Today I decided to go to a location, that ended up taking 1 hour and 20 minutes.

I cycled on some normal rodes, and also on a freeway.

About 20 different times on the commute I realized how bad the air was...many times when a huge truck came by, and other times smaller trucks.

I realized, and after reading some threads on this board, am I getting a health benefit from cycling? Or, am I actually jeopardizing my health from being on the road?

It doesn't seem fair, that when your trying to reduce pollution, and be healthier, by walking or biking, that you get to breathe in someone's fumes. Especially those huge trucks...

I'm becoming really fed up with it all...honestly. I wish things would change. There are studies that show diesel causes cancer...so WHY IS IT STILL ALLOWED!???

Are people ignorant??!? WAKE UP WE NEED TO CHANGE!

Something needs to change. I think maybe having a gasoline tax is the solution, as well as outlawing things that cause cancer! It only makes sense.

I'm so sick of this ****. Why should I be punished for trying to do something good for myself and other people. When I bike or walk, I'm not creating a bad environment for a car driver, but they get to cause a bunch of noise and air pollution for me. Its not fair, and if things don't change, no one is going to want to ever go outside again.... People will stay inside all day, because the outside world has been overtaken with huge levels of noise from engines, and huge levels of pollution.

I live in ****ing San Diego, one of the best weather places in the country. And still, you don't see a lot of people outside. Its SAD. Why? Because the second you step outside, you see roads. Roads, that are filled with these metal boxes that fly by, creating a ton of noise, that is not harmonious to the ear. You don't want to be around them. And on top of that, they create a bad environment to breathe.

I'm pissed off that people before me, haven't done more about this ****. I'm 23. Thanks a lot to all the older people here, that were too stupid too realize the ****ing harm cars cause to our society. Thanks alot, for moving out to the suburbs, then whining about how you need more freeways, only to drive your ****ing SUV even farther and longer.

Thanks alot... for only thinking of yourself, and not having a ****ing sliver of a conscience to think of your environment, and the impact of your actions.

Its now on our generation to change things, to deal with the ignorance of too many people.

You're not supposed to bike (or moped, walk) on the freeway. Maybe you can find a friendlier route, even if it's around the long way, to where you go.

Ever notice a lot of the out-of-the-way places affluent types to go vacation, are car-free or nearly so? From Catalina Island to Corsica, the lack of cars is a big selling point.

Hey lilhilnaut,

Your right... Actually I really get stressed when on the freeway... I had to get somewhere, and didnt' know how else to get there, without taking the freeway.

It sounds like I'm a raging ******* from my posts...and I'm really not... but when I get out there with traffic, I get really mad at everything... when I see all those vehicles, it just REALLY gets to me. sigh

The trucks you are complaining about bring you food and other things you like to have. You're doing your part, smile and be happy.

If you're THAT pissed off about what the older generation has done for you, why don't you avoid EVERYTHING they have ever made**********?? That way you could REALLY show your contempt for what they've done, or are you going to pick and choose which things they've done to belittle them for? Give up the medical research results the people that drove cars to the lab developed. Don't eat anything that you haven't grown yourself.
Outlaw things that cause cancer? Who gets to pick and choose? Do you know how many naturally occuring things in nature cause cancer?
It's good to work for change, but people need to settle down and not let things stress them out so much. If you'd like to know more about not letting stress get the better of you, we can discuss my cardiac pacemaker.

The thing is, an angry rider too often ends up flipping off the wrong person, or making a mistake, it's just as bad as being an angry driver.

Well, you shouldn't be riding on the freeway in any case. But you bet your bottom that riding is better on your lungs than driving a car around in all that traffic. It's still appallingly bad by the standards of the air you should be breathing, but it could be worse.

I know your just ranting and yeah, I live in SD as well and the traffic here can be difficult. Were you riding between RB and Esco on the 15 or on the 5 in La Jolla? For a long time I was riding the road cussing out people and just generally defensive and very pissed off. I've been spit on in the rain and sunshine, I've almost been side swiped purposefully many times, horns blown right in back of me, the guy hanging out the passenger window who then yells in my ear as the car drives by, the old person who just should't be on the road has nearly killed me more times than I can count. The speeding monster truck on the very tight road with no bike lane, drunks, druggies, suspicious cops, name callers, to busy to pay attention to the road types, and on and on and on.........As an enthusiastic life long bicyclist, I had to make a choice, was I always going to be pissed off at the noncycling world or was I going to try for world domination through standard channels and enjoy my riding along the way?-I chose world domination and am well on my way with my bike.
Try to stay positive on the road and keep cycling central to your life and always keep it constructive.

