For mental and physical health, bike!

National Bike Month is the entire month of May, and https://bikeleague.org/bikemonth has declared May 17 – 21 National Bike to Work Week, with that Friday being designated as National Bike to Work Day. There is some confusion, however, as some communities celebrate it on the third Friday of the month while others celebrate it on the second Thursday of the month.

Whether you choose to bike to work or to school for the Bike to School Day, there are options, but the reasons are universal.

• Bicycling improves the economy. People who ride bikes save money, because they don’t have to worry about spending gas money or gas tax, With the money saved from lower travel costs, people who ride bikes have more of their money to themselves.
• Bicycling improves health and saves money. People who ride bikes to work can also save their companies money on health insurance costs. It also plays a big part in reducing heart problems as you grow in age.
• Bicycling improves the environment. Driving cars less also help not spread as many toxic fumes into the air. Cycling releases no fumes and is a more efficient way of traveling. Cycling is also healthier for you… according to consumerreport.org, “People who commute by bike including people who bike only part of the way to work, taking an alternative like a train for the other part, had lower risk for various cancers and cardiovascular disease, and were less likely to die during the study period.”
• Biking improves attitudes. Although daily exercise like cycling will improve cardiovascular health, it also lifts your mood, and boosts your fitness.

The most recent American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates covering the years 2013-2017 show that about 872,000 people, or 0.6% of all workers in the United States, bike to work, according to census.gov. During the pandemic, the numbers went up, but they had already dropped substantially from the 2017 numbers reported by the census.