Bikes are a fantastic mode of transportation that not only make our lives more convenient but also play a crucial role in preserving our environment. Did you know that there are 880 thousand bikes in Amsterdam which are owned by almost 811 thousand people, that’s crazy! There are actually more bikes than people in Amsterdam and that is just one of the examples we are telling you about. Now, you must be wondering why we are telling you all of this. We want you to cut on car trips that result in greenhouse gases emission and switch to bikes.
There are two main concerns that we want to address today, we as people have grown too prone to comfort, we want comfort in almost anything. Even for a short amount of distances, we prefer to use auto-vehicles that use fossil fuel, whereas this is wrong. Yes, we get the comfort that we need, and we even get to our destination in time but what about the environment?
The second concern that we want to address is the usage of bikes, all over the world people are using bikes over cars as their main mode of transportation. Still, there are portions of society that don’t even want to use bikes, this is due to a lack of knowledge. If only people would come to know about the various benefits of cycling, they wouldn’t even come off their bikes! Bike riding has a lot of amazing economic benefits as well as environmental benefits, since they are becoming the future, we want you to know all about why bicycling is invaluable.
In this informative piece, we want to remove any doubt that people have about cycling and show how cycling actually affects the environment. Let’s start!
The Elimination/Reduction of Air Pollution
You might not even think of this but using our cars or motorbikes for a prolonged amount of time is actually a bad habit. Once that bad habit spirals out of control, we start damaging ourselves and our environment. Riding our bikes will actually bring balance to nature, it will make us more environmental-friendly.
The first thing you can expect is a drastic decrease in air pollution when we use our bikes more. Since there will be a reduction in auto-vehicle usage, we will be leaving less of a carbon footprint. This piece from the World Health Organization (WHO) shows how walking and cycling can lead to a reduction in air pollution. Using bikes also reduces the emission of carbon dioxide, increasing the air quality.
We use our cars at least two times a day, one time for going to work and the other time for coming back. Let’s add other activities too, picking up and dropping kids from school, going grocery shopping, and hanging out with friends. All these activities actually lead to a great number of fossil fuel consumption.
Let’s say that we just replace our cars with bikes to get to work, do you know much greenhouse gas emissions we would save? The actual number goes beyond 3000 pounds and that is just going and coming back from work! Just imagine if we use our bikes for even more activities and multiply that number by other people that start doing that too. We can see a huge change in our environment in not just months, but in weeks!
It is time to make Earth a much healthier place to live in!
The Elimination of Crowd Congestion and Parking Problems
When we see roads filled with cars, we get enraged, and when we get stuck for hours in traffic, the feeling is beyond unimaginable. Now replace seeing those cars with seeing bikes on roads, that actually feels like you are in some sort of utopia.
Once we start using bikes more, the frustration of people will actually decrease leading to a decreased number of accidents that occur. Lesser cars will actually lead to lesser problems, this will also make sure that drivers aren’t that impatient anymore. Then there is the problem of noise pollution, people living in urban areas know that you can’t get a good night’s sleep and that is just because of the huge number of cars on the road. Once cars are replaced by bikes, you will be able to sleep more peacefully at night and wake up more energetic.
Living in a situation where you are sleep-deprived and can’t even enjoy the basics of life leaves a heavy toll on your mental and physical health, this is the kind of issue that isn’t even talked about that much. We must pay attention to our mental health as much as we pay attention to our physical health. Let’s start by making people more aware of bikes and helping our urban areas get better and safe! An increase in bikes will also increase bike paths all around cities and towns, these paths can reduce more than half of your time in congestion.
Saving Costs and Reducing Renewable Fuel Consumption
How much can a developed country consume gas/oil in a day? Well let us give you a precise number, in 2019, the United States of America consumed 20.5 million barrels of gas in a day. This is a crazy number, just imagine the harmful effects of this act.
This number was in 2019 when public transportation was also being used, then the pandemic happened. Now that things are better now, the number of cars on the road has increased, and so have bikes though. Can you even imagine how much gas we are consuming in a day now?
If you own a bike, then just know that cycling actually helps reduce fuel consumption. This is a great time to be a cyclist!
Be A Cyclist, Save Nature
On average, families across the world just have one car but the statistics in the U.S. are a bit different. The average number of vehicles is 1.88 or even in some cases 2. This data also varies across different states, for example in California, the number is going to increase. More cars mean that more roads need to be constructed across America, and once that happens, nature is going to be severely affected.
It is always nature that suffers the most, especially our green areas, they will have to be cut down to construct new roads. Even beautiful parts that contribute so much to society will have to be demolished, where is humanity in that?
