One city that people don’t usually equate with biking is Las Vegas, says Clarke. Vegas, he says, has a high percentage of bike commuters thanks to the bike racks installed on the front of their buses. “In Vegas,” Clarke says, “Bike commuters ride from their home to a main street, put their bike on the bus, ride into the city on the bus, then take their bike and ride the rest of the way to work.”

Fortunately, the trend of offering bike racks on buses is catching on, including in one of those sprawling areas, Dallas, where the Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) has received a grant to place bike racks on more than 500 buses. The DART hopes the racks encourage more bicyclists to commute.

Dealing with rush-hour traffic can be a bicyclist’s biggest headache. Verbrugge says safety in rush-hour is a significant challenge in Seattle. Learning to be safe while biking in traffic is something that is an acquired skill. It helps to go out with experienced cyclists to learn the ropes. The Cascade Bicycling Club offers programs to help cyclists with rush-hour cycling as well as bike and clothing choices.

The would-be bike commuter might worry about the carbon dioxide they breathe when cycling. “There’s good news here,” says Clarke. “When you’re in your car with the a/c or heat, you breathe in worse pollutants since your car is taking the ground-level air and sucking it into your car. When you’re on your bike, you breathe in some polluted air but you also expel it right away and you’re exercising at the same time. The one downside might be the particulates from diesel engines that are not as easily expelled.”

Weather can be daunting whether you live in snowy New England or the hot Southwest. As dedicated cyclists say, “There’s no bad weather, just bad dressing and bad gear.” Clarke adds, “If you haven’t cycled since your student days, you’d be amazed at how much better clothing and equipment are today.”

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