A few months ago I got my expensive bike out of storage. I planned to use it every day to make up for all the times I hadn’t used it.

Well: I haven’t used it every day. But, I’m using it more for short errands. Biking has me thinking about the positive financial consequences of owning (and using!) a bike.

Savings: Commuting costs

If you can bike to work you save three ways. First, obviously, you use less gasoline. You also save on automobile wear-and-tear — delaying costs associated with car repair. And, you save on parking.

Sadly, it’s not practical for a lot of people to commute by bike thanks to an incomplete biking infrastructure. But, some brave it anyway. You should invest in additional safety gear (helmet, lights, reflective strips, locks). But this is a small outlay when compared to car costs over a year. According to this article:

“Car ownership is about 17 to 20 percent of a family’s income,” Glen Harrison of the Washington Area Bicyclist Association explained.

Savings: Health club

Okay: I have a grand vision of getting fit enough to bike to the health club, and then work out. The distance is a hilly 2.5 miles each way. Verdict? I won’t need to actually JOIN the gym until I’m fit enough to actually get there!! According to the same article:

Experts say the health benefits of biking out-weigh the risks 20-to-one. And what you’d profit from a daily bike ride is equal to what you’d lose smoking an entire pack of cigarettes.

If you can turn your kids into lifelong bikers, studies show it’ll improve their mental agility and they’ll do better in school.

It’ll also help them ward off heart disease, obesity and some forms of cancer, as well as improve their immune system.

Savings: the Environment

Obama threw down the gauntlet last night: we each have to do our part!

Regardless of who ascends the presidency, we’re slowly beginning to see there are real financial costs associated with repair and clean-up of our environmental messes. We pay indirectly through taxes, health care, and quality-of-life. Biking is just one way to keep pollutants out of environment while benefiting us directly at the same time.

Can biking save your wallet, your health and your world? Sure looks like it! Tell us your experiences biking, and share any hints on making your community more bike-friendly.

Related:

How to Walk More, Drive Less in Your ‘Hood
How to Make Your Travel ‘Greener’
How To Stay Fit on a Budget
Obama’s Acceptance and Other Famous American Speeches

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This entry was posted on Friday, August 29th, 2008 at 11:30 am and is filed under Budget. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.