Gas prices are through the roof right now. Thanks to shipping costs, high gas prices are pushing up the price on just about everything else. As far as anyone can tell, high prices at the pump are likely to continue into the foreseeable future.
Those prices are threatening to sabotage the economy. It's not exactly been at its strongest the last couple of years as it is, and it doesn't take much to knock it back down. The average family is spending a larger and larger chunk of their income on gas, and that means less for any consumer spending that might actually help the economy.
I have a simple solution, bike commuting. Bike commuting has numerous advantages, but what I like best is that it works on so many possible levels.
On an individual level bike commuting can reduce how much we spend on gas. How much we can save depends on how much we can bike. Everybody's life is different and how much one can do will depend on their level of physical fitness and on how far they live from work, etc. But at nearly four dollars a gallon, I figure I can save about 22 cents for every mile I am on my bike, and it adds up pretty quickly.
The thing about gas is that it's a prime example of a consumable expense. Once you buy the gas and drive around, you have nothing left to show for the money spent. It doesn't increase your quality of life in the long term at all. Any money you can save on gas is money that can potentially be spent on something that will increase your quality of life.
There are also a number of indirect savings that can be gotten from bike commuting. Cars don't just burn gas, they break down. They require maintenance. The less you drive the less you spend on these things too. Our sedentary lifestyle is slowly killing us. Obesity is out of control in our society and it comes with many health problems. Bikes burn calories, not gas. The potential health care dollars saved by the occasional bike ride is a definite plus.
All that's on an individual level. What about society and the economy? They benefit too. High gas prices benefit a handful of large corporations in the oil industry. They weren't exactly hurting to begin with. Now they are posting record profits.
Only is some Republican voodoo economic dream does money in the hands of a rich corporation equally economic growth. The rich spend their money on big bonus to themselves, and corporate take overs. The only sure way to get economic growth is consumer demand. When people start buying things, industries start making more things, and they have to hire people to do that. If people are spending all their money on gas, they aren't buying things. No matter how many tax breaks the Republicans push through, until there is a demand no business is going to start hiring.
Bike commuting would create an immediate demand for bikes and a number of bike accessories. Many people have recreational bikes in their garage or basement. The difference between a recreational bike and commuter bike is a rack or basket. A rack runs forty dollars or so, basket about that much each. Given what I've already said about gas, bike commuting could increase almost any sort of consumer spending by reducing how much we are wasting on gas right now.
The indirect benefits to society are immense as well. Imagine the health benefits and health care savings if a sizable percentage of U.S. Population started exercising five days a week. Then there are the benefits to our roads if we reduced the amount of traffic. It would add up quickly. There is also a substantial benefit for the planet in lower emissions.
Bike commuting would help small business. Since I have made it my goal to bike as much as possible I look at shopping differently. I am not going to bike or drive several miles to the edge of town where Walmart is, nor do I wish to load my bike down with too much stuff. Short trips to the local market is good for small businesses.
The benefits of bike commute are incremental. We don't have to have a hundred percent commitment from a hundred percent of the population. Anyone who is capable of riding their bike for even a portion of their commuting can immediately start saving money. If even a small percentage of the population would do this, the benefits for society would quickly materialize as well.
