// Ride On
Posted on Monday, December 19th, 2011
Do you ever find yourself sitting in your car, brake lights shining bright in front of you, people steeping in their uncomfortable cars getting angry about a situation which they themselves are creating, and then you think to yourself “I wish I were on my bike.” Just then, you see a cyclist ride by, moving much faster than any cars on the road. 
I have found myself in this situation numerous times. In fact, this is becoming a more common occurrence across the country. The number of cyclists in New York City alone has risen 102 percent since 2007, and 289 percent since 2001! I think this is awesome, and thankfully the Department of Transportation in New York is working to keep up with the changing road conditions. Read about it here.
Many US cities are seeing the same trend. More and more people are leaving the cars at home and choosing to hop on their two-wheelers instead. The city that is currently the pinnacle of biker-friendly infrastructure is Portland, Oregon. In 2009, nearly 8% of the entire Portland population regularly rode bicycles to commute, much higher than any other US city. There is no doubt that this figure is larger now and will continue to grow even higher. With the ever-increasing costs of automobile maintenance, it certainly makes cents to pedal rather than to gas.
The benefits of biking are truly remarkable. Take a look at this cool infographic for a small sample of the positive results of cycling.
