CantonRep.com: It might be a good time to take up biking

With gas prices reaching $3 a gallon more than once this year, another option to get to work and around town is bicycling.  The two-wheelers require no gas - only leg-pumping action - and need only an extra inner tube, a pump and a few basic tools, in case of a flat.  “This is the time to start,” said Doug Sikora of Canton, “especially with the weather we’ve been having lately.”

For nearly 33 years, Sikora rode a bike from his Harvard Avenue NW home to the Timken Co.’s Harrison Avenue SW facility.

It was a 51/2-mile ride through rain, snow or sun.

“It does save you money,” Sikora said. “Plus, you get the built-in exercise - the better thing that happens, actually.”

WHAT IT TAKES

Choosing to park your car and hop onto a bicycle is the first step in changing your commute.

“It really doesn’t take that much to get up and decide to ride to work,” said Elizabeth Preston, director of communications at the League of American Bicyclists. “Most of America has a way to get around by bike.”

Once the decision has been made, it only takes the cost of a bike, a helmet and the time to find a suitable, safe route.

“It’s much easier than people think,” Preston said.

In 1993, with the pending birth of his daughter, Sebastian Birch of Jackson Township wanted to live a healthier life. He quit smoking and decided to ride his bike to work.

“I just went to Kmart and bought a $60 bike,” Birch said. “I lived in Cleveland at the time. Work was four miles away. The first time I did it, I thought I was going to die.”

Birch is still pedaling. His Jackson Township home is about a half-mile from the Kent State University Stark Campus, where he is an assistant music professor. But he also rides his bicycle elsewhere when he can.

“I’m all for not driving a car, and riding a bike anywhere,” Birch said. “Instead of going to the store by car, when I go and pick something up, I go by bicycle.”

Sikora continues pedaling throughout the county, even though he retired from Timken Co. at the end of last year.

“I get on it and ride everywhere I possibly can,” Sikora said.

WHO IS RIDING?

The 2000 U.S. Census estimated 411,000 to 750,000 Americans bike to work during an average week. The League of American Bicyclists doesn’t agree with that figure.

“They take the survey in March,” Preston said. “It takes a really dedicated cyclist to ride in March, especially in the north.”

Preston said the League of American Bicyclists believes at least three times the number of bicyclists are riding to work than the last census reported.

Ohio doesn’t track those who bike to work, said Sharon Todd, manager of the Bicycle-Pedestrian Program for the state.

Stark County has 173,752 workers 16 and older, according to the 2006 census estimates. Of those, 152,341 ride to work alone in a vehicle. Only 849 get to work by other means, including bicycling.

Cities such as Cincinnati, Mentor and Eastlake have added bike trails to some of their main roadways, but most have not incorporated bike lanes into their road designs.

Todd said transportation enhancement funds are available to cities and townships each year, but few request the money.

Even without dedicated bike lanes, Preston said it’s still possible to find bike-friendly ways to work.

“There are all kinds of ways for you to get around,” Preston said. “The way you drive isn’t necessarily the way you ride your bike.”

SAVING MONEY

Neither Sikora nor Birch began riding their bikes to work to save money, but that has become a big benefit.

“I have a 1993 car with only 58,000 miles on it,” Birch said. “Most of those miles are because sometimes I have to go to Cleveland to work, and I can’t bike.”

Sikora estimates that he saved at least $1,000 a year at today’s gas prices.

Birch said that by riding his bike, he’s also helping those who drive daily.

“I’m always amazed that they (drivers) honk at me,” he said. “I’m one less car on the road.”

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