Collected for Bike Month 2006, but applicable at any time! …

Tom Kelly, Director of KyotoUSA and a cyclist

“The burning of fossil fuels (oil, natural gas, coal) is polluting the Earth’s atmosphere. These greenhouse gas emissions are putting the planet at risk. Automobiles are one of the greatest contributors to this problem. If we are going to have any chance of averting major climate changes which will affect all living organisms, we must act now to reduce the amount of greenhouse gases which we produce.”

Collected for Bike Month 2006, but applicable at any time! …

Tom Kelly, Director of KyotoUSA and a cyclist

“The burning of fossil fuels (oil, natural gas, coal) is polluting the Earth’s atmosphere. These greenhouse gas emissions are putting the planet at risk. Automobiles are one of the greatest contributors to this problem. If we are going to have any chance of averting major climate changes which will affect all living organisms, we must act now to reduce the amount of greenhouse gases which we produce.”

“A gallon of gasoline produces 20 pounds of carbon dioxide. A car driven 12,000 miles annually that gets 25 miles to the gallon produces nearly 1/2 ton of carbon dioxide. California has about 15 million cars which means that we are producing approximately 7.5 million tons of carbon dioxide each year.”

“The reduction of greenhouse gas pollution should be everyone’s number one priority. Biking will get most of us where we need to go, improves our health, allows us to see the city we live in, puts money in our pockets, and makes a contribution to the well-being of the planet. What more could one ask for?”

Edward Pais, cyclist and BART commuter

“When I moved to California, I found an apartment in Berkeley and a job in San Francisco. I knew I did not want to face the stress of driving into the city every day, so I had to find an alternative commute. After researching different routes into San Francisco, I decided that a combination of biking and BART offered the best option in terms of low cost, speed and convenience.”

“I am proud that every day, no matter the weather, I resist the temptation to get in my car and instead get on my bike and pedal my way to BART. Although my daily bike commute to BART is short, I find that it encourages me to bike or ride as I go about my errands or just for pleasure. I am living a more active lifestyle now and enjoying it more.”

Glen Wolf, graduate student

“Cycling is an efficient, non-boring way to incorporate exercise into my daily routine. It doesn’t take that much more time than a car and once you consider the scheduling time and gumption you would have used to jog for the equivalent amount of exercise, I think most will find it actually saves time.”

“Also, it seems a little absurd to employ several tons machinery, with all its’ implications, to go relatively short distances when 35 lbs of machinery works almost as good if not much better in many respects. And since I have been trying to reduce the sense of absurdity in my life, cycling has become important.”

Martha Crusius, parent

“Bikes are how our family gets around town, as much as possible. I bike and BART to work, my son bikes to school, the whole family bikes to the grocery store, the library, the farmer’s market, friends’ houses, and music classes. It’s just what we do – more often than not, it doesn’t make sense to get in the car.”

“We bike because it’s good exercise, which we otherwise wouldn’t fit into our busy days. We bike because it feels good to move and stretch and get our blood moving. We travel by bicycle at a pace that allows us to talk to a neighbor or to notice what’s blooming in a garden. Often biking is the fastest way to get where we’re going, once we account for traffic and parking. We find it less frustrating, and more fun – we rarely get stuck in traffic while on a bike.”

“We bike because it’s good for the environment, and it’s the right thing to do. But realistically, that’s not enough motivation to keep us biking day after day. The real motivations are more personal and immediate. I ride my bike to BART in the morning because it’s faster than walking, easier than parking a car, and it provides me with some exercise. My son bikes because his school is too far to walk, and he likes the independence of propelling himself, rather than being hauled around in the car. My husband runs errands by bike in order to burn off the stress and nervous energy that comes from sitting at a computer all day.”

“We save a lot of money by biking – not only gas, insurance and maintenance, but the costs of the second car we would need if we didn’t bike.”

“We live half a block from one of Berkeley’s bicycle boulevards. The network of bike-friendly streets gets us within a few blocks of most places we need to go throughout the flatlands. We look at Berkeley’s bike map the way other people look at freeway maps – as a network of quick, direct ways to get around.”

“Bicycling as a family has produced benefits we never expected. Our thirteen year old son has been bicycling to school since he was three, first riding on the sidewalk on a tiny bike with training wheels with mom or dad running alongside. Gradually he and the bikes got larger, he gained more skill, learned how to ride safely, became more aware of his surroundings, earned our trust, and was rewarded with more independence. He grew up with an expectation that he will participate in getting where he wants to go, and he has retained a willingness to contribute toward fulfilling his own needs. We’re not stuck as our son’s chauffeur. He bikes to school, music classes, and friends’ houses. If we need to take him somewhere, we get something out of it too – exercise, fresh air, and a sense of accomplishment.”

Jamie Lent, age 13 Berkeley resident

“I bike everywhere I go because that way I can be more independent and I can go over to my friends’ houses without having to make lots of arrangements. I have learned my way around Berkeley, so I can find my way almost anywhere.”

Susan Kegley, bike commuter

“I travel by bike to work most days. The exhilaration of rolling down the hill in the morning wakes me up and prepares me for the day ahead. The slow return uphill in the evening calms my mind at the end of a busy workday. I love the idea that my car just sits in the driveway most of the time and I feel especially lucky that I am not sitting in traffic somewhere spewing pollution into the air. Instead, I get to feel the wind in my face and hear the sound of my heart and lungs working. It’s truly one of the best ways to get exercise and stay healthy—build it into your day and you just do it. Good for the heart, good for the environment and, most importantly, good for the soul.”