By Tim Persyn
What can you do May 16 that will get you to work, exercise your body and cause zero pollution? If you're a regular bike commuter, like Saratoga resident Tyler Heerwagen, you know the answer:
You can participate in the second annual statewide "Bike-to-Work Day," coordinated locally by RIDES for Bay Area Commuters. A handful of Saratogans, including Heerwagen, participated last year.
RIDES works with all nine Bay Area counties to promote commute alternatives, such as helping people set up pools and providing information on alternative forms of transportation, including walking and buses. Last year, about 5,000 people participated in the Bay Area.
Bay Area Coordinator Carolyn Helmke commented on the goals of the day. "We want to promote bike commuting," Helmke said. "A lot of people don't know much about it. This gives people a chance to try it when others are trying it."
She added that the day provides incentives for people to bike to the job. Besides having a chance to improve personal health while not polluting the environment, participants can win airline tickets, bikes and bike gear.
Helmke said that statistics show one in five people who participate in "Bike-to-Work Day" end up commuting regularly by bike.
"It's a chance to get a little exercise in and be environmentally friendly," said Heerwagen, who commutes from Saratoga to Santa Clara. He plans to participate in the day again this year.
This article appeared in the Saratoga News, May 15, 1996.
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