A lot more people are biking to work in NJ than you’d guess

Did you know May 16 is Bike To Work Day? Me either.

I have an admittedly unfair view of bicyclists in New Jersey.

I know, I know, shame on me, but at least I am owning it.

I feel like the only bicyclists I see are either the middle-aged guys riding an old-fashioned cruiser bike that is kind of beat up and may be a little bit rusty and they never look like they’re enjoying it and as soon as I see that, I think there goes somebody who lost their driver's license to a DUI.

Or I see what I call the bike pants weenie crowd. You know, the people wearing the skintight Lycra and dressed like a 2025 version of Lance Armstrong, often in large groups on weekend afternoons.

In my purely anecdotal experience, these large groups often violate the rules of the road by riding more than two abreast and taking up the entire travel lane and being arrogant and superior in their takeover.

Listen, I understand these are stereotypes. I’m not saying that I am right.

But the category of bicyclist I never seem to see is the one who seems like they are actually commuting to work. For every bicycle lane out there that I always see unused it seemed like there’s a group of bike pants Lycra-wearing wearing weenies hogging up 31 in Hunterdon County. Or again, DUI guy.

Well, here’s to proving me wrong.

There is a study out by Slots Calendar that indicates which states have the most percentage of people who are using a bicycle to get to work. Obviously, in a state like New Jersey, a place so congested with an intricate highway system, we’re not going to have a lot. But the study shows it is still far more than I would’ve guessed.

Did you know that 27,973 people are bicycling to work in the Garden State? It puts us at number 29 in the nation. Surprising to me.

I knew someone who lived in Basking Ridge and used to ride her bike to go all the way to her job in Somerville. Both impressive and a little bit scary to be honest. If I were on a bicycle, I wouldn’t trust us idiots driving cars. But also to be honest, she’s the only one I’ve ever personally known who did it.

Whether you’re doing it to save the planet, or save some money, or improve your health, good for you. And by the way, if you’re wondering the state with the least number of people using a bicycle to get to work it’s Mississippi. The state with the most is Oregon.

Opinions expressed in the post above are those of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Jeff Deminski only.

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