Gas Prices, Health Benefits Boost Allure Of Bicycle Commuting

"A growing number of cities are making it easier to ride your bike to work -- erasing hurdles big and small, from securing bikes safely downtown, to taking bikes on public transit, to finding a discreet place to shower." Bike stations -- public facilities complete with lockers, showers and repair shops -- are being built in downtowns from California to Washington, D.C. To manage bicycle-related efforts, cities including Chicago, Louisville, Portland, Oregon, are creating biking-policy departments to coordinate bike stations and the building of new bike lanes. A survey of U.S. cities conducted in 2004 found that more than 80 percent of municipalities planned to build new bikeways.

"Nationally, a bill introduced in the Senate last month would give employers a tax incentive to offer employees $40 to $100 a month to cycle to work, and a similar bill is pending in the House."

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