Bike Commuting Pros & Cons
I have been living pretty much car-free for the last three years or so. What started out as a personal challenge has turned into a new way of thinking about transportation. I’d like to outline a few of the pros & cons I’ve picked up through my car-free journey.
PROS
Keeps you Active - Riding a bike is good for your health and well being. It’s a great way to go shopping or run errands and get a great workout all at the same time. No gym membership required.
Great in City Transportation - Cycling is a great way to get around town and see the city from a totally different perspective. I’ve noticed countless things in my town that I never knew existed before just driving through. Cycling is generally faster than walking or taking a bus too making it a great choice when a destination is too far to walk, but not quite far enough to drive.
Efficient and Environmentally Friendly - I love when things are designed and built with a high level of efficiency. The bicycle is one of those machines. It is somewhere around 98% efficient when in use making it even more efficient than walking. Compare this to an internal combustion engine vehicle which hovers between 17 - 21%. The environmental savings are also a great byproduct of a bicycle’s efficiency. According to a new study conduced by the ECF , a bicycle’s emissions is about 12x lower than that of a car and about 4x lower than a bus.
CONS
There is no denying it, cycling is one of the best modes of transport not just for you but the planet as well. As great as the bicycle is though, using it every day for all of your trips does have some drawbacks. Let’s look at some of the con’s I’ve found with living car-free.
Weather - Living in the Pacific Northwest, you can’t avoid weather, especially rain. This can pose problems on a bicycle because you are completely exposed to the elements. No matter what type of rain gear, fenders, gloves etc. you have you will get wet & you will get cold. This also means you usually need to bring a spare set of clothing to change into when you arrive at your destination. Now, this isn’t a deal breaker for me as I ride all year round and have good gear, but it’s something you do need to think about and prep for if you plan to ride in the winter months.
Injury - This is something I didn’t really think about until it happened to me. If you have any type of health problem or injury, you will need to find other ways of getting around. I had a knee injury last year that prevented me from riding for a couple weeks and I was completely grounded. Sometimes you don’t realize how much you rely on something until it’s gone. Thankfully during that time, I had access to other forms of transport, ride-sharing and caring friends & family. Since that time I’ve tried to always have alternatives in place so that problem doesn’t happen again.
Distance & Priorities - For some people distance is a non-issue when looking at most of their trips as everything they need is within reach. For me personally, I live in the city, where most of my needs can be met within a 5-7 mile radius. Anything outside of that I can use ride-sharing, public transport, or if absolutely necessary I can drive. If you live outside the main city center though, say a suburb or rural area, things can get difficult. This is where a bicycle doesn’t make as much sense your daily driver. As for distance, I personally see it as a great gift. When I’m thinking about saying yes to something that I have to travel a great distance for, whether it’s a get together with friends, or a work meeting, I try and keep my travel time down. If I can’t, I ask myself, is this worth my time and energy going to? Is it something that will enrich my life or am I just going to please someone else? This can be a powerful pro but also a con depending on how you look at it. If you love going places and annihilating space, it’s definitely a con.
Well, there you have it, my top pros and cons of cycling for transportation. I hope this gave you some food for thought the next time you hop on the bike. Happy riding!!