I'm lucky. I have a great job where I get to give prizes away to people who carpool, bike, walk and use the bus to work. I get to help people find easier ways to get to their jobs and help them save money and live healthier doing it.

The program I manage is called PATH, or Program for Alternative Transportation and Health. Our website is www.path-nh.org. I hope you check it out and consider joining for free.

We're about to launch a new program. The idea behind the program is to help you save money, help improve Concord's air quality, help you live healthier and to provide transportation options to people who don't have/want access to cars/trucks/

The program based on getting people these new fangled zero-carbon transportation options called 'bicycles.'

This spring, we will place 10 bikes each at NHTI and St. Paul's School this year where students would get to use bikes like a books in a library: Free to take out, use and return.

We're looking into the possibilities of implementing a citywide program in the future. I hope you'll contact me and let me know if you'd like to see such a program across the city and if you'd like to join our users committee.

The last piece of of the puzzle is to acquire (new and old) used bikes in an effort to stick with the theme of reduce, reuse and recycle.

So I ask you: Are you getting ready for spring cleaning? Do you have a dusty old bike you want to get rid of?

If you have any old bikes you're willing to part with, please contact me and our team will come take it off your hands ASAP no questions asked. You could even get a fair market value write-off on your taxes next year.

I look forward to talking to you and hopefully working with you soon.

-Nik Coates, ncoates@cnhrpc.org