Pedal power

Jane Lewis is in her third year of bus/bike commuting, logging around 2,000 miles per year on her bicycle. May 17-June 18 she’ll take part in the “Commuter Challenge” with seven other teammates. PHOTO BY JEREMIAH O Bike to work.

Not a novel concept in many countries, a luxury in others, but here in the U.S., we lag a bit behind the rest of the world when it comes to commuting.

Not Jane Lewis and her team of “412ers” (Island Transit no. 412) though, they are pedaling to the forefront of the commuter movement, one rotation at a time.

This month, during the annual Commuter Challenge (May 17-June 18), they will bike a combined total of more than 2,000 miles.

For Lewis, 56, commuting began 18 years ago, when Vanpool was still fairly new.

About six years ago, she decided to give Bike-to-Work Day a try, but backward: She caught a ride into work and rode all the way home.

“At the time,” Lewis said, “I couldn’t fathom biking both directions.”

But the idea of commuting without relying or infringing on Vanpool partners was appealing, and lodged itself in the back of Lewis’ mind.

A little more than two years ago, Island Transit began running route 412 from Terry’s Corner to Everett Station and Lewis saw the opportunity she’d been waiting for. She started catching the bus into downtown Everett and walking the rest of the way to work. It didn’t last long.

“Eventually, I thought, ‘This is silly,’ and I started riding my bike instead of walking,” Lewis said. “I’m going on three years as a bus/ bike commuter.”

Being a “bus/bike” commuter means Lewis rides her bike about two miles from home to the I-5 park and ride at SR 532, and catches the transit, which drops her off near the courthouse in Everett. From there, it’s another two-mile bike ride to her job at Forest Park. Same gig going home, but in reverse.

Basic math logs Lewis at eight miles of biking per day, or about 2,000 miles per year — “Not too many,” Lewis humbly said.

But, the 20-mile bus ride each way, saves Lewis another 10,400 miles of driving per year.

“I have a car, but I don’t use it very often,” she said.

Shaun Bridge, another commuter on Lewis’s team, agreed one benefit of commuting is “money saved on gas and car maintenance.”

Lewis still likes Bike-to- Work Day, but now she does it forward and backward, logging nearly 60 miles, more than one week of regular riding, in a single day.

Her team, the 412ers, compete annually in the Commuter Challenge.

The team first formed in 2007, and logged 1,179 miles with six members.

Since then, they’ve added two teammates and 1,000 miles to their totals.

The team, Lewis said, is comprised of people with a variety of commuting styles.

Some members are “regular” bus/bike commuters, biking more or less yearround. Others bike during the summer months only; it simply depends on personal preference.

Bridge, for instance, is also a bus/bike commuter, for as long as there’s enough daylight to get home before dark. Like Lewis, he logs about 2,000 miles each year.

His favorite commute, he said, “is a beautiful summer day when I skip the bus and ride from Everett to Mount Vernon on the Centenial Trail, with an ice cream stop at the Speckled Cow in Arlington.

On Bike-to-Work Day, though, everyone bikes all the way. To and from.

Would Lewis go back to driving each day? No.

In fact, the one glaring problem with the whole idea hangs on the front of the busses themselves.

“There are only three bike holders on the Island Transit busses,” Lewis said, “and only two on Community Transit’s.”

Lewis said Island Transit drivers have allowed riders to bring their bikes onto the bus before, if the rack is full, but only if there’s plenty of empty room.

“When I first started riding the 412 I tried to pack my friends onto the bus,” Lewis said. She laughed.

“But then the bus started to get busy.”

Lewis decided her friends could ride whatever bus they wanted — it didn’t have to be the 412.

Lewis explained that people who plan to ride to work this year, or who are interested in commuting, need to keep several things in mind.

“You have to be visible,” she said.

Lewis has a small flashing white LED (light-emitting diode) on the front of her bike, a red one on the tail. She has another light on her helmet, which brings up another point: Wear a helmet, she added.

Lewis wears a bright jacket, too.

“Some kind of bright green or orange are the ‘acceptable’ colors,” she said.

She also has a waterproof pannier (side bag) mounted on the back of her bike to keep things dry, and she said fenders and a seat cover are essential if you plan to ride in sketchy weather.

Outside the months of March or April through September, one last piece of gear is needed.

“You need a headlight,” Lewis said. “Not a light so people can see you, but a big light so you can see the road. It’s dark.”

Beyond that, it’s simply a matter of going for it.

Last year, Community Transit reported, almost 900 people stopped by the “celebration stations” set up throughout the area. This year, each station will have fresh scones provided by Great Harvest Bread Company, the new Bicycling in Snohomish County map, free bike safety checks and a chance to win prizes, including a new commuter bicycle.

So, she said, give it a try. Bike to work, or home from work. It tone calf muscles and saves a traffic jam.

Just wear a helmet and something really bright.

For more information about Bike-to-Work Day and the Commuter Challenge, visit www.commtrans.org/ Programs/BikeToWork.cfm.