The bicycle is one of the greatest environmental discoveries ever invented. In the early days, bicycles actually helped ease a pollution problem that most of us have forgotten about: city streets clogged with horse droppings. Today, they improve the environment in numerous ways.
And they do more than clear the air. North Americans are notorious for using more resource than we need, and far more than the rest of the world. Riding a bicycle is a reasonable way to live a little closer to the world norm. For instance:
- On a bicycle you take up little space, burn no gasoline and produce no waste, and A bike can travel 1,600 kilometres (960 miles) on the equivalent energy of a gallon of gas.
- Between 70 and 100 bicycles can be built with the resources required to build one car.
- In a North American urban environment, people living up to 12 kilometres (7.2 miles) from their workplace can commute by bike in less than one hour (some, a lot less!) Also, a roadway can carry about three times as many cyclists as people in cars.
Protecting Yourself From Air Pollution
Cyclists spend a lot of time breathing exhaust fumes. Lead and carbon monoxide can build up in a cyclist’s body, and this will eventually hurt your health. Although most city cyclists feel that other benefits outweigh this drawback, you should be aware of it so you can do your best to minimize its effects.
- Some riders wear an air filter or mask. These only protect you from airborne particles, however, and not from carbon monoxide or other gasses. (Don’t worry too much, though; a study that monitored the air inhaled by a sampling of Toronto bike couriers carried out a few years ago found that surprisingly small amounts of toxic gasses were entering their lungs.)
- Make a conscious effort to stay away from the backs of buses and trucks, and exhaust pipes generally, while waiting in traffic. (And be pleased to know that with new emissions regulations that are just about to come into effect in the commercial trucking industry, truck company owners are speaking more or less accurately when they declare that soon the air that comes out of a diesel truck will be cleaner than the air going in!)
- Consider public transit as an option for days when your local authorities declare a smog alert or bad air warning day
- If you ride to work, and have the opportunity of flex hours, try to take advantage of the lower traffic times of day.
And remember: if we were all able to ride bikes, we probably wouldn’t have an urban air pollution problem!
