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Bicycling gains popularity as King County commute option

As gasoline prices continue to soar, a lot of attention is focused on alternate forms of commuting – such as buses, trains, and carpools. But here in King County, many people are also turning to two wheels for travel to and from work.

The local Cascade Bicycle Club – the largest bike club in the nation – estimates that there are approximately 10,000 regular bike commuters in King County. The number has been growing recently, not just because of gas prices but also because more people are realizing that biking is a great option for getting around.

This Friday, May 16, is the annual “Bike to Work Day,” and there are several events throughout the week to help people get started. The goal for Friday is to have more than 20,000 people commute by bike.

King County Metro Transit is one of the sponsors for the group ride on Friday, but the sponsorship is more than a one-day thing. Metro and many county departments and agencies are involved in supporting safe biking every day of the year.

One of the best ways to get started is to bike with a friend or a co-worker who is already doing it and can teach you the ropes. If you don’t know anyone like that, then hook up with the Bike Buddy program sponsored by the Bicycle Alliance of Washington.

Even with a co-rider, not everyone is ready to tackle a 40-mile round trip commute by bike right away, so Metro offers ways to combine biking and busing for a totally green trip. Many commuters bike from home to a park-and-ride lot, where they lock-up their bikes and hop on a bus for the freeway portion of the trip.

In the past nine months, Metro has installed new bike lockers at five park-and-rides: Issaquah Highlands; North Seattle; Renton Highlands; South Bellevue; and Newport Hills. Also, the number of existing lockers has been increased at: Bear Creek; Eastgate; Federal Way; Kingsgate; Tukwila; the Montlake freeway stop; Redmond Transit Center; and Renton Transit Center.

There are now more than 200 bike lockers in these locations, along with freestanding bike racks. Bikes can also be loaded to the front of Metro buses and vans, if you want to take your ride with you for another leg of the trip.

Metro is in the process of updating its popular online Trip Planner to include more information about biking and walking options. Until that happens, one of the best resources for planning a bike trip is the King County Bicycling Map, a comprehensive guide including information on roads, trails and facilities throughout the county.

With good weather in the forecast for the middle and end of this week, now is a great time to get started with bike commuting. Leaving your car at home will reduce your impact on the environment and traffic congestion, and pushing those pedals may also help improve your health.

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Updated: May 13, 2008

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