Bike to Work Day is Thursday — Are You Participating?

Thursday is Bike to Work Day, and this year is Sonoma County's 11th year in celebrating the two-wheeled effort aimed at getting motorists to shift driving to and from work every day — and form a new habit of biking for daily activities.

Bike advocates say cycling to and from work is good for your health, good for the environment and for the economy.

"But the biggest thing is it's fun," said Gary Helfrich, executive director of the Sonoma County Bicycle Coalition. "I mean you have way more fun biking to work than you do sitting in a car, couped up not getting to interact with anybody, not having a lot of fun."

In Rohnert Park, the Sonoma County Bicycle Coalition is working with the city to increase bicycle safety and connectivity on the city's network of bike lanes.

Mayor Jake Mackenzie said it's a priority in Rohnert Park to create regular bike commuters citywide.

The city is committed to reducing its greenhouse gas emissions to 25 percent less than 1990 levels by 2015, Mackenzie said in a proclamation.

"Widespread bike commuting helps to reduce traffic congestion and the associated greenhouse gas emissions," he added. "The city of Rohnert Park is committed to promoting a culture that embraces multi-modal transportation, including bicycling."

Mackenzie and Helfrich celebrated the .

"Here's an example — a little bit of paint and a little bit of political will can really change things," Helfrich said. "We want this to be our biggest year ever — we had 3,500 people participate last year, but that's really not that many."

The city will be set up Thursday, May 10 at the intersection of Rohnert Park Expressway and Commerce Boulevard for Bike to Work Day. The city and bicycle coalition are also urging bike commuting throughout the month of May.