More on Bike to Work Month...from Baltimore

Photo from the City of Portland Transportation Department website.

Today's Baltimore Sun has a good article, "Human-powered commute: wheeling to work," in the Health Section. Alas, the great photograph in the print edition is not online. The story features Greg Cantori, a resident of "suburban" Pasadena, Maryland, who bikes 22 miles to work in the Hampden area of Baltimore. (While that's a bit much for me, it does show that more people can ride bikes to work.) How about it, Washington Post?

From the article:

"Car commercials try to show cars as exciting - jumping hills, riding rugged terrain," says Cantori. "The reality is a cyclist gets to experience that fun every day." ...

Yet bike commuters remain a novelty act in America. Automobile dependence seems an ingrained cultural trait. "If everybody who lives under 10 miles from their workplace rode [their bike] once a week, that's a huge impact on air quality," says Jamie Bridges, bicycle-pedestrian planner for the Baltimore Metropolitan Council, a nonprofit organization active in regional transportation and air-quality initiatives.

Cantori's tips:

Greg Cantori insists bike commuting isn't only for veteran cyclists. "Anyone in average health should be able to ride 5 to 10 miles to work," he says. Here are a few ways to get started:

Browse Cantori's Web site. You'll find his bike commuting diary and cycling-related links. Cantori is a board member of One Less Car, a nonprofit group working to create a more bike-friendly environment.

Visit a local bike shop. Most owners will help novice commuters by explaining the necessary equipment and road etiquette. Some offer introductory cycling classes. Cantori is a fan of Light Street Cycles on Federal Hill.

You can never be too safety conscious. In addition to wearing a helmet, Cantori rides with a headlight day and night, and has plastered his shoe tips, pedal crank and wheel rims with bits of reflector tape.

He always waits in line with cars at red lights: Many drivers don't look kindly on cyclists who jump queues. [I don't do this and I should, but I only do it when there is no oncoming traffic and I guess I feel the more time I can spend away from cars, the better, considering I've even been side-swiped by trucks with "I'd rather be biking" bumper stickers.]

Want to practice before hitting the road? Cantori recommends the B&A Trail in Anne Arundel County because it's paved and flat. It's a "great place to develop basic bike skills," he says.