Shifting gears: Why biking to work will improve your day
It doesn’t have to be an uphill battle—literally and figuratively—in this town.
For Evan Gardner, the hardest part about biking to work is staying confident on the road.
“It’s very intimidating for the fact that other cyclists make it look so easy, but when I’m doing it, it’s not easy at all,’’ Gardner told Boston.com. “Then there’s cars, hand signals, all these things I’ve never had to deal with at all. It’s very foreign to me.’’
He’s been biking to work for three weeks, and plans to keep at it, especially for Friday’s Bike to Work Day.
Gardner, 27, recently moved here from Colorado, and he has been biking from Burlington to Somerville for his job as a civil engineer. He’s used to having a car but is finding benefits from biking he didn’t expect.
“A lot of times I find it’s really fun. I see things I wouldn’t pay attention to in the car,’’ he said. “It allows me to think before my job, like a meditation.’’
Gardner is a new member of the growing bike-commuter community in the state. Massachusetts is the fourth friendliest bike state in the country, according to the League of American Bicyclists.
Since 2014, the Bay State jumped up six ranks from 10th place. Lauren LeClaire, communications coordinator for statewide advocacy group MassBike, said Massachusetts is one of the biggest movers on the chart. It didn’t come as a big surprise to her.
“There’s been a lot of hard work put in by various groups across the state and a lot of elected officials to make it happen,’’ LeClaire told Boston.com. “We want to make it make it easier for people to get out and try to ride, even if it’s one day this week they try to ride to work. The weather’s great enough.’’
Jen Warner is an outreach coordinator for My City Bikes, a resource for beginner cyclists. About 25-50 people from the Boston area write in to My City Bikes daily to ask for help.
“Not only can it be culturally intimidating, but there’s so much info out there, it can be difficult to filter through and find places for a beginner to start,’’ Warner said. “We want everyone to have a safe ride, an enjoyable ride, and make biking a part of their regular life.’’
For Gardner, the physical benefits were obvious, but when friends mentioned what a money saver it could be, he realized he had never thought about that perk.
It costs an average of $8,876 per year to maintain a car, according to a 2014 AAA study. The annual operating cost of a bicycle is $308, Forbes reported. Warner said cost savings is one of the main reasons people should bike to work, including commuter complaints and saving time.
To those still unsure if they should give it a shot, she said “There’s more support out there than you might imagine.’’ And don’t think you have to fit any cycling stereotypes; she said cycling is “as diverse as people are.’’
But it gets better, Gardner said.
“I feel positive now, but I do get discouraged because there’s so much to discover,’’ Gardner said. “But that’s so rare, to get a new experience. And once you understand it, it’s like anything else.’’
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