Do high gasoline prices really push more people to commute by bike?
04-09-12, 06:02 AM
#152
Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: Henderson/Las Vegas NV
Posts: 1,498
Bikes: Giant Defy 2
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
My car gets 31.4 mpg and my motorcycle gets 56 mpg and I live 6 relatively light traffic miles from work so I'd say no. Starting a cold engine or not starting one twice a day is more incentive to ride my bike than gas prices. My car gets me to the grocery store and my motorcycle is for recreational riding. Both my vehicles are going to last forever. I have a duty bicycle and a recreational bicycle as well and look at both my bikes as real transportation.
04-09-12, 08:29 AM
#153
Senior Member
It does not affect my decision to commute by bike that much, but I take my bike on commuter rail, and have observed that the ridership on the trains goes up, including the number of riders with bikes, when gas prices go up. Data collected by the transit agencies backs this up.
In the region I live in, Southern California, you can tell the guy who is riding the bike because he hasta. The bike is usualy a Magna, or Next from a big box. Some times it is a CL. The guy is usualy on the sidewalk or riding against traffic
, and slogging in too high of a gear because he isn't aware that a lower gear will let him go faster. I doubt that gas prices affect these guys too much because many either can't afford a car at all, or have lost the privilege to drive for legal reasons (in a few cases too many DUI's, but in most, I suspect, lack of documentation).Wannas, like me are pretty diverse. There are the young spandex clad jocks on the CF road bikes, and Clydes like me on hybrids. I suspect that there is a small group of wannas who get a nudge to do the bike commute by gas prices, though it is more an incentive than a necessity. Stereotypically this is the guy that shows up on the train a couple of times a week with his weekend road, or mountain bike.
If he's on something like a Trex Fx, or a Giant Rapid, he (and it is mostly he's) is into commuting for one of several reasons, be it environmentalism, health, or in my case, health, freeway burnout, and environmentalism, in that order.
Last edited by CommuteCommando; 04-09-12 at 08:36 AM.
04-09-12, 09:05 AM
#154
Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Minneapolis
Posts: 8,101
Mentioned: 6 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 52 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 17 Times
in
13 Posts
Those with the longest drives are the most affected by high gas prices but least likely to turn to a bike for relief.
My belief is that higher gas prices might serve as that extra nudge to it takes get some people to try riding their bikes to work. But I'm guessing that most of them that do get on their bike as a result of high gas prices have at least thought about it before.
My belief is that higher gas prices might serve as that extra nudge to it takes get some people to try riding their bikes to work. But I'm guessing that most of them that do get on their bike as a result of high gas prices have at least thought about it before.
04-09-12, 09:07 AM
#155
Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Minneapolis
Posts: 8,101
Mentioned: 6 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 52 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 17 Times
in
13 Posts
And may be it will not be such a bad thing. Gas spike of '08 dumped scores of woefully unprepared individuals on questionable equipment onto the streets. If a rider has no understanding of basic maintenance and safety, s(he) is a nuisance and a hazard, even when youth and/or fitness is on their side. Exhibit 1 - an early 20-something girl walking her bike on a sidewalk, cruiser type, nearly brand new. She dropped a chain and did not know how to get it back. Real reason she dropped the chain was that nuts holding rear wheel were unscrewed by about 1/4" on either side and the axle was freely moving in the dropouts. Produced a Leatherman from a toolbag, tightened as much as I could, told her to finish it off at home with real wrenches. Exhibit 2 - on a trail near university a college kid walks his bike, tire damage, quite bootable. Bike is in decent shape, early Raleigh aluminum, a hand-me-down from dear ol' Dad. No helmet, no tools, no pump, and no water bottle, not even a cage, in Florida summer.
04-09-12, 09:50 AM
#156
Senior Member
I disagree on one point. I have a sixty five mile each way commute, and though gas prices are a consideration, "white line burnout" is the biggest reason I do alternate transportation. I take a bike on a commuter train, where I can nap, read, work on a laptop, or socialize with other riders. This beats the heck out of driving when the only diversion is listening to a bunch of blowhards on one of those morning radio pseudo comedy/news shows. I find them not-funny and usually misinformed.
04-09-12, 10:03 AM
#157
Senior Member
I began commuting around 1991. I have commuted from every day (5 days a week) to 1 or 2 depending on the situation. At present, I cannot bicycle commute every day. Will I increase my commute days with the increased gasoline prices? Well, maybe. However, I consider any savings in gasoline costs due to bicycle commuting more of a bonus as opposed to a necessity.
I got over it.
04-09-12, 07:51 PM
#159
Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: Plano, TX
Posts: 229
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
I would like to add an observation I have made for a while now. I group the people I encounter commuting by bike into two categories that I call the "hastas", and the "wannas".
In the region I live in, Southern California, you can tell the guy who is riding the bike because he hasta. The bike is usualy a Magna, or Next from a big box. Some times it is a CL. The guy is usualy on the sidewalk or riding against traffic, and slogging in too high of a gear because he isn't aware that a lower gear will let him go faster. I doubt that gas prices affect these guys too much because many either can't afford a car at all, or have lost the privilege to drive for legal reasons (in a few cases too many DUI's, but in most, I suspect, lack of documentation).
