Get the bicycle out of the garage tonight. Get the bike helmet, too. Friday is Bike to Work Day.

For your health, for your happiness, and to show motorists how viable bikes are, we encourage our readers to ride their bicycles to work Friday.

You’ll get to smell the springtime air on the way to work. You’ll come to work without that groggy feeling. You’ll get your daily required exercise. You’ll save on gasoline costs.

And if you do it every day, you’ll lose weight.

If you can’t ride to work, then take the family for a bike ride after work.

More cycling in communities results in reduced traffic demands, better air quality and improved public health. Communities that emphasize bicycle transportation among residents and follow through with bicycle-friendly infrastructure end up having increased property values, business growth and more tourism as a result.

We are glad to see the city plans to start work this fall on a shared user trail (i.e., a bike/pedestrian trail) from the Brookside Education Center to Pioneer Park. This is the first in a string of bike trails to connect Albert Lea’s city parks, its residents hope.

Perhaps someday Albert Lea can be the first in the state of Minnesota to win the title of

&8220;Bicycle Friendly Community&8221; for its welcome signs.