If you have a chance, ditch the car. This may sounds very hard to do if you happen to be overweight, but think of the outcome and benefits of shedding unwanted pounds and staying fit.
Mary Wisniewski has a great of list of the “12 BEST things about bike commuting”
http://blogs.suntimes.com/transportation/2009/10/best_things_about_bike_commuti.html
Reading the list brings out the true joy and fun that you can recapture with a bike before adult responsibilities took over.