Bike to Work and School Day: May 15

Mary Anderson is the events coordinator for everybodyBIKE and a daily bicycle commuter. She is the regional Safe Routes to School Coordinator for the Whatcom County area and is a board candidate for the Bicycle Alliance of Washington.

One sunny April afternoon the inevitable happened: one of our cars died. It was an old Nissan Stanza, not worth putting any money into. We had two cars at the time, so I wasn’t too worried. Since I was working in town and my husband worked in Skagit County, I volunteered to start riding my bike to work. I had a bike, a bike seat for my three-year-old daughter and the desire to be more environmentally friendly, so why not?

I had commuted by bike in the past, but never to my current job. I was working at the mall, located on the most dreaded of all streets, Meridian. I planned out my route. It seemed simple enough — I would drop my daughter Izzie off at daycare, meander through some side streets, cut through Cornwall Park then ride up Meridian to the mall.

I had absolutely no idea how much time to budget for the ride, so I left an hour before my shift started. I was pleasantly surprised to learn that it only took about 45 minutes for the four and a half mile commute.

My manager was nice enough to let me store my bike in the backroom. I changed into my work clothes when I arrived; I was set. As I continued to ride my bike to work, I found I had more energy, felt better and was starting to lose weight. My daughter and I saw animals on our commute, sang songs and said hello to other bicyclists and pedestrians we met along the way. Our mundane drive to work turned into an adventure!

By the time Bike to Work and School day rolled around I had been commuting by bike for about a month. In years past I wasn’t able to participate in the event, as either I didn’t have a bike or I worked in Skagit County. This was the year.

I took the day off work and mapped out a ride, which allowed me to stop by as many “Celebration Stations” as possible. Izzie and I rode 14 miles that day, the most I had ever ridden in a single day. We met other moms on bikes, students heading to the Hub Pancake Feed and couples who were car free. We saw more bikes that day than ever before.

We were given food, stickers and small prizes; it was on that day that Izzie feel in love with Bakers Breakfast Cookies. We rode to enter the prize drawing, to meet other bicyclists, and to be part of the solution.

Although I didn’t end up winning a big prize, I was still hooked. I continued to ride my bike to work daily; I lost 10 pounds in the first year alone. The hills were getting easier and we were saving money by staying a one-car, three-bike family.

In the years since that sunny April day, I have ridden my bicycle thousands of miles, all within Whatcom County. When I need to go somewhere I ask myself “can I do this by bike?” Sometimes the answer is no. I have panniers but don’t have a trailer, which means shopping is somewhat limited by bike. However, I’ve found that with a bike rack and a few bungee cords, you can carry lots of items you might not expect, such as a small table, barbeque briquettes, multiple bike helmets and so much more.

When possible, I ride. I ride predictably and am visible; I wear a bright yellow jacket or a neon vest. I follow the rules of the road. I am teaching my daughter to take bicycling seriously, and, though it is fun, it’s also a big responsibility.

I look forward to Bike to Work and School Day 2009. This year’s event is presented by Group Health and it’s the 12th annual celebration in Whatcom County. I now help organize the event and I am overwhelmed with gratitude for the hundreds of volunteers who help make this event such a success.

You can help too, either by volunteering or by riding your bike. Check out http://www.MtBakerBikeClub.org for more details, including celebration station locations and a list of bike month events. Spring is here! It’s time to dust off your bike and start riding. §