Take a look at this study here, National Geographic explains pretty clearly how the environment is impacted by cars.
The Elimination of Noise Pollution
Cars and other modes of transportation contribute a lot to noise pollution and that is what damages our environment and society. First, we used to think that pollution only comes from the invisible gas that cars emit but it is much worse than that.
Unwanted or disturbing sounds can be classified as noise pollution and that negatively affects both the lives of humans and wildlife. Did you know that sudden and disturbing noises/sounds can cause the heart of small animals/insects to beat faster, it can even lead to permanent damage. In the case of bluebirds, noise pollution disturbs their mating and it even leads to fewer offspring.
In the case of animals, we need to be even more careful. They use different kinds of sounds to navigate, find food, attract mates, and even protect themselves from predators. If we disrupt that then their survival can be threatened. Once there is a lot of noise pollution, these animals/insects/birds are forced to change their habitat which can harm our society and environment. Let’s take the example of the bluebird, once it leaves its habitat, that forest actually declines over time!
So if we choose to use our bikes instead of cars, that is actually going to reduce noise pollution and create a better environment for ourselves and precious wildlife.
Your Personal Health Improves
We told you about the various environmental benefits of cycling, but what about your own health? Cycling is one of the best ways of exercise, it can even be used for a HIIT Workout (High-Intensity Interval Training). Cycling also improves your emotional and mental health, which has long-term benefits.
What are some of the health benefits of cycling? Well, for starters, your overall balance and posture improve. Your cardiovascular strength and endurance also improve, you gain more energy, and even your mood improves. Then there is another benefit that isn’t spoken of that much, cycling actually allows you to have amazing adventures.
Read also: How Cycling Makes You Healthier And Happier
Cycling Leads To Growth In Local Economies
Once people start using bikes on a daily basis, their dependency on other modes of transportation will decrease drastically. Once the demand for bikes increases, it will also give a rise to local bike businesses that can boost the economy by creating more jobs. Once more jobs are created, the rate of unemployment will start coming down, all of this can be done if we start cycling on a regular basis!
Cars and other vehicles use a lot of fossil fuel, which is imported from other countries. By using bikes, we can actually support our local bike manufacturing companies to perform even better.
Cycling Protects Green Spaces and Also Boosts Biodiversity
You might have heard about biodiversity but what exactly is it? Biodiversity actually means the variety of life on Earth. It also refers to plants and animals living together in a single space, how these two species interact with each other is also known as Biodiversity.
Now you might be wondering, why we need to care about biodiversity. If we have a healthy ecosystem, only then we can have quality food, water, and air. Global Warming plagues Earth, and as the planet gets hotter, these plants and animals fight very hard for their survival. Even their ultimate survival chances drop drastically like this.
Cycling lead to an improvement in biodiversity, which is actually a very big reason to go for bikes rather than cars. Cycling protects green spaces and doesn’t cause any noise pollution or greenhouse gas emission. If we switch out our cars for bicycles then we will need fewer paved roads than usual. Once the demand for paved surfaces will decrease, our green spaces will start thriving. Although this seems like a very small step, the effects can be really beautiful!
Cycling Promotes Community Building
Another great benefit of cycling is how it actually builds communities. Once we start using bikes more, we also attract other people to use bikes which can lead to community development. You might start with yourself in the neighborhood that uses a bicycle, but just by seeing you others can and will join you. Once they join you, a community can be built together that focuses on the betterment of each other.
Being a part of a community, resources can also be shared with each other.
Watch: Biking For The Environment
Various studies have shown that we as people have contributed greatly to global warming, but we also have the resources to make things right. Using bikes on a daily basis means that you are protecting your environment and your community from harmful gas emissions.
Watch this fun and insightful video to see how you can make your environment better by just cycling!
Recap
We live on a beautiful planet that is full of amazing resources, we just have to take care of it. Balancing life is the biggest challenge that we have to face but we must do it anyway. Cycling is an amazing sport, it works wonders for both our mental and physical health. One of the best things about cycling is how it also contributes to society and our environment as a whole. We don’t need to completely cut off the usage of cars or anything like that, we just need to increase the usage of bikes and actually reflect back on our choices.
Once we start doing things the right and smart way, not only we would become better but our society and environment are going to thrive as well! So what are you waiting for now? Let’s go cycling!
Also Read:
- Cities Where Bicycles Outnumber Cars!
- Learn How Cycling Improves Your Health
- Electric Bikes Vs Cars – Can Electric Bikes Replace Cars?
