Lakewood lawmakers pedal to work

DENVER – They talk the talk, they walk the walk and they bike their bikes: they are the hard-core bicyclists of the House Democrats!
On Wednesday’s Bike to Work Day, Speaker of the House Terrance Carroll, Rep. Michael Merrifield (D-Colorado Springs, and sponsor of several pro-biking bills), Health Committee Chair Jim Riesberg (D-Greeley), and the newest legislator in the state Rep. Max Tyler (D-Lakewood/Golden) used just two wheels as they went about their legislative, family, and professional business.

Tyler said, “I plan to bike from my home in Lakewood to the Higher Grounds Coffee Shop in Golden to discuss the School of Mines.”

“I have been getting ready for a big mountain-bike race, the Leadville 100,” said Merrifield. “So I’ll be doing a long training ride around Colorado Springs

Assistant Majority Leader Andy Kerr (D-Lakewood) says that he’s saving Colorado a quarter-ton of pollution by his biking.  He has already shown his commitment to a more sustainable Colorado by often biking from his Lakewood home to the Capitol during this past legislative session. On twenty-eight days from January through June, he used pedal power to make the 22-mile round trip.
Kerr figures that his efforts saved our air from nearly 530 pounds of pollutants. Each mile in a car can put 390 grams of hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and nitrogen oxide into the air. Each mile on the trails kept smog out of our air, took us a small step closer towards energy independence, and even saved the taxpayers a few dollars.
On the days Kerr biked to the Capitol, he deducted the charge from his daily mileage allowance. It might not have closed the hole in the budget, but in these tough times, every dollar counts!
Speaking from the side of the Lakewood Gulch Trail, Kerr said, “If you ride your bike, it is healthy for you and healthy for the community.”

Riesberg started out on his bike from 6:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m., stopping at a number of bike-to-work stations and cheering on his fellow Greeley-ites.
“I’ve been doing this event for a number of years,” Riesberg.  ”I see old friends, earn a new T-shirt, and get my morning exercise, all before 9 a.m.!”