SierraScape December 2005 - January 2006
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by Del Johnson

As gasoline prices remain high, more and more people are beginning to appreciate the advantages of bicycle transportation. In this issue of Sierrascape, we profile three EMG members who rely, in whole or in part, on bikes to get to work.

For Bill McConnaughey, the question of how to get to work in the morning is no longer a matter for debate. Bill has gone without a car for thirty years, and rides his bike to work at Washington University rain or shine, a distance of about four and a half miles.

"Traffic is much less of a problem for me and my bike than it is for motorists, not to mention that parking is much easier," Bill tells us. He also likes the way bike riding keeps him physically fit, without his having to commit time to an exercise program. "Riding a bike means that exercise is integrated into my schedule," he explains.

Bill rides about seven thousand miles a year, including bicycle trips, such as his jaunt to the Ozark Chapter Reunion at Mark Twain State Park in October of 2005, a distance of about two hundred miles round trip.

If you depend exclusively on a bike to get to work, how do you deal with bad weather? Bill wears a raincoat when it rains, and admits to arriving for work a little wet occasionally. For him, these minor disadvantages of bicycle commuting are outweighed by the benefits.

There are other cyclists who say that, because of distance from work and other circumstances, they do not rely exclusively on bike transportation. "It can depend a lot on where you live," says Bob Foster, who lives about nine miles from work. "Bike riders really appreciate neighborhoods with old fashioned grid style layouts, which are bicyclist and pedestrian friendly." He lives about nine miles from work and uses his car some of the time, but estimates he rides his bike to work about 120 days a year, and figures he saves the equivalent of about a gallon of gasoline a day.

Bob tells us that when he was in his 20's he was advised to watch his diet in order to lower his blood pressure. Now, many years after having taken up bicycle riding, Bob states that he is physically fit, has no blood pressure problem, and is able to eat pretty much what he likes. "One major advantage of riding a bicycle to and from work is that it feels so good," Bob explains. "As I ride home on my bike, the cares of the day simply disappear."

Tim Pekarek, who does not own a car, relies on a combination of bicycling, walking, and public transportation to get around. Tim works at Karen House, and walks to work, since he lives only a short distance away. When work takes him to a different location two miles away, he usually rides his bicycle. Tim's home is near downtown and the Soulard area, where he is within a short walk of three bus lines, so that public transportation is relatively convenient. He says that at present grocery shopping is not as convenient as he would like, since the nearest supermarket is two miles away from his home. He is able to carry his groceries home in the panniers on his bicycle.

Conversations with Bill, Bob, or Tim confirm what many other bike enthusiasts are learning as well: bikes are socially and environmentally responsible. They are economical. And they are fun!