sprzepiora

I debated whether to respond to a seven year old thread, but it is such a nice topic.

I just recently started to commute to and from work, so far I have done it nine times, 10 miles round trip. I started because I was walking in the morning for a half hour for exercise, but decided that I could bike to work and get that half hour back.

Now I exercise twice as much a day ( as opposed to the half hour walk), save on gas, loose weight and feel better. As a side I no longer need to take high blood pressure medication any more! Oh yeah, I get $0.41 per mile

erikvonb

- Free excersise
- I hate the bus
- I'm cheap
- takes me the same time to bike than it does to drive/bus
- An ongoing bet with myself

RogerB

To scare my Wife.

BroadSTPhilly

It's much faster than roller skating.

HardyWeinberg

it's fun

William53

Much of the above. Initially inspired by co-workers and friends who were commuting by bike, I was already looking for something more to add to my exercise/healthy eating routine. I'm 54 with a desk job pushing back against a couple of decades of bad habits. Biking regularly is a good habit.

djkenny

I drove my car about 500 miles last year, didnt even touch it for almost 4 months.

I bike because of several factors:

#1- I "feel" better. I arrive at work or other destinations in a good mood.
#2 - Driving is costly. I felt horrible the last time I filled the GTI and it as $47 4 months ago. (Ouch!)
#3 - Meeting people. I moved here 2 years ago and there is nothing like meeting others with similar views on a bike. Whether it be a event in town or on my daily commute at a light.
#4 - I do not support the war and want to do all I can to conserve all the oil I can.
#5 - Others are "catching on" at work and friend/family members that have a curiosity about my biking lifestyle. It is nice to know that my actions are helping others have less dependency on foreign oil.
#6 - I am 35 years old. If I do not make a point of exercising daily then I will not be looking so swell or on the best of health at age 50 +. Might as well start good habits early on.

X-LinkedRider

The reasons that I began are different than my reasons now. Although some of them remain a constant like No License, Work close enough to home, Gas is well over 3.00, I'm just as fast to work on a bicycle as in a vehicle, i feel good before and after work along with waking up in the mornings. The list goes on,

J B Bell

Honestly, I never really learned to drive.

And in 2005 we had a big transit strike, dragged on for weeks. So I got my bike out and rode. When the buses came back, I didn't want them anymore.

And now I just love riding. Sometimes I ride my bike when it probably would make more sense to walk.

alpinist

- faster than walking.

- $100 a month in gas & parking.

pathdoc

1)Love riding everyday
2)Desparetly need the exercise
3)Saves gas
4)Makes me feel good.

X-LinkedRider

50MPG of Water or more.

cg1985

Lots of reasons. First and foremost, I like riding my bike.

But there is a laundry list of reasons. a Big one is sticking it to the man. Not driving a car means that you aren't chained to their system. No registration, no vehicle Tax (other than sales), no license plate, no license required, No gasoline, no gas taxes and biggest of all, no ****ing insurance. I truly believe Vehicle insurance in the united states is one of the biggest scams in all of history. So **** that. It's a type of freedom. No longer controlled by age/gender discrimination layed on by insurance companies. No long controlled by how much gasoline is. More freedom. when I drove a car, I was terrified of what would happen if it broke down. Where would I come up with the money to repair it? would I still be able to insure the damn thing If I paid for the repairs? Now I don't have that fear.

another, the environment. I won't pretend to be a card carrying member of green peace, but I want to reduce my carbon footprint. I don't want to add to the problem. 25% of all CO2 is from automobiles. I am doing my small part.

Also, It's healthy. I read a quote from some dr who said "commute to work on a bicycle, and you'll never have to exercise" You burn calories, you keep active. My dad says, "You stop moving, you start dying" That's something I take seriously. I don't want to be 60, 70, or 80 years old and be in a wheel chair unable to move. I want to be able to walk around, and do things, I want to be in good shape for as long as possible. What is the point of being alive with out living?

littlewaywelt

1- green
2- cheap/saves me about 10-13k a year in payments, gas, parking, insurance, maintenance, etc.
3- it just feels good. on the very rare occasion I have to drive, I dread walking back to the parking lot at the end of the day.

M_S

Lots of reasons,most of which can be boiled down to two:

-I hate cars
-I love bicycling.

Popeyecahn

RazorWind

I do it so that my convertible won't be subjected to sunlight all day. I think I also save about $6 a week in gas, meaning it'll take me only about seven years for my Cervelo to pay for itself.

As it turns out, though, I hardly drive the car now that I'm biking to work all the time. I think my ratio of dollars spent on it this month to miles driven is gonna be about $60/mile.

Edit: I'm also a cheap ******* and can thus avoid buying a parking pass at $120 a year by not bringing my car to work.

BarracksSi

You need to drive more and bring that figure down.

I ride primarily because it's fun. I don't pay any extra for parking at work (rank has its privileges ), but on the bike, the trip is less aggravating. It's cheaper, too, because not only do I buy a lot less gas, I'm also less tempted to drive elsewhere after work and go shopping, buying superfluous stuff; but I end up buying superfluous stuff at the bike shop on the way home instead.

Tobias Greenich

Why do I commute on a bike?

I have no car.
Four wheels is two wheels more than necessary.
I'm saving for a motorcycle.
It's faster than taking the bus.
The exercise is a plus.
It's a personal challenge.

Go me!

Yan 

Faster than public transit.

recumelectric

Because I am blown away on each commute by how much un-used road space there really is. Seriously, some of the streets I'm riding on are just dead. On one of those dead streets, I cross a bridge overlooking the tons and tons of steel all backed up on the freeway. I just love it!