Research Triangle Park, N.C. – With great spring weather, TTA and seven other Triangle organizations are urging you to “Bike to Work” next week.    

TTA, SmartCommute@RTP, GoTriangle.org, the Durham Bicycle & Pedestrian Advisory Commission, the City of Raleigh, Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization, the Bicycle Chain and Raleigh Downtowner are urging people to take the pledge to bike to work or the bus stop at least once between May 14th-18th.

“Biking to work is economical, healthy, ecological and can be fun,” said Audra Foree with TTA Commuter Resources. “This year, with gasoline prices as high as they are, biking to work makes more sense than ever. Up to ten bikes can park in the space taken by a single motor vehicle.”

Several activities during the week have been planned to enhance air quality, cut down on traffic congestion, and improve personal health and fitness by commuting to work by bike.  Foree says, “Bike commuters who pledge to ride their bike to work at least one day during “Bike to Work Week” could win a new commuter bicycle donated to our effort by The Bicycle Chain.”

The week’s activities include:

• May 15 – 5:00 PM - Cyclists Get Together in RTP (Serena Bar and Grill, 5500 Miami Blvd.) and Raleigh (The Big Easy, 222 Fayetteville St.)
• May 16 – 5:30 PM - Cyclists Get Together at the Bicycle Chain in Chapel Hill.  Come enjoy a potluck dinner and learn about commuter-oriented bike maintenance, rules of the road, good gear choices, and smart bike routes.

• May 16 – 7:00 PM - The Ride of Silence in Carrboro and RTP in honor of those who have been injured or killed while cycling on public roadways.  The Carrboro ride of 8-miles starts and ends in the parking lot of McDougal Elementary School on Old Fayetteville Rd. in Carrboro.  The RTP ride begins and ends at the Triangle Life Science Center (the old EPA building) at 86 T.W. Alexander Drive in RTP.  Park using the Highway 54 entrance to the center).
• May 17 – 5:00 PM - Cyclists Get Together in Durham (Tyler’s Tap Room in the American Tobacco Complex).

• May 18 – 7:00 AM - Biker’s Breakfast and Bike to Work Week Celebration in Raleigh (NW corner of Fayetteville & Hargett), RTP public event (to be announced) and 7:30 AM in Durham (The Mad Hatter at Broad & Main).

Autos are the single largest source of U.S. air pollution.  Short trips are up to three times more polluting per mile than long trips.  When bicycling is substituted for short auto trips, 3.6 pounds of pollutants per mile are not emitted into the atmosphere.  More bicycle use means less benzene, cyanide, lead, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, CFCs, sulfates, and ozone in the air.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, more than 200,000 deaths per year can be attributed to physical inactivity.  Obesity costs our nation $68 billion in health care and personal costs annually. The statistics on the lack of physical activity among children are also alarming.  Most children are driven to school in cars or buses, and one child out of every four is overweight.  Medical research has well established the fact that a minimum of 30 minutes of moderate physical activity three days a week can reduce incidents of heart disease, obesity, diabetes, and hypertension and improve mental health and cardio-vascular fitness.

Following are some safety and other tips that will help you enjoy biking to work more.

• Have your bike checked over by your local bike shop
• Always wear a helmet to protect your head in the event of a crash
• Ride in the right-most lane that goes in the direction that you are traveling
• Obey all stop signs, traffic lights and lane markings
• Look before you change lanes or signal a turn; indicate your intention, then act
• Be visible and predictable at all times; wear bright clothing and signal turns

More information on “Bike to Work Week” is available at www.GoTriangle.org. 

TTA is a regional public transportation provider, offering a wide variety of transit and vanpool services to North Carolina's greater Triangle Region and outlying counties. Bus service is available to Apex, Cary, Chapel Hill, Durham, Garner, Hillsborough, RDU International Airport, RTP and Raleigh.  The Triangle Transit Authority also provides commuter resources and hosts GoTriangle.org, the popular on-line resource for public transportation information in the Triangle. 

TTA is the implementation agency responsible for carrying out a regional transit plan connecting Durham, RTP, Cary, Raleigh, RDU International Airport and Research Triangle Park.

For more information, visit www.rideTTA.org or call (919) 549-9999.