Wannas, like me are pretty diverse. There are the young spandex clad jocks on the CF road bikes, and Clydes like me on hybrids. I suspect that there is a small group of wannas who get a nudge to do the bike commute by gas prices, though it is more an incentive than a necessity. Stereotypically this is the guy that shows up on the train a couple of times a week with his weekend road, or mountain bike.
If he's on something like a Trex Fx, or a Giant Rapid, he (and it is mostly he's) is into commuting for one of several reasons, be it environmentalism, health, or in my case, health, freeway burnout, and environmentalism, in that order.
In the region I live in, Southern California, you can tell the guy who is riding the bike because he hasta. The bike is usualy a Magna, or Next from a big box. Some times it is a CL. The guy is usualy on the sidewalk or riding against traffic
, and slogging in too high of a gear because he isn't aware that a lower gear will let him go faster. I doubt that gas prices affect these guys too much because many either can't afford a car at all, or have lost the privilege to drive for legal reasons (in a few cases too many DUI's, but in most, I suspect, lack of documentation).Wannas, like me are pretty diverse. There are the young spandex clad jocks on the CF road bikes, and Clydes like me on hybrids. I suspect that there is a small group of wannas who get a nudge to do the bike commute by gas prices, though it is more an incentive than a necessity. Stereotypically this is the guy that shows up on the train a couple of times a week with his weekend road, or mountain bike.
If he's on something like a Trex Fx, or a Giant Rapid, he (and it is mostly he's) is into commuting for one of several reasons, be it environmentalism, health, or in my case, health, freeway burnout, and environmentalism, in that order.
04-09-12, 08:21 PM
#161
Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: Plano, TX
Posts: 229
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
I doubt it, this has been going on my whole life. I've never been able to afford anything but the bare minimums or the offbrand stuff. I can't even afford community college.
04-09-12, 09:32 PM
#162
Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Springfield, MA
Posts: 1,060
Bikes: 2012 Motobecane Fantom CXX, 2012 Motobecane Fantom CX, 1997 Bianchi Nyala, 200? Burley Rock 'n Roll
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
I sincerely hope you find a way to make a better life for yourself! Many of us forget how fortunate we are. At least you're getting on track to affordable transportation....
04-09-12, 10:06 PM
#163
f(x) ∈ O(g(x))
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: Florida
Posts: 16
Bikes: trek 850 converted commuter
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
I am both a hasta and a wanna. I turned eighteen last August. I never had the money to take driver's ed. I still don't know how to operate a car. I can't afford a car, insurance, gas, and all the other costs that go with it. Everyone I caught rides with(as in, the people I live with) wanted tons of gas money from me every time I rode with them, when I already only barely make it from paycheck to paycheck because I buy things for them, take them to lunch, etc, and can't not do that cause they'd kick me out in a heartbeat and I have nowhere else to go, and can't afford a place of my own. So bike is my forced choice, to make myself more self reliant so they can stop coming up with reasons to ask me for money.
As far as not being able to afford community college I'll tell you right now you can! I'm damn poor and have no way of relying on my parents. However I can afford going to school just by being poor and a little hard work.
Here is how I did it.
Step 1: Fill out FAFSA (www.fafsa.ed.gov/) It's a pain in the ass because you need your parents' W2's unless you are 25 or over (even if you live on your own, pay your own bills you still cannot be considered independent to the government if you are under 25) I get $5500 a year free for tuition and college expenses.
Step 2: Apply to every single scholarship and grant you can find, I get a recurring $3500 a year scholarship by doing this and another $5,000 just for being in an engineering major from a government grant.
Step 3: While you are in school work your ass off and get your GPA above a 3.5 then apply to national honor society. NHS members get money thrown at them, people want to invest in students that show they can do well. I get $10,000 a year from this.
so after all is said and done I make
24k and only about 3/4 of that goes to school the leftover amount I get put into a "student account" that I can use to pay bills and stuff.
So If I am able to do it, I have all the faith if you really wanted to you could also!
Last edited by apejam; 04-09-12 at 10:13 PM.
04-10-12, 12:09 AM
#164
Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: Plano, TX
Posts: 229
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
I'm out of HS, I was a young one in my class. I couldn't fill out the FAFSA because my mom didn't file any taxes last year. ((Not that she had any to file, she was unemployed.)) And I don't think my GPA was even over 3.0, not because I'm stupid, far from, I was an honors student, it was just the pressure of never having enough money(I had to borrow money just to get my cap and gown to graduate) and having to take care of my grandparents. That's why I moved in with my boyfriend, even though we're not even at our one year yet. I applied to dozens and dozens of scholarships. After hearing nothing from every single one, I just gave up. So I'm just working right now. I might take a few night classes if I can save up the cash to do it. I like my current job, even though the hours are unpredictable, and I want to work my way up in it. I have no degree-worthy skills besides film editing, and film school is stupid expensive, and writing, and I have no original ideas for a book yet.
