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Push In Suburbs To Get Residents To Bike To Work More

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Pa. (CBS) -- There's a push in the suburbs to get more people to consider commuting to work on two-wheels rather than four on this National Bike To Work Day.

Montgomery County Commissioner Val Arkoosh says in her county, 400,000 people live within 15 minutes of their work, but less than 1 percent commute by bicycle.

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"Think what a difference we could make in our road congestion and air pollution if we got that 1 percent even up to 2 or 3 percent," Arkoosh said.

Jim Rebarchak with the Pennsylvania DEP says he tries to commute by bike at least three days a week from Harleysville to Norristown. His route takes him on the Schuylkill River Trail along 422 heading into Valley Forge Park.

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"I zip down the road and the cars are sitting there just waiting," he said. "It's so enjoyable to see the wildlife and listen to the birds chirping."

He also points out National Bike To Work day falls on an Ozone Action Day, and even bike commuting one day a month can go a long way to help air quality.

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