Living Car Free - WOW!! It adds up!

The park that we meet for the camp bus is only 3 miles away. BUT....I have discovered that over the course of two weeks back and forth twice a day dropping off my son will equal 120 miles! I have been doing this since Monday, and I have to say it is my favorite part of the day. He sits in my new trailer (Used...$40.00 off craigslist) that I bought for hauling groceries. He LOVES IT. (It's a child carrier)

Anyway...yesterday while I was waiting for the bus to return, the guy next to me asked where I live, and why I ride my bike to and from everyday. It would wear him out. I told him and he said.."Oh..that's not that far". I said No..but do it twice a day for two weeks and you have just biked 120 miles! He and everyone else in the line's jaw dropped! I could tell they were doing the math and the lady behind him said..."OMG!! I have never thought of it that way! No wonder I am ALWAYS filling up my gas tank. I felt like I never went anywhere but to drive them to school and back. WOW!! It really adds up, doesn't it? " I said "Yeah!! Here's 120 miles worth of gas I am saving AND one less car on the road AND I am getting much needed exercise. It's a win-win all the way around!" She said "Everybody should be doing that...I just don't think I could...I'm impressed" (As she climbed into her SUV)

It's funny how people hardly think about daily/habitual driving being a cumulative problem.

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=445201

My car-loving friend just did the math and he spent $154 to get to school, even though the free ( tax-payed ,but it moves whether he's on it or not) schoolbus stops right by his house. A small number multiplied by a big number is a big number.

Very good points. I'm trying to keep this in mind when deciding what to do for transportation this fall. After drawing various routes on google earth, I've seen it's less than 2 miles to my school from my apartment. It's a dead-easy distance to bike, but my fears of getting sweaty, having to change clothes at site, etc, are holding me back. Still thinking about it.

I'm roughly 2 miles from everything. Library, grocery stores, partner's job, butcher shop, creamery... A week ranges from 30-40 miles of riding, just running errands. It adds up fast.

(and no, I don't end up sweat soaked most of the time... needs to be pretty hot out for that to happen.)

... I've seen it's less than 2 miles to my school from my apartment. It's a dead-easy distance to bike, but my fears of getting sweaty, having to change clothes at site, etc, are holding me back. Still thinking about it.

I was about that far from campus when I was in college. I used to walk it.

Very good points. I'm trying to keep this in mind when deciding what to do for transportation this fall. After drawing various routes on google earth, I've seen it's less than 2 miles to my school from my apartment. It's a dead-easy distance to bike, but my fears of getting sweaty, having to change clothes at site, etc, are holding me back. Still thinking about it.

What's there to think about? Two miles is nothing to think about, even if you go veeeeerrrrrry slowly, like 10 mph, it will only take 10 minutes. That way you won't sweat, and I'm sure walking to and from the car, finding a parking spot etc isn't that much quicker.

What often doesn't get considered are the capital and non-fuel costs involved. For example, to spend $154 driving to school might be a drop in the bucket to some. But add to that the capital costs of the vehicle, insurance, repairs, parking, driveway shoveling in winter, yada, yada ... Then compare it to what it costs to maintain a bicycle to do the same distance.