Durham's Bike-to-Work Day Press Release

Durham, North Carolina The Bicycle Committee of the Durham Open Spaces and Trails Commission is inviting commuters from all over Durham and the Triangle to ride their bicycles to work this Wednesday May 21st as part of the National Bicycle Month celebration. Some area companies are inducing commuters with continental breakfasts and recognition.

The day before, at 9 A.M. on May 20th at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) in RTP, a representative of the mayor will be proclaiming May 21 to be Bike to Work Day in Durham. The bicycle committee will discuss currently planned bicycle projects and suggest ways employers can encourage bicycle commuting. Breakfast will be served. The public is invited and encouraged to come whether by bicycle, public transportation, or car.

Bike to Work Day is part of a national effort, endorsed by the U.S. Department of Transportation, to highlight the benefits of bicycling, and to prove to people that it is feasible to leave the car at home for some journeys. The campaign is being promoted nationally by the League of American Bicyclists, the national organization of bicyclists founded in 1880 to advance and defend the rights and interests of cyclists.

"We've been celebrating Bike to Work Day in Durham for some years," explained Dilip Barman, chair of the Bicycle Committee, "but we are excited that this is the first time that we are partnering with an organization that encourages their employees to bicycle commute. We hope that more people will consider bicycle commuting, and that road conditions are improved with bicycles in mind." Mr. Barman encouraged bicyclists to wear helmets at all times while riding.

Directions to NIEHS

Background Information

• Bike to Work Day has met with significant success in other cities. In 1987, Boulder, CO received national recognition for "Energy Innovation" after the Department of Energy determined that their Bike to Work Day saved approx. 1000 gallons of fuel, kept a ton of carbon monoxide out of the air, and left 1800 parking spaces available. DOE praised the organizers for contributing to national security by helping to make the U.S. less dependent on foreign oil. Bicycling is the most efficient form of transportation invented. Federal government figures show that 8-15 million barrels of oil could be saved annually through a nationwide program of bicycle awareness to increase the use of bicycles for transportation.
• The EPA estimates that dangerous vehicle emissions could be cut by as much as 5 percent if just 2.5 percent of car trips were made by bike instead. 1990 amendments to the Clean Air Act dictate that employers with more than 100 people at one site in areas with pollution problems are to reduce the number of vehicle trips to the workplace by 25%.
• Some companies encourage bike commuting by providing showers, covered/locked bike storage, bike repair classes, free taxi rides home in the case of rain, or cash rebates for every day an employee rides to work. Not only are these companies helping to reduce pollution levels, but also they are engendering fitter, more alert employees.
• Durham, Raleigh, and RTP are all planning on adding bicycle racks to buses to encourage inter-modal public transportation. Within a year, some area commuters can expect to have the option of riding a bike to a nearby bus stop, easily and safely loading their bicycle onto the bus, and riding a short distance to their workplace. Such programs have already been in place for some time in various other places in the country, such as Portland, OR, Seattle, WA, Phoenix, AZ, Dallas, TX, Willamantic, CT, and San Mateo County, CA.
• The League of American Bicyclists can be reached at (410)539-3399 or by email at BikeLeague@aol.com. Bicycling had an excellent article in its Dec.1994 issue, "Good Company" (pgs. 64-68), hilighting bicycle commuting and how companies can help.

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