Month: January 2009

Posted by Elly Blue of Bike Portland on January 5th, 2009 at 10:20 am
“Whether you drive a hybrid or an SUV, your car is a cash-guzzler. Families trying to save real money should consider going without.”
It may be a true sign of change when the Wall Street Journal suggests that giving up your car could be good for your personal finances and the economy as a whole.
In his December 22 column, A real auto bailout: Escape your car, WSJ staff columnist Brett Arends wrote:
Last week, the auto industry finally got its bailout.
But is it time for Americans to rescue their own finances from their cars?
…Forget lattes and store-brand cereal. If you really want to see where your money is going, take a closer look at your car. Foreign or domestic, it doesn’t matter. It’s a cash guzzler, and it is probably costing you more than anything else except your home.
Continue reading “Wall Street Journal suggests going carfree to save money”

* U.S. cyclists who bike frequently have a median income of almost $60,000. – SRDS, 2005, The Lifestyle Market Analyst
* The average North American bicycle commuter is a 39-year-old male professional with a household income in excess of $45,000 who rides 10.6 months per year. – Moritz, W., 1997, Survey of North American bicycle commuters: Design and aggregate results,
* In the Yukon Territory, twice as many people bike to work as in California, and three times as many as in Florida. – Pucher, J., and R. Buehler, 2006, Why Canadians cycle more than Americans: A comparative analysis of bicycling trends and policies, Transport Policy, 13, 265-79
* Europeans bicycle an average of 188 km per year; United States residents bike only 40 km a year. – Bassett, Jr., et al., 2008, Walking, cycling, and obesity rates in Europe, North America, and Australia, Journal of Physical Activity and Health, 5, 795-814
* 30% of bike commuters use a mountain bike, 28% a road bike, 18% a hybrid, and 17% a touring bike. 35% of bike commuters own a second, bad-weather bike. – Moritz, W., 1997, Survey of North American bicycle commuters: Design and aggregate results, Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, 1578, 91-101
* Bicyclists with more automobiles in their household are less likely to bicycle for any purpose; while the more bicycles a cyclist owns, the more likely they are to choose to bicycle. – Sener et al., 2008, An analysis of bicyclists and bicycling characteristics: Who, why, and how much are they bicycling?
* Bicycling for non-commuting purposes generally precedes bicycling for commuting. – Sener et al., 2008, An analysis of bicyclists and bicycling characteristics: Who, why, and how much are they bicycling?
* Work trips account for only 15% of all trips. – U.S. Department of Transportation and Federal Highway Administration, 2001 National Household Travel Survey
* From 1977-1995, the number of bicycle trips taken in the U.S. doubled. – Pucher, J., et al., 1999, Bicycling renaissance in North America?: Recent trends and alternative policies to promote bicycling, Transportation Research Part A, 33, 625-54
* On the average day when an adult rides a bicycle, he or she rides for about 40 minutes. – Barnes, G., and K. Krizek, 2005, Estimating bicycling demand, Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, 1939, 45-51
* 89% of bicycle trips begin at a residence. – Royal, D., and D. Miller-Steiger, 2008, National Survey of Bicyclist and Pedestrian Attitudes and Behavior, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
* The average commuting bicycle costs $687. – Moritz, W., 1997, Survey of North American bicycle commuters: Design and aggregate results, Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, 1578, 91-101
* Paris’ automated bike-sharing system, Vélib’, includes 20,600 bikes distributed among 1,451 stations throughout the city. In the first six months, people took the bikes on 13.4 million trips—an average of 75,000 trips per day. – Vélib’ press release
* High school students are less likely to bike or walk to school if they are girls, in grade 12, smoke daily, are low-moderate in physical activity, or attend a rural school. – Robertson-Wilson, J., et al., 2008, Social-ecological correlates of active commuting to school among high school students, Journal of Adolescent Health, 42, 486-95
* A person is 7% more likely to bike or walk to nonwork activities for every 1,000 retail workers within a half mile of their home. – Chatman (2005) in Arrington, G., and R. Cervero, 2008, Effects of TOD on Housing, Parking, and Travel, Transit Cooperative Research Program Report 128
* The average bicycle commuter has been commuting by bike for 8.3 years. – Moritz, W., 1997, Survey of North American bicycle commuters: Design and aggregate results, Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, 1578, 91-101
Continue reading “Interesting facts”