Sunday May 11, 2008

Officials in Charlottesville and Albemarle County are encouraging commuters to leave the car in the garage and bike to work this week.

On Monday, Charlottesville Mayor Dave Norris and City Councilor David Brown will be at City Hall Plaza to kick things off. In the county, they say biking to work can serve as a good source of daily exercise, but they say the main benefactor of Bike to Work Week is the environment.

"It really promotes wellness and physical activity, which we think is great," says County spokeswoman Lee Catlin. "It also really supports our concepts and values of environmental stewardship and just doing what you can give the environment a break."

Throughout the week, they'll be giving out free bike helmets at the Albemarle County Office Building.

For more information on Bike to Work Week, go to http://www.transportationchoice.org/BikeWeek2008.html.