Don't Get Too Excited About Bike to Work Day

In most cities across the United States, today is Bike To Work Day—where bike advocacy organizations hold ride meetups, hand out swag, and generally elevate the gaunt and sweaty profile of the humble bike commuter. These characters have been proliferating in U.S. workplaces recently: Since 2000, the number of Americans who pedal to their jobs has grown 51 percent across the country. The trend is even more pronounced in the nation’s 70 largest cities, where their two-wheeled ranks have swelled 82 percent.

But there’s a hidden peril in Bike To Work Day. Now that the bike has come into its own as a useful player in urban transportation, city planners would do well to remember the other reasons that normal people bike: It’s fun, and a convenient way to get to places other than your job.