Americans do love their cars!    For many Americans, a car is much more than just basic transportation. Often, the car they choose to drive is an extension of their personality and their single most valuable asset.  Other than a home, a motor vehicle is the most expensive investment a "typical" American will ever make. The happiest moment in a car owner's life is driving that new car off the dealer's lot and the proudest moment is showing that new car to envious but approving friends. But, as much as we would like to preserve that showroom appearance and new car smell, we know that sooner or later that first ding in the paint is coming. It will be followed by the first screech of fading brakes, and the first sputter and hesitation of that now purring engine.  We know that, all too soon, we will  be replacing tires, changing oil and fluids, and keeping that hungry fuel tank full. 

 

We depend on our cars now more than ever.  We know that with every mile, the value of this most precious and expensive asset depreciates at an alarming rate.  We know the only way to extend the life of the car is to leave it garaged at least now and then, but we never seem to be able to do so.  Transportation is consuming more and more of the typical American family's budget.  In 1935 an American devoted less than 10 percent of his budget to transportation.  By 1960 this had risen to about 14 percent and today estimates are between 20 and 25 percent of typical household budget expenditures are transportation related.  This is a direct result of discretionary use of the automobile for such things as a household average of 600 trips for shopping a year.  It is not unreasonable to project that more than 1000 transportation outings a year for the typical American family might be within the range of walking or cycling.

 

Cars are costing more and more to drive, repair and replace.  This reality is reflected in the above-mentioned doubling of the percentage of our budget devoted to transportation.  Most studies estimate  the cost of driving in the USA at more than 50 cents per mile including a recent study by the American Automobile Association.  According to an additional report in the  Christian Science Monitor, the cost of repairing a damaged vehicle has increased 43% in the last decade alone, far outstripping inflation.

 

Is our love affair with cars fading? There are signs that the American romance with the automobile may be falling on hard times. According to August 2006 research by the Pew Foundation, "Today 69% of American drivers say they like to drive, down from 79% in a 1991 Gallup survey. And just 23% say they consider their car "something special -- more than just a way to get around," barely half of the 43% who felt this way in 1991."

 

Still, most people do like to drive and the report suggests that "Among the still sizable majority who say they like to drive, the biggest reasons offered were the relaxation (21%), the scenery (19%), the freedom (14%) and the ability to get around (12%)."

 

The full PDF  of this informative report can be found here: http://pewresearch.org/assets/social/pdf/Cars.pdf

 

Are these reasons to bicycle more?  "Relaxation", "scenery", "freedom", and "the ability to get around"  sound  more like reasons to cycle than reasons to drive.  So why do Americans not pedal more?

 

The obvious reason would seem to be that Americans want to go further, faster, and with more comfort than bicycles would seem to allow. Distance is cited twice as often as safety,  more than three times as often as weather and four times as often as fear of crime. The fact is that the automobile has allowed people to work and shop further from home, and they have chosen to do so. As a practical matter, many of these trips may now be out of the range of a conventional bicycle. The distance may not be the only obstacle, but the time required to go a modest distance without extreme physical exertion is often enough of a factor in our busy lives to consider cycling or walking impractical.

 

Electric Bicycles offer a way to go further and faster with more comfort and with a small fraction of the adverse environmental impact of automobiles.  Pedal Assisted Bicycles offer the health benefits of modest exercise, the freedom from expensive insurance and licensing requirements, and the safety of modest speed travel.  An electrically pedal assisted bicycle ride may save 40% in the time required. The difference in exertion could easily be 100-200% difference depending on the terrain and speed desired. For many people, this might be the difference between considering riding a bicycle, or simply continuing to take a car.

 

Pedal Assisted biking can generate significant savings to your transportation budget.  If you commute a total of 10 miles and can cycle 15 days a month, that represents a financial savings of  $75 at 50 cents a mile not driving your car even after considering the cost of battery replacement and charging.  That is $75 you could save at the gym which means a potential savings of $150 not including the additional driving and time to go to the gym! The savings for the typical American could be measured in hundreds and even thousands of dollars each year.

 

50 to 1 savings per e-mile riden  Every mile you travel on an electric bicycle instead of in a car leverages savings at a 50 to 1 ratio. These savings can be accomplished without discomfort and experiencing only slightly longer commuting times in many cases. By taking advantage of every e-mile opportunity, e-bikers are demonstrating the ability to avoid parking fees and traffic congestion, and are are experiencing new opportunities for relaxation, scenery, freedom, and a new ability to get around. These are the reasons American say they love their cars in the first place. All these benefits are available to individuals of less than perfect health and fitness on a pedal assisted bicycle.

Before all love is lost between you and your car, consider HealtheBiking.  If saving your car and saving your money aren't reasons enough, there's the small matter of saving your health and saving your planet!