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I helped coordinate and participated in Bike to Work Week this past May. The idea is that if you ride a bicycle, you should ride it to work. Coordinated by the League of American Bicyclists and state or local cycling advocacy groups, many communities are offering a number of incentives to ride to work.

Since I ride a road bike, I didn’t think it would be too difficult getting to and from work. However, I did a dry run recently and discovered that my ride is actually much longer than I anticipated (17 miles instead of 12 by car; 1 hour and 20 minutes). But that was nothing compared to what I discovered when I rode the first time to work this week:

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The City of Monona, a suburb on Madison’s east side, is the third community in the area to pass a smoking ban. Although Wisconsin was supposed to provide a comprehensive statewide smoking ban, the inability for legislators to develop a compromise continues to push local communities to pass their own smoking bans.

Working on the east side of town, many of my lunchtime options are in Monona. The problem is that many of those options allow smoking, despite that they have otherwise good menus. Since quitting smoking, I cannot stand cigarette smoke and will no longer patronize any place that allows smoking. With the ban coming in June 2009, I’m actually looking forward to trying out some of those places again and discovering ones I haven’t eaten at yet.

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With the price of gas over $4 per gallon in many areas of the country, it’s no surprise that people are parking their cars and finding alternative modes of transportation. A three-percent increase across the country is indicative of the situation.

For years, people preferred the automobile to trains, buses, or subways. Some probably considered that spending on these forms of transportation should be cut, especially since they lost money. Now peopel are realizing that these alternatives are more cost effective for both them and their communities, and they’re greener than even the most fuel-efficient automobile.

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According to the Appleton Post-Crescent, presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and John McCain are suggesting suspending the federal gas tax to help drive fuel costs down so that Americans can continue to afford to drive.

Today’s prices are $3.69 per gallon in my city. With an 18.4-cent per gallon suspension, I’d still be spending over $3.50 per gallon. So instead of paying what was a record-high $3.25 last year, I’m still spending more after a suspension. Let’s do the math.

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Now here’s a neat concept for bicycle commuting. The City of Portland (Oregon) installed a bicycle signal at one of its dangerous intersections. The purpose is to help bicyclists cross, especially inexperienced riders who are still uncomfortable in traffic. In a way, it also helps drivers to remember to share the road.

The setup includes a sensor and a dedicated traffic light tied into the rest of the traffic lights at the intersection. The traffic light is activated when a bicyclist rides over a marking on the trail to trigger the light. The bike traffic light then turns green; the regular traffic lights in all directions turn red, stopping all motor vehicle traffic and allowing the bicyclist to go through.

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The state continues debating over the details of a smoking ban. The ban, if passed as intended, is to go into effect on January 1, 2009. Legislators in Madison are battling over whether or not to postpone the ban in taverns and restaurants.

The American Cancer Society recently sponsored a town hall meeting to discuss the impending statewide smoking ban, also known as the Breathe Free Wisconsin Act. Tavern League of Wisconsin representatives clashed with non-smokers and other business owners during that meeting.

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Given all of the bad things happening lately, it’s nice to know that there are still people in this world that have big hearts… especially when they’re teens. Students from Oconomowoc High School and Hartford High School collected all kinds of presents for students at Hopkins Street Elementary School in Milwaukee.

For many of us, it’s often hard for us to envision what it’s like to live without simple things like toothpaste or laundry soap. Yet many of the students at Hopkins Street Elementary live like that daily. To have strangers from 40 miles away come in and deliver not only toys but also necessities like mittens, hats, and soap is something of a Christmas miracle.

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