“What a Beautiful day” I thought as I was biking through Sunnybrook Park on my way to work. May 27th was Bike to Work Day at Sunnybrook and together with Smart Commute we acknowledged those who biked from home to work. We had breakfast, t-shirts and fun contests in appreciation of their efforts.
My name’s Adam, I work as a Co-op student within the sustainability department here at Sunnybrook. My experience helping with the Bike to Work Day event was great! I met so many people and had the opportunity to ask about their commutes. To my surprise I noticed that everyone responded with the same answers! Talk about thinking alike! The majority of the cyclists suggested to me that the main reason for biking is not only for the fun aspect, or the health benefits, but because it actually reduces the amount of time to get to Sunnybrook by bus, by almost half the time!
During our time talking with the cyclists, we would ask them what there bike means to them, we’d get them to express there feelings on a poster which we hung up in front of the solar wall.
But of course cycling has its challenges too, and the main challenge with biking is that cyclists sometimes have to overcome obstacles such as weather or construction. Some easy tips I learned for how to overcome these challenges are: 1. Check the weather and dress appropriately, 2. Use maps and apps to search up good bike routes to avoid construction.
I also asked cyclists to tell me about their most valued bike gear. Now anyone who is biking should be wearing a helmet and have a bell on their bike (It’s required by the law!), but aside from those items, 89% of the people said that having lights and reflectors would be their number one pick for best bike gear to have.
All in all, everyone shared my thought that the day had the most amazing weather, the perfect breeze, and top it off the smell of everything blossoming. The perfect day for enjoying the pleasant and quiet ride through Sunnybrook Park. Oh! I almost forgot; don’t forget to share your favorite place in Sunnybrook Park for your chance to win the “Bike gear basket prize” from Smart Commute!
~ Adam
