I loved this rational, numbers based approach to commuting. But, one can go a step further. If one considers: (a) becoming a bicycle commuter if it is safe and possible to do so between your home and workplace (a) ditching the second car and use Uber on rare occasions, (b) save thousands of dollars per year AND then invest those saving…
I loved this rational, numbers based approach to commuting. But, one can go a step further. If one considers: (a) becoming a bicycle commuter if it is safe and possible to do so between your home and workplace (a) ditching the second car and use Uber on rare occasions, (b) save thousands of dollars per year AND then invest those savings and retire earlier, thus working fewer hours - or one day, only working because you love your work, and (c) the decision to commute by bicycle, nearly always results in weight loss and improved health. The catch is the learning curve. Cyclists need to be super-defensive and learn how to find alternative residential routes that an average car driver would never think of using - which is what makes those routes much safer for cyclists. A residential street that has a 20 mph speed limit is not too slow for a cyclist. Still further, a 15 or 20 mile bicycle commute might have been seen as too long ten years ago. Not so much today with electric assist. But I caution, ten years ago, only a very skilled, experienced cyclist could average 20 MPH. That may be too fast for a new, novice commuter.
I loved this rational, numbers based approach to commuting. But, one can go a step further. If one considers: (a) becoming a bicycle commuter if it is safe and possible to do so between your home and workplace (a) ditching the second car and use Uber on rare occasions, (b) save thousands of dollars per year AND then invest those savings and retire earlier, thus working fewer hours - or one day, only working because you love your work, and (c) the decision to commute by bicycle, nearly always results in weight loss and improved health. The catch is the learning curve. Cyclists need to be super-defensive and learn how to find alternative residential routes that an average car driver would never think of using - which is what makes those routes much safer for cyclists. A residential street that has a 20 mph speed limit is not too slow for a cyclist. Still further, a 15 or 20 mile bicycle commute might have been seen as too long ten years ago. Not so much today with electric assist. But I caution, ten years ago, only a very skilled, experienced cyclist could average 20 MPH. That may be too fast for a new, novice commuter.
Excellent points, especially the safety.