SF marks Bike Day, NYC biking increases

San Francisco officials said an estimated 150,000 people left their cars at home and rode bikes to work and school Friday for the annual Bike to Work Day.

The event included 200 energizer stations spread through the area to help encourage and reward bike riding, the San Francisco Chronicle reported Friday.

Meanwhile, New York officials and advocacy groups said the number of people using bicycles for their daily commute in the city has increased to an estimated 185,000.

Advocacy group Transportation Alternatives said the estimated 185,000 people who chose to bike to work in 2008 was a 143 percent increase over the 76,000 who used bicycles for their commute in 2000, the New York Post reported Friday.