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Transportation Department

WHY BIKE?

It's fun! Riding your bike gives you the chance to get out of the enclosed confines of your car and outside where you can enjoy the sites and sounds of nature. You can make biking an activity to enjoy by yourself or with your friends on the weekend or you can enjoy a peaceful commute into work or school and you can circumvent most traffic jams that you would usually have to deal with in your car.

It's inexpensive! Some initial costs are involved with biking such as purchasing the bike, safety gear, etc., but compared with the cost of purchasing a car, paying for parking on campus, keeping the vehicle fueled, etc, biking will save you hundreds of dollars a year!

You don't have to search for a parking spot! There are plenty of bike racks on campus where you can park your bike. So instead of parking your car half a mile away and walking to class, you can lpark your bike a couple hundred feet from your classroom!

It's good for the environment! Short car trips are the most inefficient trips made. The car doesn't become efficient until it has warmed up, and for a commute of less than 5 miles the car never properly warms up. According to the EPA, ½ of the 900 million car trips that Americans take each day are less than 5 miles long. We generate a little more CO2 when riding, but that's about the extent of the "pollution" generated.

It's an easy way to get a workout! Even on short commutes you can get a decent workout. A 20-minute morning and afternoon aerobic workout has a tremendous beneficial effect on your total fitness. And here in Northern Virginia we can ride year round. Sometimes the roads are covered with snow, but that doesn't last long. With the proper gear, riding in cold weather is probably more comfortable than riding in hot weather.