MANKATO, MN -
When you think of Mankato, does bicycle friendly come to mind?
Well, that may be the case with bicycle advocates like Tom Engstrom and Jay Reasner who are trying to make Mankato a more sustainable city, encouraging business leaders to provide greener alternatives to driving.
"As gas prices continue to go up, some local businesses are pushing for a more bicycle friendly lifestyle," said Engstrom.
Engstrom, who is part of the bicycle advocacy movement, says that with everything in Mankato being only two miles apart, and to cut down on gas consumption, more people should be using their bikes.
"You certainly could make some of those trips in something other than your car, but its so easy to just hop in your car, it's kind of a habit that we've developed and the keys are in their and I think sometimes maybe we should just hide the keys and then you could, the biking would be more obvious then or something," said Engstrom.
Jay Reasner, operating partner at Pub 500 said that their reason for becoming more bicycle friendly derives from his customers.
"We've been approached by people that like to bike and want to do different events that start here, end here, um they like fun little races that they do, um the alley cat races and stuff like that so it's customer driven really," said Reasner.
Reasner said if they can help reduce the carbon footprint in some way its worth it.
"So we encourage our employee's to ride their bikes whenever possible, we encourage everyone to ride their bikes really," said Reasner.
Engstrom wants other businesses in the area to support their cause.
"Think of your corporate responsibility to offer alternatives to your employee's so they aren't just forced to get in the car and drive to work," said Engstrom.
If your business is interested in being more bicycle friendly, Engstrom said you can receive a BFB application online at bikeleague.org.
In Mankato, Angela Kosteliz News 12.
