Thanks to my new ride, I have the ability to bicycle to work rather than drive. It’s something I’ve always wanted the choice to do, and finally my proximity to the office, the local weather, and a recent lifestyle choice coincided to make it possible.
A round trip is only 5.2 miles, which amounts to 26 miles if I rode every day. That’s probably not a reasonable goal since there will still be occasions where I will need a car for other reasons (weather, errands, etc.), so I’m starting with a goal of 3 days per week, or 15.6 miles.
Assuming a leisurely pace, that’s about 700 calories I would not have burned. It’s about 2 more hours of fresh air and sunshine and a the chance to savor a peaceful buffer between a bustling home and frenetic office.
It will save me about a gallon of gas per week, running about $3.50 around here, and maybe $8 in vehicle mileage (that’s almost $600 per year!). If I’m able to do this year round, it amounts to saving over half of ton of CO2 emissions (calculator).
So I suppose the question should have always been, why drive?