VOA标准英语2011--Number of Bicyclers Soars Along with US

Number of Bicyclers Soars Along with US Gas Prices

With gasoline prices prices in the United States hovering¹ around $1 per liter, the number of bicyclers is increasing, especially in cities, according to the AAA Fuel Gauge² Report.
Sales of road bikes in the United States are up 29 percent from just a year ago, and that no surprise to bicyclist Andy Clark.
"Most people know and remember cycling as being great fun," he says. "Everyone had fun and remembers the wind blowing through their hair when they rode their bikes as kids. What they're missing is that same sense of freedom and excitement and fun."
But Clark, president of the national advocacy group League of American Bicyclists, says it's often hard to recapture that sense of fun when you're biking to work in the street. Sharing wide roads designed for faster, larger gas-powered vehicles is not just intimidating³, it's also dangerous.
So when local governments began making street safety a priority, bicyclists responded by taking to the city's streets in droves, says Andrew Stober, who is with Philadelphia's Transportation office.
"Just a few years ago, there weren't that many cyclists out there," he says. "But because of higher oil prices, an increased focus on staying fit and healthy, and government doing things to make it easier than ever before to bike, (bikers) have company on the streets."
The League of American Bicyclists recently designated almost 200 communities in 44 states as "bike-friendly." That's a 25 percent increase from a decade ago. League president Clark says that's because more cities across the country are adapting to the cycling trend by adding dedicated⁴ bike lanes on major roads and installing bike racks on sidewalks. Boston paved 32 kilometers of bike lanes last year. New York City added more than 80.
"We're seeing certainly infrastructure⁵ on the streets going in - bike lanes, and trails, and cycle tracks - and a lot of European-style infrastructure being tested in the U.S. for the first time in decades," says Clark.
In Philadelphia, more than 600 kilometers of bike lanes have been added over the past year, stretching in all directions across the city.
"The heart of why I love bicycling is the fact that I look forward to the end of the day, here comes my commute," says Alex Doty, executive director of the Bicycle Coalition⁶ of Philadelphia. He adds that the costs of purchasing and maintaining a bicycle are significantly lower than those of owning a car. "Some of us who've been doing this for a while, we start getting into a more expensive bike. But you can start out with something for $100, and there you go."
And bicycling isn't just an inexpensive option for commuters, says Kate Powilson, with the national advocacy group BikesBelong. It's a good deal for cities, too.
"Cities are realizing the benefits of bicycling, because in this economic climate, there's not a lot of money in budgets to build new roads and to expand light rail and subways," says Powilson. "And, so, bicycling is a really cheap way to move people."
And it doesn't appear to significantly slow down traffic.
Bicycle commuting⁷ in America has more than doubled since 2000. In Philadelphia, more than 10,000 commuters choose pedal power to get to work every day, according to the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia. That number is expected to grow during the summer months, especially if gas prices continue to rise. Last Friday was National Bike-to-Work Day. Mayors, officials and lawmakers in hundreds of cities across the country joined thousands of their citizens on two wheels, to highlight the popularity - and practicality - of bicycle commuting.

1 hovering   

鸟( hover的现在分词 )； 靠近（某事物）； （人）徘徊； 犹豫

参考例句：

• The helicopter was hovering about 100 metres above the pad. 直升机在离发射台一百米的上空盘旋。
• I'm hovering between the concert and the play tonight. 我犹豫不决今晚是听音乐会还是看戏。

2 gauge   

v.精确计量；估计；n.标准度量；计量器

参考例句：

• Can you gauge what her reaction is likely to be?你能揣测她的反应可能是什么吗？
• It's difficult to gauge one's character.要判断一个人的品格是很困难的。

3 intimidating   

vt.恐吓，威胁( intimidate的现在分词)

参考例句：

• They were accused of intimidating people into voting for them. 他们被控胁迫选民投他们的票。
• This kind of questioning can be very intimidating to children. 这种问话的方式可能让孩子们非常害怕。

4 dedicated   

adj.一心一意的；献身的；热诚的

参考例句：

• He dedicated his life to the cause of education.他献身于教育事业。
• His whole energies are dedicated to improve the design.他的全部精力都放在改进这项设计上了。

5 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

6 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

7 commuting   

交换（的）

参考例句：

• I used the commuting time to read and answer my mail. 我利用上下班在汽车中的时间来阅读和答复给我的函电。
• Noncommuting objects are as real to the mathematicians as commuting objects. 对于数学家来说，不可交换的对象与可交换的对象是一样真实的。