Friday, May 21 declared as Bike-to-Work Day.

The League of American Bicyclists declared Friday, May 21, as Bike-to-Work day. The League promotes the interests and protects the rights of cyclists and are using the day to interest newcomers to bicycling to explore bicycling as transportation. Let Smart Coast know your name, email address, work location, and the number of miles that you traveled.  Also any tidbits of information would be welcome, that is, I commute XX number of days a week, I'd like to commute more but these are my barriers_______________________. Below are some of the comments received by Smart Coast on this effort.

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Want to let you know I'll be biking to work from Springhill to downtown Mobile tomorrow. I am mad as all get out about the Gulf of Mexico and am using the Bike to Work Day as an opportunity to go "oil free" for a day. Thanks! Great idea!! Mo Roberts

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I intend to bike on 05/21/10. Clara Myers, cmyers@cityoforangebeach.com, employed by City of Orange Beach, AL, 3 miles one way. I commute 1 to 5 times per week depending on weather, work schedule (don't really like riding after dark) and personal errands I might need to run at lunch. There really aren't any barriers as there are great sidewalks all along my route. It is great exercise that makes me fell fabulous while I try to save the planet. Clara

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I biked to work today. I usually ride once a week from my house in downtown Fairhope to my office Spanish Fort (Hwy 31 or 7884 Spanish Fort Blvd). It is about 12 miles each way. If I come to work early, I usually leave at 4 a.m. & travel straight down 4–lane Hwy 98 to Hwy 31. If I leave later at 5 a.m., I take scenic 98 to Alligator Alley in Daphne & take it under I-10 then to Hwy 31 to my office. I return home on Scenic Hwy 98. Thanks for your involvement in the biking community and please call on me to assist when needed. John Johnson

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I commute 2 miles to work from my home 2 or 3 times a week. It would be nice to have access to shower facilities close to or at work as when the weather gets hotter, it is more difficult to arrive not sweaty for work. I intend to ride to work Friday, May 21st on my bike. Thank you.

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I rode my bike today, 3 miles round trip, to the City of Gulf Shores. I probably average riding my bike or walking to work about 2 times per week per year. Barriers to biking and walking are vehicles, sidewalk widths, crossing a 5 lane road, and weather. Andy Bauer

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I don't usually bike to work; I usually ride one of my motor scooters, which use very little gas. But last Friday, I chose my mountain bike over my road or single-speed cruiser bikes. I rode from home to the Cardiology Associates office located at Thomas Hospital (2 miles), rode to downtown Fairhope for a work errand, then back to the office and then finally home again at the end of the day. All in all, it was only about 9 or 10 miles. It was fun and it was almost as fast as taking a car and I didn't have the usual parking concerns. Parking in downtown Fairhope and at Thomas Hospital can be a nightmare. My only complaint (barrier!) was the sweat factor. I was drenched after the noontime ride to downtown Fairhope, and while I do have access to a shower at the health club I belong to, I don't have the time to do that. I guess I could just buy a big container of wipes and keep them in my office! I'm not sure what to do about humidity! Again, it was fun. I almost felt guilty that I had to run a work errand by bicycle when most people use cars, because riding my bicycle has always been a joy. Thanks, Cindy Cazalas

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I rode my bike to work today, and just about every day this month. My barriers are…I’m fat, and old!!! Although I do ride my bike to work from midtown to downtown, I do not consider myself a “cyclist”. I only do it during Spring/Summer months, I stay off the arterials, and use the prescribed bike route. I don’t own a Trek or Cannondale, I ride a $100 Mongoose and a $10 helmet, I don’t own any Spandex, and a 2,000 lb car will always have the right of way.

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Yes, I'll bike to work Friday. How embarrassing that I don't do it all of the time. Problems - sometimes clothes don't work with that center bar, rain, my laptop computer and sometimes samples & drawings. Worries about sudden trips to Mobile (silly because I can bike home and get the car). OK, it is just easy to drive. But I only live about 1/2 mile from work! Thanks for keeping this in our minds.

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I made it to work on my bike this morning with few problems. The only barriers I encountered were drivers. The drivers in Mobile are not used to dealing with cyclists and they do NOT want to give us our space. Most of the time it is larger size pick up trucks that seem determined to get as close to you as possible and drive by as fast as possible. There are a few railroad tracks that need some work. The track on Dauphin Street at Mobile Street is extremely rough for cyclists. There are major indentions in the pavement on the right side of Dauphin that require cyclists to be out in the lane as you head east on Dauphin. This can be problematic with the traffic. Overall, it was a good ride. I had to take a longer way to get to work in order to avoid the interstate but it was ok. I made it and notified my paranoid husband and son that I arrived safely. I am thinking about trying to do this every Friday during the school year next year. Maybe it will catch on! Thanks for the idea! Jenni Currie President, Spokin' Southern Mobile Women Cyclists

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I did NOT bicycle to work today. I have done so in the past, about 10 times. My round trip is about 18 miles from my house to downtown Mobile. I would like to commute more, but these are my barriers: 1) no secure out of the weather place to leave my bicycle at my place of employment (other than in my office, which has been allowed so far); 2) no shower facilities at work to allow me to clean up after a ride to work during the warmer months; 3) my entire route is on street, with no bike lane or wide lane provisions, and only a very small portion (less than a mile) is a designated “bike” route; 4) the City does not provide any education or guidance (public relations) to its citizens regarding sharing the road with cyclists; 5) some intersections have signal lights that are only triggered by in-pavement detection devices, and the device does not detect bicycles – so I have to wait for a car to arrive to trigger a signal change; and 6) drainage grates in the street are sometimes oriented to catch the wheel of a bike – the slot is aligned in the travel path rather than perpendicular to the path.

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We both road to work Friday. We'd love to hear your results. Thanks- Maggie & Tom Maggie, 10.0 miles road trip, commutes 1-2 times a month. Tom, 24.0 miles road trip, commutes 3-5 times a week

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