Sustainable Transportation- 4 Season Bicycle Riding

I will admit I am a little obsessed when it comes to some aspects of green living.  One thing that really annoys me is that people use cars for every little thing that they need to leave their house for. Automobiles are wonderful things that have given mobility and freedom to the poorest among us, but they come at a cost.

The cost of a automobile is not only found in the fuel but also the manufacturing, maintenance, use and final disposal of that vehicle.  When you add it all up vehicles are one of the most polluting and environmentally damaging items ever constructed

With that in mind and my desire to live a more sustainable life I try to limit my vehicle use to as little as possible.  For example if I want to go to a movie, the library, run a few little errands etc. I will take my bicycle.  This saves me money, not only in gas and wear and tear on the car but it also cuts down on wasteful spending because I am only do/buy so much when I am riding a bicycle.

I have a few numbers now that I want to throw at you to help my case on why you should consider riding a bicycle more.

The average annual cost of riding a bicycle is 308 dollars, this would include bicycle maintenance, safety items for you and other misc expenses of a bicycle.  Now if we compare that to the average annual cost of owning a car which would be around 8000 dollars a year the difference is clear.

Now there are some things that bicycles are just not practical for and I am well aware of that.  If you need to pick up large items or lots of groceries then sometimes you just have to take a car. But I want you to really think about what you do use your car for on a daily basis.  You are probably imagining things like going to work, the movies, picking up milk from the grocery store.  Well depending on your specific circumstances many of those daily events could be done by bicycle. I bet with some serious consideration quite of few of them could if you really put your mind to it.

Even if you just rode your bicycle to work everyday you could significantly cut down on on your carbon footprint.  It would save gas and wear and tear on your car while at the same time improving your health and fitness.  For me at least I make it a goal to take my bicycle to work everyday that I feel safe doing it. Sometimes the winter weather gets the best of me and I decide I will feel safer with four wheels under me than two.

So to sum up this whole long confusing post take that bicycle off the wall and put it to use on a daily basis.  Once you get into the groove of it you won't regret leaving your car parked at all.