PDXBikeCommuter.org

Why Bike?

To kick off PDXBikeCommuter.org, I’ll tackle that burning question pondered and argued by bicycle commuting proponents and detractors alike: “Why?”

There is, of course, no single correct answer to this query that could sum up the myriad motivations of those of us who risk life, limb, and lapses in personal hygiene on a daily basis in our ongoing quest to simply get where we’re going under our own power. There are as many reasons as there are bicyclists. What I can give you is an explanation of the things that motivate me to subject myself to the vicissitudes of the weather and the vagaries of motor vehicle operators.

Environmental concerns

There’s no question that the 20^th century was the age of oil. That age is rapidly coming to a close in the 21st. Regardless of your particular ecological or ideological bent, the benefits of reducing petroleum consumption are many and generally obvious. The 2000 scientists in the IPCC agree that human activities are a significant factor in accelerating the pace of climate change, and I, for one, am not inclined to lightly disagree with 2000 trained scientists who have spent years assessing the problem. Of all the factors over which we each, individually, have control, personal transportation provides the greatest opportunity to make a positive impact on the ongoing problems related to environmental degradation. What mileage do you get in your car? Twenty, thirty miles per gallon? I tell people I get thirty miles per burrito.

Exercise/Fitness

I belong to a gym. So do a lot of Americans. Gotta pay the piper for that sedentary lifestyle somehow, ya know? My gym has a four-story parking structure. Today (9/30/08) it was full. Great that so many people are doing something about their physical fitness, but how many of them 1) live within five miles of the gym, and 2) drove to the gym alone? I’d guess 50%+ on the first and 98% on the second. Three days a week, I bike 8-1/2 miles from Woodstock to PGE Park, pulling a toddler in a trailer. She goes in daycare for two hours while I stretch, lift weights (gotta keep the upper body in shape, too), then spend some time working on this and other writing projects. Then I turn around and ride the same distance home. Even at the very conservative estimate of 35 calories per mile (probably much more pulling the trailer), that’s 595 calories (not including the weightlifting) and zero gasoline.

(To be continued in tomorrow’s entry….)