La Jolla-Based Scripps Research Institute & UCSD Win Bike to Work Awards

SANDAG announced the winners of the 2013 Bike to Work Challenge on Monday and La Jolla firms took home two awards. The Scripps Research Institute and UC San Diego won honors.

 “In the San Diego region, we are building momentum to get people out of cars and into more sustainable forms of transportation,” SANDAG Chair and Santee Councilmember Jack Dale said in an announcement. “Over the next few decades, SANDAG will invest billions of dollars to expand transit services and the regional bicycle network so it will be much easier to get around without a car.”

Employees from 64 participating organizations biked to work throughout May and logged their trips in TripTracker, a tool on the iCommute website. Overall, more than 216,000 bicycle commute miles were logged on TripTracker last month. SANDAG said this resulted in 9,400 gallons of gas saved and 6.6 million calories burned.

The following companies recorded the most bicycle commute trips per employee in their size category:

• KTU+A: Micro Employer (1-25 employees)
• JetHead Development: Small Employer (26-100 employees)
• RECON Environmental, Inc.: Medium Employer (101-500 employees) 
• Nokia: Large Employer (501-2,000 employees) 
• The Scripps Research Institute: Macro Employer (2,001-5,000 employees) 
• UC San Diego: Mega Employer (5,001+ employees)