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May 15, 2008 11:58 am US/Pacific
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Bay Area Commuters Take Part In Bike-To-Work Day
SAN FRANCISCO (BCN) ―
Riding a bicycle to work is cheaper, healthier and more fun than taking public transportation or driving a car.
That's what San Francisco resident Martin Barrs, 42, said Thursday morning as he stood by the front steps of City Hall to celebrate the 14th Annual Bike to Work Day along with more than 100 other cyclists.
"It's scary at first, then you look forward to the challenge," Barrs said of having braved the hilly and congested streets of San Francisco to ride 2.5 miles to work daily for the past two years. "Drivers are oblivious."
Barrs is one of many residents who have switched from taking San Francisco Municipal Railway to riding a bicycle. According to the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition, the number of bicycle riders in the city is rising.
"The number of bicyclists in San Francisco - and other big cities - is booming," San Francisco Bicycle Coalition Executive Director Leah Shahum said. "And the rate and number of bicycle collisions is decreasing," she added.
The bike boom is happening because people are eager to solve problems such as global warming, escalating gas prices and obesity, according to Shahum.
A person who rides his or her bicycle to work every day for a year will burn 30 pounds of fat, Shahum said. In addition, 3,500 pounds less of greenhouse gas emissions will pollute the air for each person who rides a bike to work every day.
More than 100,000 bicyclists are expected to ride in San Francisco Thursday and residents throughout the Bay Area are anticipated to participate in Bike to Work Day as well.
Energizer stations are scattered along bike routes in all nine Bay Area counties Thursday to provide food and drinks to the bicyclists.
(© CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Bay City News contributed to this report.)