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12 reasons to start using a bicycle for transportation
Economic instability and ever-increasing climate change are just two of the many reasons riding a bike is an excellent alternative to driving.
Thu, Mar 18 2010 at 10:20 AM
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Photo: Lighter Footstep
We're continuing our look at smart ways to start saddling up and using bicycles for real transportation.
We've always taken the greenness of bike transport as a given. But if you're just getting started — or perhaps trying to convince an employer that bicycle commuting is a good thing — we've rounded up a dozen reasons to leave that car in the driveway and start covering pavement on two wheels. Let's ride!
1) It's easier to finance a new bicycle than a new car. Thanks to the recession, auto loans are hard to find these days — even if you have good credit. But for the price of a single car payment, you can buy a well-made bicycle that should outlast most cars. Add a few hundred dollars more for rain gear, lights and accessories, and you have all-weather, anytime transportation.
2) A bicycle has a tiny manufacturing footprint when compared to a car. All manufactured goods have environmental impact, but bicycles can be produced for a fraction of the materials, energy and shipping costs of a car.
3) Bicycles produce no meaningful pollution when in operation. Bikes don't have tailpipes belching poisonous fumes into the atmosphere. They also eliminate the oil, fuel and hydraulic fluids dripped by automobiles onto the road surface — which means less toxic runoff into local waterways.
4) Bikes save taxpayers money by reducing road wear. A 20-pound bicycle is a lot less rough on the pavement than a two-ton sedan. Every bicycle on the road amounts to money saved patching potholes and resurfacing city streets.
5) Bicycles are an effective alternative to a second car. Perhaps you're not in a position to adopt a bicycle as primary transportation. But bikes make great second vehicles. You can literally save thousands of dollars a year using a bicycle for workday commuting and weekend errands in households which might otherwise be forced to maintain two cars.
6) Using a bike for transportation can help you lose weight and improve your overall health. The health benefits of regular aerobic exercise are well-known. Depending on your riding style and local road conditions, you could easily burn 600 calories an hour through brisk cycling. Most bike commuters report losing 15 to 20 pounds during their first year in the saddle without changing their eating habits.
7) You can store a dozen bicycles in a single automobile-sized parking place. Parking lots have enormous environmental and financial impact, particularly in urbanized areas. The more bikes you can get on the road, the fewer parking spaces you need to build.
8) Bicycles don't burn gasoline. Fuel is cheap compared to last year, and the economic downturn is likely to keep a lid on petroleum demand for a while. But we're not producing any more oil today than we were when it was more than $100 a barrel. A healthy bike culture will help ease pressure on supply once demand returns.
9) Bicycling may be faster and more efficient than taking a car. We're not talking about the crazy — and illegal — antics of New York bicycle messengers. But bikes are often faster than cars in urban areas, especially when city designers have set aside proper bike lanes. There's nothing more satisfying as a bicycle commuter than breezing past a long line of gridlocked traffic.
10) Bikes cost much less to maintain and operate than automobiles. You'll never throw a rod on a bicycle, and dropping a transmission on a bike usually means replacing a bent derailleur hanger or worn-out chain. Bicycles do require service, but you can learn to perform most of it yourself. Even if you have a shop do things for you, costs will be trivial compared to a car.
11) Bicycles provide mobility for those who may not qualify or afford to drive. Not everyone can get a driver's license (or wants one), and the cost of purchasing, insuring and maintaining a car is out of reach for a lot of people. Almost everyone can afford some sort of bike. Other than walking, bicycles are the most cost-effective transportation on the planet.
12) Studies show that bicycle commuters are healthier, more productive, and require less time off at work. This is why most enlightened employers are eager to accommodate commuting cyclists. Healthy workers are better workers — and that's good for the bottom line. Bikes are smart business.
So there are 12 reasons to dust-off that bicycle in your garage in time for Bike to Work Day (the third Friday in May). Can you think of others? Leave a comment below.
Copyright Lighter Footstep 2009
Thumbnail photo: Melissa Billie/Flickr
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Lets face it, Americans are simply too lazy, out of shape and over weight to ride a bike anywhere. Then there is the fact that they have moved as far from work as they can get. They have all the reformed smoker excuses that I can stand to hear. Lets just go and kill to get some more oil.
People will start riding when gas goes to $5 a gallon which not too far off especially here in the San Francisco Bay Area, California
I guess that's why bicycle sales are in excess of $6 billion annually with over 15 million units sold. I suppose your 'lazy Americans' buy all of these bikes and let them sit in the garage...
You know, I think that is unfortunately true. I see so many bikes in garages, but people might ride them like a couple weekends per year, literally. I'm speaking based on how often my own parents ride their bikes, and they bought some new fancy schmancy ones.
I just got a bike today to do some commuting and I would like to thank MNN for this article and the one 2 weeks ago about the 10 best bikes for commuting and why they are so beneficial. Thanks, again.
#3 - A bicycle emits no carbon dioxide, no matter how hard the cyclist breathes. The cyclist's breath and exhaust emissions both contain carbon dioxide, a comparison akin to the way a rubber ducky and an aircraft carrier both float on water.
#9 - It's perfectly legal and completely safe to pass a line of stopped cars or take a lane among motor traffic. It's far more dangerous to hug the curb in a narrow lane and encourage motorists to squeeze by a few inches away from your elbow.
Lighting systems are incredible now. I run 3 blinkers in the rear, double headlight in front, the total weight is under a pound and total price is less than $200.
Bikes may be good if you live close to work but really how much fuel do.you think your burning driving the distance you can go in a bike. Plus you have to worry about people in real vehicles running you over.. bikes are not the answer to our fuel prices and its time for your liberal leader to stop pointing his finger at bush and take action.
Bicyclists weaving in and out of moving traffic are a hazard pure and simple. I suspect the "killer butts" part is your real interest.
Brake Hard is right. Weaving cyclists are a safety hazard, but mainly to themselves and none at all to motorists. It's a common beginner's mistake to hug the curb and weave in and out of traffic to avoid parked cars, grates, and debris. It's safer to ride in a straight, visible, predictable line, well away from roadside dangers. If the lane is too narrow for a car and a bike to share safely, ride right in the middle of the lane.
Why 12 reasons? Reasons 1 and 11 are the same. So are 3 and 8. And 6 and 12! THAT'S why I don't have a bike, redundant reasoning.
Unfortunately I don't live in one of the densely populated areas of the country. It is just not practical for me to ride a bike 23 miles each way just to goto work in an office setting. Plus there is literally NO way to get from my house to my job without getting on an interstate due to the lack of road development.
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An exon funded researcher once wrote that Biking causes male infertility. Please make a note before you bike. Thank you Exon and Mr. D Cheney.
I've ridden a bike for transportation, but in the midwest it's just not practical during the winter months, a car is still a necessity! Riding a bike on snow or ice is dangerous, I know, I've done it! Freezing temperatures are another problem we in the rust belt have to contend with. Not everyone has great weather year round.
The icebike.com site has a lot of good information about cycling in freezing temperatures. It's not for everyone but it can be done.
specifically Nokian and Schwalbe make great carbide-studded tires for bikes. I only use them in the bad winter months, but they make a huge difference, no more fishtailing now on the crumby stuff!
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