May is National Bike Week!

Did you know that May 15-19 is National Bike to Work Week? Encourage your employees to take alternative modes of transportation to work. Not only does this improve employee’s health, but it also has a positive impact on the environment and your community.

Facts:

• The number of U.S. workers who traveled to work by bicycle increased from about 488,000 in 2000 to about 786,000 in 2008–2012, a larger percentage increase than that of any other commuting mode.
• The combined rate of bicycle commuting for the 50 largest U.S. cities increased from 0.6% in 2000 to 1.0% in 2008–2012.
• The Northeast showed the highest rate of walking to work at 4.7% of workers, while the West had the highest rate of biking to work at 1.1%
• At 0.8% the rate of bicycle commuting for men was more than double that of women at 0.3%.
• At 0.9% , the most educated workers, those with a graduate or professional degree, had the highest rate of bicycle commuting, followed by the least educated workers, those who did not graduate from high school at 0.7%.
• Among large cities, Portland, OR, has the highest bicycle commuting rate at 6.1%

For more facts on biking to work, read the entire US Census study from 2012.

McKenzie, Brian, “Modes Less Traveled: Commuting by Bicycle and Walking in the United States,” 2008–2012, American Community Survey Reports, ACS-26, U.S. Census Bureau, Washington, DC, 2014.