Gas at $4 a Gallon This Summer? Hop on the Bike
Well, spring is officially here and summer won’t be too far behind. With gas prices already at $3-plus and experts predicting $4 this summer, Americans are definitely going to be feeling squeezed. I think we’ll see more and more people trying to make big changes in their personal habits (at $4 a gallon it will be necessary for many). However, nobody said making changes has to be a drag…
The best way to cut our vehicles’ fuel use is to leave them parked in the driveway. That said, a perfect way to conserve this summer is to replace fossil fuel transportation with good old human power by riding a bicycle. Every time you hop on a bike instead of taking the car you are doing the earth and yourself a favor.
If you don’t already have a usable ride, there’s no reason to go out and buy a $600 Schwinn. A $100 Wal-Mart bike should suit most people, and with a little TLC should last a long time. Just like a car, bikes require regular maintenance to keep them efficient and easy to ride. Unlike a car though, almost anybody can easily learn for themselves how to care for their bike and keep it in top shape.
As if the fuel-saving implications weren’t enough of a motivation, the health benefits more than make it worth the effort. What could be better than helping the environment, getting exercise, and saving money all at the same time? For me, those are three important things benefited by one easy switch.
So go on out there and get biking this spring and summer. I live about 12 miles from town, so it becomes harder for me to ride to work/errands, but I plan on getting my bike cleaned and tuned up and take it to school in the fall. I could definitely use the money savings there.
April 1st, 2008 at 8:33 pm
It’s definitely the better choice for a lot of people, especially those town dwellers. Often, if traffic is heavy, biking can actually get you to your destination faster than firing up the old car and idling away valuable petrol in slow moving queues.
Here in NZ our petrol prices have been soaring as well, we’re nearly on $2NZD per litre, which has always been a “nightmare” fantasy figure in the past, but is now fast becoming a reality.
Between the drop in supply, increasing taxes and international politics, petrol will most likely only go up and up. The positive side of that, though, is that if petrol becomes so expensive, research into alternatives fuels suddenly becomes a whole lot more viable than it had been in the past.
Of course, with new environmental concerns, the new alternative fuels will likely be eco-friendly too.
I suppose it seems odd, but fossil fuels may actually be helping the environmental cause in a round about way!
Kev
April 2nd, 2008 at 11:29 pm
I completely agree Kev… Rising prices may hurt our economies a bit, but it’s apparently the only way to get some change. Now a lot more people without any care for helping the planet will change for financial reasons. Whatever works!
Thanks a ton for the visit!