In May, Blake Altshuler, 29, got rid of his car and joined the growing numbers of people who ride their bicycles to work. Mainly, he said, it was because of rising gas prices. His friend Dolly Totes, 25, who has been commuting by bike since she sold her car two years ago, said, "I couldn't afford it. I needed to pay my rent." It was partly gas and insurance, she said, but also all the parking tickets she kept amassing.

In this era of increasing prices at the pump, bad air quality and general belt-tightening, more people in the Bay Area are opting to commute to work via heart-healthy biking or walking. ... Read full article