How can participating in the 2006 Team Bike Challenge help you beat high gas prices?
So you just drove away from your neighborhood gas station and are wondering how you could possibly be dumping over $50 for a measly 15 gallons of gas into your fuel tank. What’s scarier is that your fuel costs only account for about 25% of your total cost to drive. Did you know that AAA estimates that for the average American, it costs about $.52 a mile to drive including maintenance, depreciation on your vehicle, fuel and insurance? Oh and by the way that figure was calculated when fuel was priced were a mere $2.41 a gallon (in Santa Barbara County we are averaging about $3.20 a gallon).
Do the math. That $4.50 video, sub sandwich or latte may be costing you another $3.00 if you drove a car 3 miles to get there. Maybe it is time to start knitting instead. Or you could participate in the Traffic Solutions Team Bike Challenge.
How will you save money by biking? Do you have tips for folks who are just starting to think about taking trips by bike instead of car?
4 comments:
First, make sure your bike tires are pumped up and that your bike is in working order. I recommend starting by taking short trips so you can remember how much fun and how easy riding a bike is. The SB Bike Coalition is offering a cool "Street Skills for Cyclists" class in May that can help you brush up on the rules of the road too. Check www.sbbike.org for details.
I am hoping gas hits about $13.50/gal. I figure I bike about 15 mph and my car gets 30 mpg so I need to bike about 2 hours to "earn" I gallon of gas. If gas hits $13.50, I will be earning the minimum wage of $6.75/hr.
A tax of $10/ gal would be a nice help especially if it would allow the elimination of taxes on food and income. We might even be able to build a few more bike paths. We wouldn't need to waste any more money building new roads and traffic would move freely.
Hey, how come you only count one of my rides per day when I go out of my way to use the bike frequently during this month? I thought you would count every round trip........
A tip: I usually leave the house with a small list of groceries or other items to pick up on the way home from work. I have to shop more often than if I drove, but that's ok because shopping is fun. I also have to choose my bike based on what I plan to shop for, as one bike can haul more than the other.
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