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Cyclists
turn out for Bike to Work Day
By Shantee
Woodards
Capital Newspaper Staff Writer
5/17/08
Rain
discourages dozens of riders
Greg Brennan's short commute to work is the stuff dreams are
made of, except he does it by bicycle.
Year-round,
the Eastport resident rides his bike to his job at the Chesapeake
Bay Foundation on Herndon Avenue. Even on a rainy day like yesterday,
Mr. Brennan was among the dedicated bikers who came out to celebrate
the annual Bike to Work Day.
"My bike
is 10 years old and I put $250 in it, it's way cheaper than
a car," Mr. Brennan said. "There have been no injuries, and
no gas."
Because
of the rain, the event, held to get commuters to accept bikes
as a viable transportation option, was moved to the vacant building
next to Hard Bean Coffee & Booksellers, instead of outdoors.
May is both National Bike Month and Clean Air Month, so bicycle
enthusiasts use it as a time to encourage people to keep their
cars off the road.
The rain
contributed to a disappointing showing yesterday, although the
trend has been more and more riders in recent years.
There was
a time when only a handful of people attended the event in the
city, but 100 people came last year. This year, 156 people registered
in advance, but only about 40 people showed up.
The Annapolis
Regional Transportation Management Association (ARTMA), Annapolis
Transit and the Baltimore Metropolitan Council were among the
participants in the national event yesterday. "Five years ago,
12 people came," said Heather McColl, of ARTMA. "Last year,
100 people came. This year, hundreds and hundreds of people
wished they could be here."
Whole Foods
and Hard Bean provided refreshments and giveaways, while representatives
from Capital Bicycles attended to give free bike inspections.
City officials
attended and promoted the Free Wheelin' program, which allows
people to borrow bikes from City Dock for 24 hours. The program
is held from June through August.
Arnold
resident James Stickler began riding his bike two years ago
after being encouraged by a coworker, who is a bicycle enthusiast.
Now it is almost nothing for him to travel the 11-mile route
to his Riva Road office, which he tries to do nine months out
of the year. On bike days, he gets to work early and uses the
locker and shower area offered at his job. Work "is more fun
and I'm more motivated to go in (after a ride)," Mr. Stickler
said. "Several people at work ride and we ride together afterward."
Ann Jackson began commuting by bike 15 years ago, long before
gasoline prices became exorbitant. She got used to people eyeing
her strangely as she described her 10-mile ride from her Severna
Park home to her job on Harry S. Truman Parkway in Annapolis.
Nevertheless, she manages by riding on the bike trails through
West Annapolis, then makes her way to Forest Drive. She used
to be able to ride her bike through the Naval Academy, but that
is no longer allowed. As a bike rider, her biggest pet peeves
are "not enough bike paths and (not) riding through the Naval
Academy," Ms. Jackson said. "Often, there's not a lot of places
to lock my bike up."
Karen Karos
bikes 13 miles one way each morning to her job at the Severna
Park Area Branch Library. It took her awhile to reach that level
of mileage though. She recommends that people who consider bike
riding begin slowly. When she started riding four years ago,
she would drive to the Park and Ride, then ride her bike to
work. "I started and I had forgotten how much I love it," Ms.
Karos said. "It reminds me of being a kid."
Published
May 17, 2008, The Capital, Annapolis, Md. Copyright © 2008 The
Capital, Annapolis, Md.
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