Thursday, April 24, 2008

OHIO Rideshare - now for bikes

I am not entirely sure who started implementing the Ohio Rideshare Carpooling Assistance Program for Northeast Ohio but creating an online member based community to coordinate carpools seems like a ridiculously smart idea. I suppose then that it shouldn't really come as too much of a surprise that given the recent increase of interest in cycling to work (whether from increased fuel concerns, health concerns, environmental respect, financial reasons or just because sometimes it is quicker and less stressful) that our friendly folks over at Ohio Rideshare created a Bike Buddies component where you can find people who share your route so that you can travel as a "bike pack". Statistics support that safety increases when cyclists travel in packs, specifically in areas without designated bike lanes as they make for a much larger, shall we say, target that is more difficult for drivers to not notice.

The Bike Buddies program allows you to enter in your starting location and destination, the times of your commute and whether you would feel more comfy with a male or female cycling friend. The site then generates a map showing a suggested route as well as an approximation for locations of other cycling commuters. You contact those "potential bicycling buddies" through email via the OhioRideshare website.

There is also a plethora of fine links at the BikeBuddies website including safety, training and planning tips. You can also register there as well.

More Resources:
Sacramento Transportation Management Association - Bicycle Commuting
Bike Commute Tips Blog
Commute by Bike Tips on Freshening Up (after a commute to work)
Ohio City Bicycle Co-op

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