Spring is finally approaching and of course that means getting your bicycle out of the garage and in to the nearest park. But in this age of carbon footprint calculating, I hope that everyone will take some time to ask themselves 'Doesn't it kind of make more sense to use my house as a starting point for my ride rather than driving my vehicle somewhere to ride my bike'? For example, rather than trying to fit a ride into your already busy weekend why not ride to work throughout the week, getting your exercise in then and severely cutting down on the amount of pollution you contribute in your lifetime? Why not ride to church? Something tells me that Jesus would most definitely approve of arriving at church in slightly more casual clothing if it meant being able to partake in a peaceful activity like cycling rather than a violent one such as driving. And when you think about it, driving really is a violent act. What does driving give you? It gives you lots of fatalities, both human and animal, it results in wars, pollution, laziness, and needless paved areas. Commuting via bicycle, on the other hand, allows you independence from oil companies ($6 a gallon? Who cares?!), the empowering feeling of being solely responsible for how you get from point A to point B, and the most wonderful thing of all, the ability to look up when you're at a stoplight and see not the gray or tan of a car roof but rather the bright and beautiful sky. Lots of people say that they are just plain afraid to ride their bicycle on the road, but please don't ever forget that you most certainly deserve to be riding on that road just as much as any motor vehicle and any road that cyclists truly can't safely ride on is therefore incomplete and should be altered to include bike lanes, or at least a slightly more generous shoulder. So make a pledge to yourself this Spring to consider using your bike as a utilitarian tool for in doing so you will not only be contributing to your health but the health of the Upstate as well.