Why drive a quad when you could ride a bike?
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Save money on gas, get your weekly exercise, and help clean up the environment. You can do all those things if you replace driving with riding a bicycle. Biking can help you cope with all these factors: gas prices, health problems, and global warming.
With all the money students pay on tuition and books any amount saved helps. Instead of having to buy gas every week you will have to replace inner tubes every couple of months. According to Commute Solutions, a program of the Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission, it costs you about 93 cents per mile when driving.
Some people may argue how much longer it takes to get places on a bicycle. Vernon Huffman, an employee at Cyclotopia in Corvallis, suggests you figure out how long you have to work to make up the money you spend on gas.Clayson Caswell, an LBCC student, rides his bike Monday through Friday to school. He rides for a number of reasons. “Because it’s smarter.” Instead of having to go to the gym he gets his workout while commuting. It gives him time to work things over in his mind. Bicycling also saves him money on gas.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggest two hours and 30 minutes each week of “moderate-intensity aerobic activity” for an average adult. The commute from downtown Albany to Linn-Benton Community College is approximately four miles. Going at moderate-intensity pace the trip takes around 20 minutes. If you commute five days a week to school from Albany you just exceeded the recommended 150 minutes set by the CDC.
Not only is bicycling great for you and your wallet but it is also good for the environment. Unlike a car, which produces 0.25 grams per mile of exhaust emissions, bicycling produces no pollution. You can have a clear conscience when you ride a bike, at least when it comes to the environment
For more information, see:
http://yosemite.epa.gov/R10/airpage.nsf/webpage/Milestones+in+Auto+Emissions+Control
http://www.commutesolutions.org/calc.htm
Comment
Commenting is closed for this article.
