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40+ Benefits (Advantages) of Bike Commuting & Recreational Bicycling

  

 

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More Than Forty Good Reasons For Bicycling

  1. Bicycles Increase Mobility For Those Who Don't Have Access To Motor Transport.
  2. Bikes Increase Mobility For Those Who Don't Qualify To Drive A Car.
  3. Bicycles Increase Mobility For Those Who Can't Afford Motor Transport.
  4. Bikes Increase Mobility For Those Who Don't Want To Drive Motor Vehicles.
  5. There Are 28 Miles Of Bike Trails In The City of Seattle.
  6. Bicycling Is The Most Efficient Form Of Transportation Ever Invented.
  7. You Get Exercise From Bicycling
  8. Save Travel Money By Biking
  9. Reduce Stress
  10. Biking Is Therapeutic For The Mind & Spirit
  11. Cycling Is Therapeutic For The Body
  12. Your Commute Will Be The Best Part Of Your Day Instead Of The Worst Part Of Your Day.
  13. Cycling Improves Self-Esteem
  14. Save On The Membership To A Health Club, Get Your Exercise Bicycling To Work
  15. Cycling Is Low Impact On The Body
  16. Cycling Is Low Impact On The Environment
  17. Bicycling In Your Neighborhood Is A Great Way To Meet Your Neighbors
  18. Camaraderie of Cyclists Makes It A Great Way To Meet A Nice Stranger With A Similar Interest
  19. Bicyclist Can Ignore the Traffic Reports
  20. Feel the Self-satisfaction Of Biking Past A Traffic Jam In The Bike Lane.
  21. Predictable Commute Time
  22. Easier Parking
  23. Cheaper Parking
  24. Leaving Your Car At Home Provide A Parking Space For Someone Less Fortunate
  25. If You Are Lazy, Your Bicycle Provides Door-To-Door Transport (You Don't Have To Walk Across A Vast Parking Lot)
  26. Reduce Demand For Parking Lots
  27. Reduce Energy Consumption (see below)
  28. Reduce Air Pollution -- Bicyclist Emit Few Gases
  29. Reduce Water Pollution -- Bikes Don't Drip Brake Fluid, Anti-Freeze, Transmission Fluid, Etc.
  30. Reduce Noise Pollution -- Even Without A Muffler Bikes Are Quiet
  31. Reduces Road Wear -- Even If Cyclist Feel Like They Have The Weight Of The World On Their Shoulders.
  32. A four mile bicycle trip keeps about 15 pounds of pollutants out of the air we breathe.
  33. 40% Of All Trips In The U.S. Are Within Two Miles Of Home.
  34. Prevent and protest the sanctioned murder (homicide by motor-vehicle) of responsible citizens.
  35. Bikes Small Profile Reduce Congestion
  36. Motor Vehicle Emissions Cause More Than Half Of The Northwest's Air Pollution.
  37. Reduce Need To Lay Additional Asphalt And Concrete
  38. Easier to Vary Your Route By Bicycle
  39. Bicycling Improves Cardio-Vascular Health
  40. Better muscle tone, bone mass improvement, clearer skin
  41. Healthier People Have Lower Health Care Expenses
  42. New bicycle commuters can expect to lose 13 pounds their first year of bicycle commuting.
  43. The Exercise Increase Your Productivity At Work
  44. Increased Bike Uses Generates Bike Facilities Which Increase Property Values
  45. Bicycling Gives You More Fresh Air Than A Sauna And You Can Still Sweat And Clean Your Pores
  46. Bike Commuting Is A License To Dress Weird And Still Feel Smug
  47. Urban Cycling Keeps You Humble
  48. Biking Is Virtually Life Long Activity
  49. Bicycling Can Be Enjoyed In A Wide Variety Of Topography
  50. Cycling Can Be Enjoyed In A Wide Variety Of Climates
  51. Bicycles Are A Great Means To See The World
  52. Bicycling is cool.
  53. Biking Is Fun.

How efficient is Bicycling?  Here is an egg-planation.

A bicyclist burns about 25 Calories per mile.  One large egg supplies 80 Calories.   A cyclist can travel about three miles on the energy of one egg.
0 (symbol for one egg)

A person walking would require three eggs to go the same distance.
000

A loaded bus requires the equivalent of two dozen eggs for each person it carries three miles.
000000000000000000000000

A train requires the equivalent of three dozen eggs for each person it carries three miles.
000000000000000000000000000000000000

A car that gets 12.5 miles per gallon requires the equivalent of seven dozen eggs to carry one person three miles.
000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

Even if you double the miles per gallon and double the occupancy a car will still use the equivalent of twenty-one eggs to make the trip -- more than twenty times a bicycle.
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Calories Burned Calculator
Estimate the calories you burned on your bike ride:
Pace:
Weight:
Time:
Biking can help achieve ideal blood pressure.

IBF's Bicycle Bibliography / Reading List

 

  
 

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The International Bicycle Fund is an independent, non-profit organization. Its primary purpose is to promote bicycle transportation. Most IBF projects and activities fall into one of  four categories: planning and engineering, safety education, economic development assistance and promoting international understanding. IBF's objective is to create a sustainable, people-friendly environment by creating opportunities of the highest practicable quality for bicycle transportation. IBF is funded by private donation. Contributions are always welcome and are U.S. tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.

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