“I’m a Bike Commuter”

Kim Joon-young, a 34-year-old office worker, enjoys the cool morning breeze when he goes to work.

It has been eight months since he started riding his bike from his house near Sadang station to his work place in Yeouido, a 12km trip. He has been going to work by bicycle for more than two years, including the commuting time to his old company.

Wearing a helmet is a prerequisite for those “bikers.” In his bag, he carries extra clothes, water, and some tools to fix his vehicle if something goes wrong.

At 8:00 a.m., he leaves his house and rides slowly to Dongjak station, which is on the fourth line of the Seoul subway. After he enters Han River Citizen’s Park, his true ride begins. With only a 30-40-minute ride on the well-paved bike-only road, he reaches his office near Yeouido station. On rainy days, it takes about 40 minutes to his office by subway. So it’s faster to ride a bike than it is to take the subway.

Kim says he has become more confident of his health thanks to his riding. In the past, he was short of breath after walking to the third floor. But now, he can walk to the 14th floor without being short-winded. Without any change in his diet, he has lost about 8kg.

Increasing Number of Bike Commuters-

With rising oil prices and the well-being trend, more and more people are choosing to ride their bikes to the office. An increasing number of bike-only roads along the rivers and streams have also fueled this trend. Some people who just enjoy bike riding on weekends have also decided to become bike commuters.

In late 2003, an online community for bike commuters was founded. The number of members rose from 1,000 early this year to as much as 73,000.

An increasing number of bike riders have expanded the bicycle market from 1.5 million in 2004 to 1.8 million in 2005 and now to an estimated two million in 2006.

Poor Bike Riding Environment-

If you want to experience the lack of social concern for bike riders, one commute would be enough.

After a smooth ride along the Han River’s bike-only road, cars zooming by on the city roads force you to slow down and make you feel unsafe. Bumpy pavements and unexpected illegal obstacles also impede bike commuters from arriving on time.

Yoo Heon-mo, a 49-year-old public servant, used to ride his bike to his office along the Han River and the Anyang Stream. After his office moved to downtown, he gave it up because he felt the city roads were too dangerous.

“I can still feel the pleasant moment when I used to sit and watch the flowing river under the Wonhyo Bridge while on my way to work.”

In order to encourage more people to commute by bikes, bicycle robbery is another issue that must be addressed. People cannot feel safe when they park their high quality vehicles in the currently poor looking bicycle parking areas.

Lee Nam-woo, a 33-year-old office worker who runs the online bike commuter community, said, “If every municipal government improves some impaired bike-only roads and parking areas, more and more people will feel safe about riding.”

esprit@donga.com