Benefits of Bike Commuting
Saving Money and the Environment by Riding a Bike
Yet a recent Quick Vote poll on cnn.com posed this question: "Can you get by without a car?" Overwhelmingly, the answer was "No," hovering at 85 percent in the non-scientific survey.
Why? Is the hesitancy about safety? Distance? Habit?
Benefits of Bike Commuting
Bike commuting has some rather obvious benefits: exercise, economics, environmental preservation.
Think work is too far from home to ride a bike? Where there’s a will, there’s a way.
Some bike commuters ride dozens of miles one way. Others only a few miles. Many ride the myriad of distances that fall between not-too-far and hard-core-far.
And a modest, but seemingly growing, proportion of bike commuters ride year-round, too – even in locales situated in northern latitudes. To meet a few, check out the commuter profiles at the Bike Commuters blog.
Money Saved by Bike Commuting
Bike commuting creates instant return on the effort and investment of the simplest “biofuel” – human energy.
For instance, consider the money saved by riding a bike to work. Factor in the car’s rate of gas mileage, the distance ridden, and the price of fuel.
An American example: A car gets 25 miles per gallon; gas costs $4 per gallon; the commute to work is 5 miles one way.
Roundtrip, that particular ride saves $1.60 in each instance. A bike commuter averaging three such rides a week for the period of a year saves $249.60. And consider it a free gym membership, besides.
Environmental Benefits of Bike Commuting
According to terrapass.com, a 2008 Honda Civic with a manual transmission emits 7,826 pounds of carbon dioxide over the course of a year of driving (12,000 miles).
Calculate the carbon footprint the planet is spared by riding a bike to work instead of driving that Honda Civic. Consider the example above (10 miles per day, three times per week): The bike ride saves 1,021 pounds of CO2 emissions from further smogging the air; that’s a 13 percent reduction in a Honda Civic owner’s carbon footprint. (Note that a Honda Civic is one the friendlier cars to be driving; so less efficient vehicles will mean greater footprint reductions when parked in favor of bike commuting.)
Now multiply that number by as many rides as the cyclist makes to the market, the library, friends’ houses, and so on.
Commute Time When Riding a Bike
Depending on the distance to work, the ride may or may not require more commute time, depending on traffic patterns. If the time spent on the bike causes longer times, each rider needs to weigh the factors.
Does the added level of exercise justify the time spent going to and from work? Does the time spent moving rather than sitting in traffic offset the longer commute time?
Those are matters to be considered when choosing a route or, perhaps, a combination of riding and driving, or riding and mass transit. Put all options on the table to make the decision that works best.
Bike commuting is a lifestyle. It particularly suits urban living, but in rural and suburban areas it is possible. Where there is the will, a bike commuter can find the way, safely.
