"The Walk/Ride day community in our office is very strong and active and I was inspired to make a switch to cycling to work in order to reach our firm's goal of ranking #1 in the Challenge for healthy switches"

"Walk/Ride Days are a gentle reminder to think green and consider my other options for the commute. I get in my routine and don’t really think about carpooling until I get the check-in email from your program.

Walk/Ride Day inspired me to take alternative transit today (T and walking 2 miles). Thank you! 

I took my son on the Shuttle bus for the first time and to see the excitement on his face was just fulfilling to my spirit.  Something so simple as a shuttle bus ride brought joy to a 3 year old.

I almost always bike to work. It's an easy 5K and on hot/humid days, I bike very slowly so I'm not a complete mess when I arrive. I don't bike if I have plans after work, if there are storms predicted during commuting times (although I have been caught in thunderstorms more then once), or if there is snow/ice on the ground. On days I don't bike, I take the bus (or commuter rail post work if I am headed into Boston). My bike route from Fresh Pond to Belmont Center is: Concord Ave to Fresh Pond. I cross back over to Concord Ave by Trader Joe's. I take a slightly different path home because I don't want to take a left onto Concord Ave from Belmont Ctr on a regular basis (that intersection is a hazard in a car).

"The Walk/Ride Day Challenge is motivating! Once I got started I realized my commute time was only marginally longer, much less stressful, and allows me to get my exercise in. One day I had a flat tire and learning that the buses had racks on them made me more relaxed about riding in threatening weather."

"Walk/Ride Day triggered me to change my commute in April. I drive only in the winter. In the spring, summer and fall I always take the bus. Walk/Ride Day was my reminder to return to my typical spring commute when the Challenge kicked off in April."

Getting involved with Walk/Ride Day introduced me to coworkers’ alternative commutes. Learning that a lot of people bike to my workplace reassured me that even though there definitely aren’t continuous or well-defined bike lanes, there are only very small portions that involve biking in really unsafe road setups (i.e. complicated intersections, being right in the car lane with cars).

"Years ago I had a 1 1/2 hour commute from Belmont MA to Chelmsford that involved taking a bus to the T, taking the T to the commuter rail, being picked up by a colleague at the train station + driving in together from there. I discovered that if I rode my bike, my commute was still 1 1/2 hours long, but I only had one mode of transport, didn't depend on anyone else + I loved the time on my bike for exercise, clearing my head, enjoyed the scenery along the way + started off my day feeling great!"

"On walk/ride day I try to give myself extra time so I can walk instead of taking the bus. My walk to and from work gives me a chance to be outside and is not much longer than my bus commute." 

Walk/Ride Days serves as the reminder that I need to get more exercise. I usually drive, but on Walk/Ride Day I take the train and walk. I enjoy the movement more than driving.

Jeff takes part in the Walk/Ride Day Challenge at Syros Pharmaceuticals. He bike commutes 2x per week 40 miles from Framingham to Cambridge 9 months of the year: “Riding my bike to work allows me to commute on my own terms and provides physical and mental relief from the typical commute.”

I make a big effort in everything that I do to minimize my impact on the environment. I try to walk or bike when possible, and otherwise take the T or the bus. However this summer I had a temporary position in Boston's Longwood Medical Area, which is difficult to reach from Cambridge via public transport. I looked into biking but I didn't feel comfortable with some of the Boston streets I would be riding on - it's just not safe enough. I ended up using a combination of walking or biking to the T station or Harvard shuttle bus stop and taking the train or bus.