Want to double your gas mileage? Drive your car half way to work. Get your bike out and ride the rest of the way. I used to park at the Exton Mall and ride on the Chester Valley trail to my job in Great Valley. On bad weather days, or softball nights I drove all the way. But on days that I did a 50/50 drive/ride, I doubled my gas mileage without having to invest in a hybrid vehicle. And I got some exercise on my commute. Double cheese pizza – justified!

Every biker that replaces a car on the road is one less car adding to congestion, pollution and planet warming emissions.

 Not happy with the biking infrastructure in your area? It always seems like a Catch-22: without bike lanes and trails people choose to drive, which creates more pressure to build more roads and funds the highway system through gas taxes. I don’t have a lot of advice, other than – Speak Up! Talk to your local government. Bike and Pedestrian infrastructure takes time. So speak up – for the benefit of the next generation of bikers and walkers.

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation is developing a Bike/Ped Master Plan. Check it out and take the survey.

Jim Wylie