Motorists likely need to keep a sharp eye out for more bicycle riders on the roads this afternoon as this is Bike to Work Week in Iowa.
Mark Wyatt, executive director of the Iowa Bicycle Coalition, says more communities across the state are upgrading their infrastructure to accommodate cyclists, including the creation of bike lanes and bike trails.
“In fact, we’re seeing even businesses start to demand that from their cities to make them more competitive,” Wyatt says. “It brings more workers in that are more creative and people from out of state want to come and have places to ride bikes. It’s important for cities to work that way and start to become bike-friendly.”
The winters may be too snowy, cold and brutal for most people to abandon their cars entirely for bikes, but many people are able to commute to work on two wheels for the warmer months of the year. Wyatt says that translates to big savings on gasoline, parking fees, vehicle maintenance costs and more, in addition to being much better for the environment.
“Bicycle commuters save quite a bit of money and health care costs is one of the places,” Wyatt says. “Our estimate is that if we had more people biking to work, savings for Iowa would be about $72-million. The more we can do to increase the amount of people bicycling, it’s better for all of Iowa.”
While this is Bike to Work Week, Wyatt is hoping Iowans give serious consideration to making the two-wheel commute a more permanent solution every week. So, how many Iowans are biking to work this week?
“We don’t know, but we know that about half of all Iowans own a bicycle,” Wyatt says. “It’s a good opportunity for everybody to get out there and ride a bike this week. It’s fun, it’s good for you and it’s good for a lot of things, but most of all, you can enjoy the weather and enjoy the spring by bicycle.”
Iowa communities large and small are holding special events this week to encourage more people to pursue pedal power, including Cedar Rapids, Sioux City, Des Moines and Fairfield.
http://iowabicyclecoalition.org/