tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8356723782465446786.post9157414907737646042..comments2024-01-18T09:29:42.707-05:00Comments on Biking in Heels: Disaster relief by bikeCyclerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12072776738519243521noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8356723782465446786.post-30651560465374030582012-03-31T09:38:07.292-04:002012-03-31T09:38:07.292-04:00I live and work in the hurricane zone on the east ...I live and work in the hurricane zone on the east coast. A bicycle is a necessity IMHO. I have used one for back up transportation in the aftermaths of Hurricane Hugo(1989), Hurricane Fran(1997), and Hurricane Katrina(2005). In all cases I was moving freely about the city I happened to be in while the rest of the populace was facing roadblocks caused by debris or law enforcement. I was also bypassing the long lines of people waiting to buy gas. In the aftermath of Katrina, people I worked with were spending 2-3 hours everyday sitting in gas lines to buy the allowed 5 gallons of gas so they could continue to drive their cars around. Sad part was probably a third of that gas was wasted by idling while either waiting to buy gas or waiting in lines to get through damaged areas. Our hotel at the time was ~5 miles from the job site. By bike it took less than 30 minutes, to drive to the same location took over 45 minutes due to traffic jams and detours.<br /><br />Aaron2whls3spdshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16954543886269776858noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8356723782465446786.post-91185651760585769552012-03-29T14:40:58.583-04:002012-03-29T14:40:58.583-04:00I'm with you on $4 for a latte. I'm prett...I'm with you on $4 for a latte. I'm pretty frugal, so something like that is a treat, not a daily thing.<br />and $100 per month is not a trivial savings. <br />And I'll say that in Boston, where parking is more fairly priced than most of the country, and where commute distances are relatively short the savings that you see from bike commuting can be significant.<br /><br />However, for your average commuter in a suburban or less dense city,if you look at biking (long distances) vs the other economic uses you could spend that time on, it starts to be a less compelling argument.cyclerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10331461189944538729noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8356723782465446786.post-22597803405405734032012-03-29T13:47:58.180-04:002012-03-29T13:47:58.180-04:00The way I view it, if I weren't riding to work...The way I view it, if I weren't riding to work, I'd be taking the T, so it would cost me roughly $40 per month, not including the other uses I get out of my bike. And while it's true that $40 a month, for me, is not normally going to mean the difference between eating and paying the mortgage and not, I'd just as soon either save that money or spend it on film & paper for the darkroom. I wouldn't regard $100 a month as a trivial saving. But then, I also think $4 for a latte is ridiculous.Moopheusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8356723782465446786.post-86595748428713819062012-03-29T12:07:49.118-04:002012-03-29T12:07:49.118-04:00Alex,
But even if you saved $100 a month, that&#...Alex, <br />But even if you saved $100 a month, that's still comparable to a daily latte habit- say $4 a day x 5 days a week x 4 weeks = $80 a month.<br /><br />I think that there's a good analysis (by a biker) about how the time costs of biking (vs working) mean that biking for most people probably isn't actually money saving here: .http://dfwptp.blogspot.com/2010/11/high-gasoline-prices-and-bike-commuting.html<br /><br />Of course his analysis predicates that a) you already own and insure a motor vehicle, so the additional cost per mile is just depreciation, maintenance and gasoline, and b) that parking is low cost. In many part of the US, parking automobiles is subsidized such that the cost of parking is below other market rate uses of space. <br />In other markets where space is at a premium, parking costs are at least higher and possibly market rate. These are conditions where bike commuting probably starts to legitimately be an economically important factor for people.cyclerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10331461189944538729noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8356723782465446786.post-80326849006308542252012-03-29T11:03:04.869-04:002012-03-29T11:03:04.869-04:00I think daily cycling can have a HUGE effect on pe...I think daily cycling can have a HUGE effect on personal finances. Since I started commuting on my <a href="http://www.montaguebikes.com" title="Montague Folding Bikes" rel="nofollow">folding bike</a> last spring, I think I've saved easily $50/month in gas, plus another $50 in parking. It's huge.<br />Although I guess it would be less savings for people who had a shorter drive to work or don't have to pay for parking, but still!Alexhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01717941308616724770noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8356723782465446786.post-18181963234013895092012-03-29T07:08:41.407-04:002012-03-29T07:08:41.407-04:00I love it!I love it!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8356723782465446786.post-4534786627754054402012-03-29T05:46:26.763-04:002012-03-29T05:46:26.763-04:00A few years ago, we had a huge and destructive sto...A few years ago, we had a huge and destructive storm here in NSW, Australia where I live and to get out the next day by bike was much safer and easier as there were many fallen trees and other rubbish on the roads. I was really glad I had my bike to ride that day!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com