Hey hotwheels...thx for your post..

I feel you...I sometimes can't help cuss, and sometimes I feel like people are against me.

I think I need to channel that energy into changing things through standard channels, like you said. I'm going to try to focus more on enjoying riding. I think its been hard with the bike I had...because it was way too small for me. I'm 6'2, and it was a small woman's bike. I know I know. But I'm getting one now thats better fit for me. Phew.

If it's any consolation, at least you live in an area that is somewhat bike friendly with a good percentage of the population who are fully aware of the problems you mentioned and are willing to work to do something about it. I live near Dallas, where 99.9% of the population feels it's their god given right to drive the biggest piece of metal they can buy, stick their NASCAR number on it, and then live out their Dale Earnhardt fantasies on the public roadways. I rode 30 miles RT to work and back today. I saw exactly 1 other bike rider and he was just going out for his evening ride as I was rolling in.

The consensus view tends to be that the health benefits of the aerobic exercise far outweigh the problems with breathing in the freshly polluted air. Many car drivers, not to mention pedestrians, are breathing the same air you are, so is there really a healthier alternative?

Occasionally, I do see people riding in D.C. with dust masks on. But this is D.C., city of paranoia: those people might be worried about SARS or Marburg more than lung cancer.

Usually the morning air is a little fresher than afternoon air. The exhaust fumes have a chance to rise over night. I also found a different route that is less traveled, less hecktic, and less polluted than the shorter route I would normally take. My new route is a litte longer but it goes through a neighborhood and is fairly nice. I feel more relaxed when I get to work.

I used to live in San Diego. Due to the geography (the town's built over many, many valleys, mesas, and waterways) there's times where to get where you want to go, sometimes the ONLY way across or over is the freeway - unless you want to go some crazy amount of miles out of your way.

We could very well do the same with trains, as had been done for years until the government decided to compete with the railroads by building highways...

With prices as they are for fuel, the railroads are booming again anyways...

Unless you quit your job, or move your house, you're breathing the same air you would anyway in a car. Most cars don't have much in the way of air filters for passenger cabin air. So you're getting the health benefit of exercise, and the same health detriment from bad air that you'd get anyway.

Additionally, better general health (from exercise) improves your body's ability to deal with problems like dirty air.

If you removed all cancer-causing substances from the world, civilization would collapse, and we'd all be wandering around in the sun eating berries and getting skin cancer.

You can never just say "Oh this is bad ok quit using it" if it's something that is in widespread use. You have to come up with a substitute that works well enough you can switch to it, and give people time to make the switch. Sometimes that's very hard... Asbestos, for example, was a "wonder-material". It was awesome for hundreds of applications. Of course, it's also very bad for you, it turns out. But until we were able to come up with alternatives, the best we could do is say OK when you deal with it, you must take lots of precautions.

For example, your bicycle was produced and is maintained using many harmful and/or carcinogenic substances. All petroleum-based greases are bad for people, the fumes produced when welding are carcinogenic, etc. Ideally we'll eventually have substitutes that work as well or better without the harmful side effects, but I don't think you want to stop riding your bike until we do.

WHO research across the developed world showed that pollution inside vehicles is between 3 and 4 times worse than outside.

UK research by Dr Mayer Hillman showed that riding 4 miles per day reduced risk of heart disease by 50% and that health benefits v. increased risk of death in collision showed a 20:1 benefit in favour of the cyclist.

good to hear atbman, good to hear. You know, I figure now, after listening to what you guys say...that there are a lot of cancerous causing agents out there. We have one life, we might as well just ride and enjoy it... and save money and all that good stuff...

Its amazing though what it really entails to try to sway a large population that doesn't think about riding or walking more. I guess we just have to to what we can, ourselves...and through a good example, and other healthly outlets, help change what we feel is important.

The trick is to be the example, not try to convince others of their need to change. Have fun while you are riding. People will see that, and they may wish they were riding too. Got co-workers that ask questions? Be positive when you answer them. Those that are inclined to make a change will do so, those that aren't, you'll never convince.