Ride to Work Day

Today was National Ride To Work Day. The idea is to encourage people to lead a healthier lifestyle by riding to work instead of driving. This is beneficial not only to the rider but also the environment and the hip pocket. I started cycling to work a few months ago, my daily commute is about 11 km one way and takes approximately 45 minutes. That burns about 2000 kilojoules of energy for me, which is about the amount contained in a McDonald's Big Mac. It will also save me approximately $1.50 on petrol and approximately 2 kg of CO₂. All of that might not seem much, but if I cycled twice a week, in a year, I will have saved over $300, and 400 kg of CO₂ not to mention the health benefits I'd receive.

There are a few things that can make cycling less enjoyable. In particular drivers that really don't give any respect to cyclists. On my way to work today, I saw an ambulance at an accident scene involving two cycles and a car.I guess it is frustrating sitting in morning traffic, and having to continually go pass cyclists only to be overtaken by them. There are dedicated cycling lanes and paths in some areas, but they're far too inadequate and puts out a mixed message. Often the path is shared with pedestrians or end abruptly and forces a cyclist to join the road again. There are pros and cons for cycling with traffic or cycling on dedicated paths, but I find its very counterproductive to force cyclists to have to do both.

Other than traffic dangers, when riding in spring time in Australia, magpies do attack riders. These birds are highly territorial, and there are not many ways to avoid being attacked. Some suggestions to help avert attacks include putting elaborate devices on the helmet. This has to be carefully considered - in the event of an accident, the contraption must not affect the helmet's purpose to protect your head. One suggestion from my colleague was to use cable ties and stick the pointy end away from your helmet, although I have yet to try this out. If you could, it would be best to avoid where they nest and use an alternate route if possible. A map of magpie attacks is being compiled.

Fortunately, there is good camaraderie between cyclists. Often I will cycle pass another cyclists and we will acknowledge each other with a nod or a wave. So next time you cycle, don't forget to say hello to your fellow cyclists!