Next week is Bike to Work Week, and May 16 is Bike to Work Day. When I commuted from a suburban to a congested urban area, I found biking much faster than cars or buses during rush hour. I would have paid for gas and parking if I had no alternative, but biking was far more efficient.

That's often true here for distances up to 10 miles, which can take half an hour either by car or bike during rush hour. Shorter distances are more efficient by bike, and there are other reasons not to burn oil unnecessarily. Various alternatives to cars are described at www.gotriangle.org, and the bike/walk link has Bike to Work Week information.

Patrick Mortell

Chapel Hill