Pedal Power

By Lee Vander Boegh –

Today is “Bike & Walk to Work Day” in Nampa, which is the perfect solution for those who want to fight high gas prices, protect the environment and smell like a sweaty gym sock for the rest of the afternoon.

According to the Idaho Press-Tribune (read it here): “The event is meant to help convince people that biking or walking to work can benefit communities. Half the people in the United States live within five miles of their workplace… And 82 percent of vehicle trips are made within five miles of motorists’ homes. Biking or walking to work or other places can combat the country’s health, air quality, transportation and high gasoline price problems.”

It also combats slow days in the ER. I live in Nampa and I’m not so sure I’d like to share the road with some guy in an old Pacer who treats sidewalks like bumper rails at a kid’s bowling alley. Nampa drivers scare me enough when I’m surrounded by 3,500 pounds of my 1993 coupe (which includes five pounds worth of airbag equipment), let alone a measly 15-pound ten speed and some spandex shorts. It’s like playing Russian Rolette with a fully loaded gun.

Still, I’d love to participate. The problem is that IQ’s headquarters is in Meridian, which means my one-way commute is about 20 miles. Given my level of physical fitness, getting here by 8 a.m. today on a bike would have required me to leave the house last Tuesday.

But I think Nampa is on to something here. I hope they follow up with “Get You Car Stolen On The Way To Work Day,” “Get Shot Out of a Cannon To Work Day,”  “Get Cut Off By a Guy In a Crappy AMC Pacer On The Way To Work Day” and “’Wear Spandex and Bandages To Work Day.”