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Old 03-27-06, 05:05 PM
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DCCommuter
52-week commuter
 
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Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Washington, DC
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Bikes: Redline Conquest, Cannonday, Specialized, RANS

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I've been commuting year 'round for 12 years, and I'm not at all surprised. A bicycle, particularly the kind of bicycle you can buy in the United States, is not inexpensive transportation -- particularly if you use it in all weather. I contend that the marginal (not average) per-mile cost of operating a bicycle is generally more than operating an automobile.

On the other hand, think about walking. If you walk for transportation, you'll be lucky to get 1,000 miles from a pair of $150 walking shoes -- a marginal cost of 15c/mile. Add to that the cost of clothes and accessories, and you'll find that from a marginal perspective walking is no cheaper than driving.

What makes driving expensive are the fixed costs -- depreciation, financing and insurance. From a social policy standpoint, this is problematic, as at an individual level once you've decided to spring for a car there is very little incentive to limit your driving, but at a collective level all of that driving imposes a burden on society and the environment.
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