US EPA asks: Why are you or aren't you biking to work?

The United States Environmental Protection Agency has an official blog called “Greenversations.” Earlier this week they asked the question “Why are you or aren’t you biking to work?

To bike or not to bike – that is the question” It’s National Bike Week! Biking is healthy, it prevents air pollution, and it can even save you money (filled your tank recently?). So why aren’t you biking to work? Need more bike paths? Different policies from your employer? Government sponsorship or policies? Or are you just a couch potato?

Why are you or aren’t you biking to work?

If you ARE biking, tell us about your route and experiences!

As of now there are over 500 responses. Many of the reasons people do not bike to work include distance, fear of traffic and real safety issues, lack of shower facilities, lack of bike parking, errands, transporting children to school and daycare, job requires driving, clothing requirements, and unsure of cycling skills.

The last two times I moved, I purposely chose housing that was either close to my job or close to public transit. When I interview for a job, I look specifically into what my potential employer provides in terms of bike parking, lockers and showers. I’m in the technology industry so clothing hasn’t been an issue for me.

I dropped the ball on the transporting children issue on my last move — I didn’t realize our school district doesn’t generally do school buses and my daughter’s school is at the top of a long, steep hill that I even I have a hard time cycling up, so we are stuck with driving her to school every day.

If you commute by bike, how did you tackle these challenges?

Via the Midway Bike Blog, where wjc has his own good thoughts on cycling infrastructure and how cyclists actually are a help to motorists: we reduce congestion because we’re one less car when we bike and we reduce demand for gasoline making more available for them to burn,

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