Rich, doesn't that show to go ya, cars are prone to break down...

:(

I just spent over $800US for new tires and brakes on my car. Could have bought a whole new (nice) bike for that :(

Tim

Ken Kifer wrote a very good article about the cost savings of bicycle commuting vs. automobile use/ownership. He calculated in great detail a savings of about $7,000 per year in 1997. This is a well thought-out and researched article with a lot of support info.

See http://www.kenkifer.com/bikepages/commute/quadrupl.htm

Dave Glowacz of the Bicycle Federation of Wisconsin wrote a similar article in which he estimated that the cost savings was around $3,300 to $6,500 per year.

See http://www.bfw.org/bfw/savetime.htm

The most fun accounting to be had is to work out how many extra hours of work you have to do to pay for the car that you drive to work in, then add that to your car commuting time, and work out your average speed.

Last time I can remember checking, the A.A. estimated that here in the U.k. the smallest cheapest car bought from new, with the average 10,000 miles per year running ,cost at least 53p per mile

That is with Deppresiation, servicing,taxes,insurance, fuel etc.

Working on that sort of statistic, I reckon, since going carless 26 months ago I have saved just under £5000

But that is counter-balanced with the cost of a new bike and all the equipment to go with it..

So I reckon i`m about 2/12 grand in. Think i can afford a few more of these :beer: now.

Commuting by bicycle allows to increase the quality of life, as a person with the normal weight (as opposite to overweight) is more attractive, feels himself/herself better, has got a better disposition.

It is not only about money. The best things in life are free.

I'm with the "bikes cost at least as much" crowd here. I only have a 3-mile round trip commute, so gas cost would be negligible. The car I would use if I still had it would use about a gallon of gas a week for the commute and was completely paid for (the car was a freebie hand-me-down). Parking is $30 per month, so I'm really saving <$100/month counting insurance cost. So that's conservatively $1200 per year, but I spend at least that much on my bikes. But since I don't have my own car, that's just a displaced cost rather than an additional one. If I didn't tinker so much with my bikes the costs would be significantly lower.

I've actually been trying to financially justify my case for going carfree (15 months now) lately, and I really can't. An old beater car doesn't cost too much to run since I'm a capable mechanic. The distances I travel are generally less than 5 miles at a stretch, so gas, tires and other consumables would be minimal. I spend more time in transporting myself by bike and mass transit than I would if I drove (the commute excluded, what with engine warm-up time and the fact that I'd have to park a block away). The only reason I've been able to come up with is that carfree is just a whole lot more fun! Every day in the city without the insulating convenience of a car can be, and usually is, another day of adventure and interest. And with that $1200 I can build myself and my wife at least one upgraded bike every year just to keep things from getting boring. Try doing that with cars and the costs get out of hand really quickly. Like Alexey says, the best things in life are free (or at least really cheap).

I'd like to add that I'm carfree more as a result of circumstance rather than free choice: the damn thing broke down at a financially strapped point in my life, and since I was 75% car"lite" anyway I just decided to let it go rather than hassle with replacing an oil pump. I'd much rather wrench on bikes than cars any day.

For me going carfree means also that I at least tried to do something to leave the environment for next generations in liveable condition.

I hate to say it, but I don't save any money.

Currently, we still need a car. My job requires some driving some time (could be done with a rental...), family is out of town (intercity busses are downright expensive), and we have two children. Another factor is that my wife uses crutches; our regular transit is not exactly accessible (she can deal with it, but it's hard), and our adapted transit isn't worth anything decent.

The current car is still fairly new (1997). When it dies, I'll probably look into the newer schemes like carsharing that now exist in town. The only question is how easily accessible these cars are.


Regarding current costs.
I do have to pay for the car anyway, and in spite of the relatively expensive gas prices (by N. A. standards -- 0,75 $/L, or 2,60 $ U.S. / gal. U.S.), the most important costs are fixed costs... and the lack of maintenance costs.
We only have limited on-street parking near the office, so it sometimes take more time to find the car than it does to commute the whole 3 km by bike. Taking the bus is usually faster than taking my own car... except waiting for it at -10 C is a bit cold...
Besides, one of the great advantages of commuting by bike is that I load my bike with raingear, lunch, whatever stuff I need for the office... and I don't have to carry it in my arms for a long distance. So biking is actually good for my back!

But the main advantage of commuting by bike is that I save time over all other methods. Besides, it's fun. Need I say more?

Regards,

Since I don't have a car anymore, my transportation costs would skyrocket using one for work. These are estimated costs per year with a one time purchase for a new auto.

New (Chrysler 300M) $31,190
Insurance $2,700
Parking (Midtown Manhattan) $5,400
Gas $1,040
Tickets 300
Tolls, Tunnel & Bridges $1,100
Repairs and maintence $350
Garage $1,000
break-ins $500
Misc $250

Total costs $43,830.00


Total Bicycle Costs Per Year

2 new sets of tires $40.00
Rear Blinky & Front Light $60.00
Rechargable Batteries $15.00

Ferry Ticket 960.00

Total Costs $1,075.00

=============
Total Savings $42,755.00

I save the environment, but that´s all I save. I spend more money on my bike so I end up whith no saved money. But the reason I ride is it makes me feel good and gives me a cleaner conscience.

Anders
Sweden

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/2336539.stm

That's what I'm talkin' about.