Lexington, KY - In what was by far the city's most successful Commuter Bike Challenge to date, Bike Lexington generated nearly 14,000 miles of local employees commuting to and from work by bicycle in May. The challenge saw a huge spike in participation this year, with at least three times as many individuals participating (an average of 140 a week) than in years past, according to Kenzie Gleason, the Bikeway/Pedestrian coordinator from the city's Division of Planning.
"We were absolutely thrilled with the response we got this year," Gleason said. "The cumulative mileage logged by participants shows how biking to work has a very meaningful impact on gas consumption and Lexington's rush-hour traffic."
The origins of Bike Lexington, a promotional effort encompassing various locally organized, bike-friendly events, trace back to 2004, when the LFUCG initiated the first city-wide "Fun Ride." Since then, the effort has grown to include a month-long calendar of events organized by different community groups, individuals and businesses, from pedal-powered progressive dinners to "bike-in" movies. While the Commuter Bike Challenge was initiated a few years back, Gleason said it took a new direction - and surge in interest - this year by targeting businesses rather than individuals for the friendly four-week competition.
"This year, we tried to recruit businesses that would then promote it within their employment base," she said, adding that last year there were only about 40 individuals who participated in the challenge. "I think it helped us to reach more people in terms of making them aware of the challenge."
The challenge was broken down into four categories of businesses (or departments or divisions) according to size. Each institution logged the total trips and mileage of their participating employees for each week in May, with the winning business from each category determined by averaging the total work-related bike trips per total number of employees. A participant from each of the four winning companies was randomly drawn to receive a $200 gift certificate to Pedal Power.
Interestingly, different University of Kentucky departments swept three of this year's categories. Robert Grossman, a chemistry professor who entered his department in the competition, cites exercise and parking costs as the top reasons he makes the daily eight-mile roundtrip bike commute.
"Plus, I get to wave to my neighbors as I go by," Grossman added. "And I get bragging rights." (The chemistry department won first place in the extra large business category, with 22 of its 150 employees participating in the challenge.)
UK likely had such a strong showing in the contest because it is one of the few local places of employment where you have to pay to park, Gleason pointed out. She added that a 2004 survey conducted by the university revealed that for students and employees who live within five miles of campus, biking to campus was just as fast if not faster than driving. "There's a pretty strong incentive not to drive to campus," she said.
Brad Flowers, co-owner of the full-service marketing firm Bullhorn, which won first place in the small business category, has been active in Lexington's bike community for many years. In addition to regularly commuting to work on his bike, Flowers, a former Pedal Power employee and a member of the Mayor's bike Task Force, plays bike polo, rides for exercise and runs most of his day-to-day errands on his bike. Along with the typical commuting perks - he lives less than a mile from his Northside office, and it's actually quicker than driving - Flowers said that commuting to work on bike provides him invaluable time to clear his head.
"My brain seems to work better when I ride," he said. "As a person in a creative profession, I depend on good ideas - I always have my best ideas on my bike."
Bob Crovo, whose 11-employee department at the University of Kentucky (UK Libraries IT) took first place in the medium sized category of the challenge, also noted the mental perks that coincide with commuting to work on bike.
"I arrive to work ready to go," he said. "I don't need a pick-me-up before I can sit down to work."
Bike commuting in Lexington is certainly not without its challenges - Crovo's five-mile commute to UK includes a couple of miles on Clay's Mill Road, a busy street with no bike lanes, on which he has actually been hit by a car before.
"Another advantage is the adrenaline rush wake-up from cars speeding too close by," he joked.
"The few times that biking turns a bit dangerous for me, it is due to the fact that drivers do not know some of the simple rules regarding bikes," said Brian Connors-Manke, who entered the UK College of Arts & Science, Dean's Office into the competition this year (the department won the large business category). "On the flipside, I also see many bikers putting drivers in perilous situations with their carelessness and disregard for those same simple rules."
"Lexington is definitely in a stage of becoming more bike-friendly, which is exciting," added Connors-Manke, who rides his bike just under two miles to work every day. "There is a lot of work to do, but we have the people and energies in place to make a great leap forward."
The Downtown Lexington Corporation offers Bike Commuting 101 courses for businesses interested in becoming more bike-friendly. For more information, e-mail tamara@downtownlex.com.