Commuters were encouraged to leave their cars at home and bicycle to work to provide benefits of energy savings, pollution emissions reductions, air quality improvements and reduced traffic for their community and the state of Connecticut.
Individuals also benefit from bicycling to work by savings in fuel expenditures and improved health.
The DEP wants to educate the public on the importance of clean air and emphasize that the choices we make as individuals impact the quality of the air we breathe and are an important part of Connecticut's overall clean air endeavor. We encourage the public to look at their daily activities and find ways to reduce polluting emissions in their own lives. Bicycling to work is one way to reduce harmful automobile emissions from entering the environment. National Bike to Work Day is sponsored nationally by the League of American Bicyclists, the country's only national membership organization focusing on bicycle advocacy and education. Founded in Hartford in 1880 by Colonel Albert Pope, the League is headquartered in Washington, D.C. and has 400 affiliated local clubs and represents over 160,00 bicyclists nationwide.