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Bike2Benefits encourages commuters to bicycle to work

It takes Meghan Quayle about 35 minutes to bicycle from her home in southwest Minneapolis to her job at Hennepin County Government Center in downtown Minneapolis.

As part of a commitment she’s made to Bike2Benefits, a new program that encourages Twin Cities commuters to bicycle to work or to a transit stop, Quayle rides roundtrip at least two times per week.

Quayle is among the more than 400 commuters who joined Bike2Benefits in its first two weeks. The program, co-sponsored by Metro Transit and the region’s Transportation Management Organizations, is considered a demonstration project for this year.

Bike2Benefits requires that a commuter commit to riding a bicycle to work or to a transit stop once a week over eight weeks before Dec. 31. If a commuter completes the program he or she will be entered in a year-end prize drawing.

How the program works

Commuters can sign up at bike2benefits.org, where they can track their progress. Once a participant enters his or her commutes in the calendar, the website tallies miles completed and calculates the estimated money saved and reductions in carbon dioxide emissions and air pollution.

Interest in the program has greatly exceeded expectations, said John Siqveland, market development specialist at Metro Transit. The goal is to get 500 commuters to complete the program by the end of the year.

“I think the three primary reasons people are choosing to commute by bicycle are cost savings, health and concern for the environment,” Siqveland said. “Bike2Benefits also will encourage more commuters to combine bicycling with transit because participants get credit for those trips, too.”

Once a commuter joins the program, he or she will receive resources – including a personalized route map – to help get them started. The maps, created by experienced Twin Cities bicycle commuters, are helpful for people who may not have considered other safe and effective routes to their work locations, Siqveland said.

Health, fitness are among reasons for joining

Quayle’s one-way trip is roughly nine miles. She had many reasons for signing up for Bike2Benefits, she said, including her own health and fitness goals. She will use the time during her commute to train for fitness events.

In addition, Quayle had a professional reason for joining the program – she works in the health promotion program for Hennepin County employees and wanted to check out the program for herself. “Bike2Benefits seems like a program that’s doable,” she said.