Santa Barbara: Be a Bike Commuter

From the Santa Barbara Independent, 06.14.07:

Be a Bike Commuter
There Are Many Ways to Ride Two Wheels to Work

It’s an odd time to be on earth. We know peak oil is approaching, the planet is getting warmer, and human-generated greenhouse gas emissions are contributing to that. You’d have to be living in a climate-controlled cave to not be worried that life as we know it is in grave danger. And yet the vast majority of us continue to get in our cars and drive alone to wherever we need to go, day after day. And in the U.S., about 50 percent of those car trips are for distances less than two miles.

Santa Barbara County’s Traffic Solutions program recently conducted a commuter survey that revealed 70.7 percent of county residents drive alone to work. Biking, at 2.3 percent, is the least common commuting method. Though this is better than the national percentage of less than one, for Santa Barbara, the birthplace of Earth Day blessed with a nearly perfect climate and relatively calm roads, that number is inexcusably low. (Read more.)

This article provides an encouraging first person account, as the writer learns to "pedal and smile." Obviously she visited my Bike Commuting Tips site, as she includes a quote appearing there from cyclist Bruce McAlister, a tips site visitor who had emailed me: "Driving a car versus riding a bike is on par with watching television rather than living your own life." It's a great quote, I'm glad it's gaining currency.

Image: Web capture.
Visit: Santa Barbara Bicycle Coalition
Visit: Paul Dorn's Bike Commuting Tips Site