BROWNSVILLE — Edgar Gaucin’s car doesn’t leave his garage very often, and there’s no reason to think that will change.
Gaucin, 38, makes his four-mile commute to work at the federal courthouse in downtown Brownsville nearly every day on his bicycle.
As chair of Brownsville’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee, he’s hoping more locals will give an alternative to vehicle travel a try.
May is National Bike Month, and National Bike to Work Week runs through Friday.
“It’s not as difficult as people think,” he said of swapping a car for a bicycle. “It just takes a little bit of practice. When I get to work, I have energy and I’m motivated to work. I just get a great start to my day.”
The League of American Bicyclists estimates that 40 percent of all trips in the United States are less than two miles and advocates bike riding as a healthy, sustainable way to get to work.
Gaucin said biking has cut down on his car maintenance and fuel costs, provides exercise and is environment-friendly.
He started commuting to work via bike in 2013, and his old commute has his current bike route beat. When he worked at a Harlingen nonprofit two years ago, Gaucin cycled 48 miles round-trip two or three times per week.
He started by going short distances and moved on to using only his bike for transportation on the weekends, whether he was shopping, visiting family or riding for recreation. Gaucin said he noticed the City of Brownsville making a push for more and better bike infrastructure.
“That’s when I really got into it,” he said. “Not only was I riding, but I also became an advocate.”
Gaucin said there’s another practical reason for using bikes as daily transportation. As Brownsville’s young residents reach driving age, he said, the roadways will only get more crowded.
His advice for people who may be worried about safety when traveling the city by bicycle is to study the route, take note of traffic or nearby bike trails, and look for alternate routes with less vehicle traffic.
People who don’t feel safe biking in their neighborhoods or don’t live near bike trails are the residents who should be speaking up to city leadership, he said.
“It’s going to take some time, but I think people are going to realize the tremendous benefit of biking or walking somewhere,” he said.
Here are the hand signals for cyclists to use
• Left arm straight out — Left turn
• Left arm out with forearm up — Right turn
• Left arm out with forearm down — Slowing down to stop
For more information on the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee, visit the City of Brownsville’s website at www.cob.us.
