When I show up at work on my bike in the rain people are often surprised. I ask them how they think I got to school when I was growing up back East?

The difference is that now that I am an adult I can afford a rain suit, so I can stay dry. And it just doesn’t rain much here.

The fact is that we live in one of the best places on earth for bicycling. Where else do you have the limited rainfall of a desert with the moderate temperature of a seashore?

Most of us live, work and shop in the coastal plain which is relatively flat. If you are looking for a workout, there are plenty of challenging mountain climbs, but if you just want to get around, you have a pretty easy ride.

For decades I have done battle with our elected officials and staff to get better cycling facilities. Yet, we already have one of the most complete bike lane and path systems you could ask for.

Some people complain that there are sections of the route from home to work that are not perfect for biking. Yet about one third of the people in Goleta live within a 15-minute bike ride of their jobs and most live even closer to their shopping needs.

For these complainers, I would ask them seriously to consider what they would do if there were a special bike path that ran directly from their home to their work just for them.

I am amused by the people who spend good money to drive distances they could easily walk or bicycle. And then they spend good money to join a gym so that they can get the exercise back that they gave up by driving.

One concern that we hear a lot is the danger of being hit by a car when you ride a bicycle. As many of you know, a car hit me back in February. It was near what is arguably the worst designed area for pedestrians and cyclists in our fair city, the Big Box Mall.

After a month in the hospital and lots of therapy and healing yet to do, some say that I am crazy to go back to bicycling.

The fact is that as dangerous as cars make our city, it is still safer to ride a bike than to drive.

Although cars kill tens of thousands of Americans each year, the biggest killer is heart disease, which kills hundreds of thousands each year. Inactivity kills more people by far than any activity ever does. Every minute you are walking or biking instead of driving you are actually extending your life expectancy.

One answer I give people who are surprised I am biking again: The bike didn’t hurt me, the car did. If you would ride a bicycle, too, then you wouldn’t be a threat to me and other pedestrians and cyclists.

Which brings me to my greatest joy of bicycling: public service. Every time you ride a bike instead of drive you are helping your community and the planet and that feels great.

To me, driving in a city is like wearing muddy boots in someone’s living room. Biking or walking is just more polite and considerate. No noise, no threats to life and limb of your neighbors and no pollution or greenhouse gases.

While I love the American way of life when that means democracy and citizen participation, our American way of consumption is quite embarrassing. People suffer and die around the world every day as a result of that consumption. It is not sustainable politically, economically or ecologically.

In Europe, where I lived as a young child, you see people of all ages and abilities using bicycles as daily transportation. Men in suits carrying briefcases, women in long dresses on their way to work and children on their way to school. Elderly people go a bit slower, but they are just as likely to be on a bike as someone half their age.

You don’t have to be in a rush. The bicycle will get you to most of your Goleta destinations in 15 minutes even at a modest 10 mph.

My ride from home to work is so short that I usually take an extra ride on the way in to take in our local beauty. I cruise by Goleta Beach and look out to sea. Once I saw a fox and I always see magnificent birds.

Or I go by Lake Los Carneros, pedaling very slowly along the paved path to take in the beauty of the lake and the mountain backdrop. Often I see rabbits watching or hopping alongside me.

Or I cruise along Cathedral Oaks Road taking in the views of the orchards at a refreshing pace. While viewing the mountains and the ocean I can view the agriculture that is part of the past, present and future of our town.

If you have never tried biking in our wonderful community, I ask you to try it just once. Go to any bike shop and get a free map showing all the best routes. If you don’t own a bike, many shops will rent or lend you a bike to try out.

Goleta is a place just made for bicycling. The gentle weather, the modest distance scale, the terrain and our semi-casual lifestyle are all tailor-made for making the bicycle your primary mode of transport.

Give it a try just once. Not only will your neighbors and the planet be grateful. You just might find the daily joy that I have found in experiencing Goleta by bicycle.

Robert Bernstein lives in Goleta and is senior design engineer for Digital Instruments.

Photo Caption: Robert Bernstein, shown here on the bike path near Goleta Beach, is an avid bike enthusiast and advocate for alternative transportation.