I cycle about 7km one way to…

I cycle about 7km one way to work from home. I do this because it gives me exercise and flexibility to change my route. I wear a helmet, I have front and back lights, I use my bell. I bike on a route with no bikes lanes and bike lanes and have drastically different experiences. When sharing the road I am met with distracted drivers, left turns, impatient drivers cutting off cyclists and other motorists, etc. During those times I am on those routes I need to be hyper vigilant. I have narrowly avoided injuries or potential death because of shared roads and bad driving.

Bike lanes save lives and aren’t the contributors to congestion or detrimental impacts to economies. In fact, cycling allows me to make stops at businesses I wouldn’t normally frequent. Bikes are better for the environment too and when I can’t bike I use public transit for my commutes.