 🙂 🙂
Keep on biking to work, folks. It’s something you do for yourself, the community, and Mother Earth. Get out of those cars. Who’s joining me at SJ Bike Party tonight? Most fun ever in the south bay!
Just reading the replies can tell you that riding gives you a more positive outlook on things. Happy posts come from happy people.
Try that ” Spandex Wearers etiquette ” in other states and you will get a real wake-up call and a ticket to go with it. Trails ARE TO BE SHARED with other hikers, horse riders and even dog lovers who have a properly controlled animal.
Out in Colorado, some trails have ONE WAY DAYS because trail bike riders continued to abuse the privilege of sharing them!
One EIGHT HOUR PATROL SHIFT netted over 150 bike riders that blew off a stop sign in North Boulder! The cyclists thought that there was safety in numbers–WRONG!
Metro Denver has many nice paved trails..and many bicycle police officers to keep them that way!
Remember, SHARE THE ROAD SIGNS MEAN SHARE THE TRAILS TOO!
( I biked to summer school in Santa Clara from Mountain View for WEEKS using the El Camino Real )