Leila and Gary Hartford credit Bike to Work Week for helping motivate their family to ditch the car and ride their bikes.
They have always tried to live healthy lives and be physically active, but were struggling to make the transition to bike commuting and relying less on the car. Bike to Work Week including allowing the family to celebrate with their community and helping them to choose biking over driving as a lifestyle.
“Bike to Work Week had us biking in the rain – a reality in Campbell River. It motivated us to bike when we were tempted to take the car,” Leila says.
At times, the process seemed daunting, but once on the bike, everything was great.
“The hardest part was always getting out the door,” she says.
In the last year, the Hartfords have made a bold move from being a two-car family to having a single vehicle. And they have no regrets.
As their seven-year-old son puts it so eloquently: “It’s super-good to bike to work, school and daycare because it’s good for the earth, and you get stronger at the same time.”
The Hartfords still use their car, but, whenever possible, they commute by bike – and Bike to Work Week motivates them to stay on track and commute by bike at times they might choose to drive.
For more information on Bike to Work Week, or to register a team, check out www.biketowork.ca