If you’re looking for a way to get around town and get some exercise too, these are the travel options for you. While they’re obviously well suited for shorter trips, you can also combine walking and biking with public transportation to go much, much farther. Just walk to a nearby train station or take your bike onto an area bus, and you’ll be amazed at how much ground you can cover, no car required.

Walking and biking are also perfect ways to explore Virginia on the weekends. Numerous walking and bicycling trails provide a fun, free way to get wherever you want to go.

For more information on biking and walking throughout the state, visit bikewalkvirginia.org. To download a map of Virginia’s bicycle trails, go to virginiadot.org/bikemap. To learn more about joining a bike club, check out http://www.vabike.org.

BENEFITS

• Save lots of money—walking and biking, unlike just about every other travel option out there, cost you practically nothing (especially if you already own a bike)
• Improve your health—an active commute gets you great cardiovascular exercise, works off stress and allows you to arrive refreshed and invigorated
• Explore scenic Virginia—few states offer the natural beauty of mountains, rolling piedmont and shoreline like Virginia—getting out of your car allows you the opportunity to experience this beauty up close
• Do the community a favor—biking and walking to work means less traffic congestion and less pollution for everyone

511 TRAVEL TIPS

• If you’re unable to make the entire trip to work, walk or bike as far as you can, then catch a bus, train or ferry the rest of the way there (many local transit services are equipped with bike racks at no extra charge)—do a trial run over the weekend to see how long your trip will take you and where transit stops are located
• You may want to wear proper exercise clothing for your commute, and bring your work clothes with you (or keep a clean set at the office)—many office buildings offer locker rooms where you can freshen up and change before the work day starts
• If the weather’s bad, you always have the option of taking another form of transportation to work—a bus, train, carpool or your own car