San Leandro Mayor Joined Bike To Work Day

About 17,000 people took part in a "Bike to Work" event Thursday, including at least three San Leandrans: Mayor Stephen Cassidy, pre-school business manager Jolly Sales and Vice-Mayor Michael Gregory.

The East Bay Bicycle Coalition, which sponsored the event, said participation rose 22 percent over 2011.

A slew of elected officials took part including:

1. Mayor Jean Quan of Oakland
2. Mayor Tom Bates of Berkeley
3. Mayor Gayle McCaughlin of Richmond
4. Mayor Farid Javendal of Albany
5. Mayor John Chiang of Piedmont
6. Mayor Jennifer West of Emeryville
7. Mayor Mark Green of Union City
8. Mayor Tim Sbranti of Dublin

Of course, Thursday was nothing big shakes for San Leandro Vice-Mayor Michael Gregory, who bikes everywhere, all the time. City Councilwoman Pauline Cutter also took part in the event.

Bike to Work Day was designed to prod ordinary commuters to look for ways to substitute pedal power for fossil fuels.

Some cities, notably Berkeley, are more friendly than others to cyclists.

"More bikes than cars passed through Bancroft and Telegraph, as bike traffic comprised 51 percent of all traffic," the Coalition said in a post-ride report.

The Coalition said Berkeley has the 4th highest rate of cycling in the nation, with 8 percent of all commute trips taking place on bikes according to the 2011 American Commute Survey.

If you took part in Bike to Work Day, or are a regular bike commuter, upload your picture to this story or leave a comment below.

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