Bike to Work Save Money, Reduce Your Carbon Footprint, Lose Weight
7.23.2009
Each year more and more Americans are learning what the Europeans have known for years, cycling to work can be fun, save you money, great for your physical health, and also reduce one’s carbon footprint.
Each year more and more Americans are learning what the Europeans have known for years, cycling to work can be fun, save you money, great for your physical health, and also reduce one’s carbon footprint. According to Trek Bicycle’s Bcycle division, the average person looses 13 pounds in the first year that they commute by bicycle. Trek also claims that cycling just 3 days each week reduces a person’s risk for heart disease by 50%! While savings over commuting by car vary by distance traveled, type of vehicle, and the price of gas & parking, the Bike Commuter website has a great series of tools to show you the savings you will reap by cycling to work check it out here:
www.bikecommuters.com. In addition to seeing the money you will save on gas, just remember all the maintenance, parking, and insurance savings you will reap by riding a bike rather than driving. You can also check out the reduction in your carbon footprint by riding a bicycle to work on the Carbon Footprint site:
www.carbonfootprint.com.
With cycling to work growing in popularity, cities are stepping up to meet the demands of bicycle commuters. For example, Chicago has recently opened the McDonald’s Cycle Center in Millennium Park. This climate-controlled facility has indoor parking spaces for 500 bicycles, locker rooms complete with private showers, and a full-time mechanic on hand for all necessary repairs. All these services are available to members for only $149 per year. Street Films did a great video about the McDonald’s Cycle Center, check it out here:
www.streetfilms.org.
If you’re considering taking the next step forward in your commute there are plenty of online resources and communities to help get more information.
Here are a few websites to check out:
Article Written By Jeremy Rothschild - Jeremy Rothschild is Director of Marketing for Bike and Roll Chicago. He commutes daily from the McDonald’s Cycle Center to Bike and Roll’s headquarters in the Lakeview Neighborhood on his trusty old Trek 6000.