Environmental impact of cycling Archives

The daily commute can be the bane of our daily lives, for many of us. The wasted time spent stuck in traffic jams, having to stand on a packed bus, or waiting for delayed trains, really does mount up. A stressful commute in the morning can set you up badly for the working day ahead. So wouldn’t it be great if there was a far more pleasurable and productive way of commuting every day? One such way is by riding an electric bike, which can change the way you experience commuting for the better. Electric bikes are well suited for the daily commute. They keep you active during commuting, whilst allowing you to arrive at work without a sweat. When compared to conventional bikes, electric bikes can get you to work quicker. Plus, imagine how refreshing it will feel as you glide past everyone, who is stuck in traffic. Here, I will go further into why an electric bike is a great option to make the daily commute far less of a burden. Electric Bikes Resolve Parking Issues Parking can be a painful end to the commute, for many car drivers. It is an issue responsible for a lot of frustration and anxiety. Wrestling your way through busy traffic, only to endure the frustration of trying to find a parking space, is not ideal. It's enough for you to already be feeling stressed, before you’ve even sat down at your desk. I’m sure you’ll agree, it’s not exactly the best way to start your working day. HR departments in companies that provide their own parking spaces always face difficulty. They're forever battling to accommodate workers, where there are more workers than spaces. This often causes conflict and tension between employees. However, many workplaces do not have their own parking spaces for employees. To add to the matter, it is often difficult to find a parking space in urban areas. Spending time everyday trying to find a parking space is time-consuming, as well as stressful. This can result in people leaving for work earlier and sometimes even being late for work. Not to mention the amount of extra fuel and therefore cost, this uses up. The British Parking Association has revealed that British motorists spend 4 days a year searching for a parking space. Commuting with an electric bike is a surefire way to eliminate all your workplace parking issues. It will be a less stressful way of travelling to work compared to driving. Additionally, you won’t have that added stress of wasting time trying to find a parking space. This will help you to start work more invigorated and in a better frame of mind. Workplaces Supporting Cycling Workplaces are increasingly becoming more supportive of employees cycling to work. This is due to the health and environmental benefits this provides. As a result, more and more workplaces are providing bicycle storage spaces. If you are able to take advantage of this, then the dreaded parking space hunt before work can be a thing of the past for you. Commuting With Electric Bikes Reduces Stress It’s safe to say that commuting is often a stressful experience. So many of us have already been running late whilst driving to work, only to be held up in traffic. You're sitting there, whilst the traffic isn’t budging, looking at time ebbing away, panicking that you're going to be late. You can soon find yourself staring down every green light, hoping it doesn’t turn red. Travelling to work by public transport is hardly exempt of its anxieties. Delays and cancellations can create a lack of control felt during commuting. There's also the tension of not finding a seat due to over crowdedness. Cycling can either reduce or eliminate stress during commutes. This can be for the below reasons. Not being affected by public transport delays and cancellations. Allowing you to not get caught in traffic. Not having to find a parking space. Because of the above, cycling gives you far more control over the amount of time your commute takes. Additionally, cycling allows the time your daily commute takes to be more consistent. This makes it easier to plan the time you leave for work in the mornings. These factors will help relieve the anxieties brought on by commuting. The actual act of cycling in itself reduces stress. This is in addition to cycling, removing certain stressful scenarios during commuting. Many scientific studies have proven that cycling significantly improves your wellbeing. It relieves anxiety and helps you to better deal with stress. Stress can lead to rapid, shallow breathing and cycling helps regulate your breathing. Cycling reduces the stress hormone cortisol, which disturbs sleep. Therefore, a good cycle home can help you have a better night's sleep, to help you be fresher for work the next day. It’s even been proven that cycling improves your concentration levels and problem solving skills. Even more reason why cycling to work will set you up better for the working day ahead. Commuting With Electric Bikes Reduces Cost For many people, commuting is expensive. The costs really do mount up throughout the year, not to mention a whole lifetime. You probably don’t stop to think about how much commuting is costing you. Like most people, you're likely resigned to the fact that it's one of life's unavoidable expenses. A recent study by the BBC has shown that English rail commuters can spend up to an entire one fifth of their annual salary on an annual season ticket. Worst still, train fares are forever increasing. "Train fares can be up to £365 a month in the UK". For motorists, recent studies have revealed the average UK annual fueling costs, shown below. This is for both petrol and diesel cars. It’s fair to say that simply getting about can create a noticeable dent on your bank account. However, it doesn’t always have to be this way. Electric bikes are usually not cheap to buy. Prices can range anywhere between around £500 to £10,000, depending on quality and features. However, once you're past the initial purchase, the running costs are refreshingly low. By the way, certain sellers allow for electric bikes to be paid for in installments. Additionally, electric bikes tend to usually be cheaper purchases than cars. This can save you money, if you were to use an electric bike to replace having a car altogether. Be aware though, this is not always the case, depending on the price of any individual car or electric bike. Below shows the average cost per mile for travelling by car, train and electric bike. This is going by train fare, cost of charging an electric bike and car fuel costs. By the way, this takes into account the current average electricity cost per unit in the UK. As you can see, electric bikes absolutely thrash the competition when it comes to the day to day cost per mile. According to a recent study by Totaljobs, the average UK employee commutes on average 626 miles a month. Therefore, the day to day saving you can make commuting by electric bike, compared to commuting by car or train, can really mount up. Having said this though, there will be many cases where the commuting distance is too far for cycling. However, electric bikes alleviate long distances. This is for both the amount of time and effort it takes to cycle them, compared with regular bikes. So riding an electric bike can be the difference between cycling and not cycling at all, if your commute is a long distance. Again, this can possibly cause you to ditch the car altogether. Especially since you can even use an electric bike for other journeys you may normally use a car for. This means you can make further savings beyond the commute. Based on current UK electricity prices, it costs 3 to 5p (approx.) for a full charge of an electric bike battery. You can usually expect anywhere between 20 and 70 miles of travel, on a single charge of an electric bike. This does depend, though, on the capacity of the battery and events during the cycle. I would say 35 miles is the average you can usually expect from a full charge, riding in average conditions. According to Strava (internet service for tracking human exercise), cycling commuters travel 9.8 miles per day on average. So if you're commuting this sort of distance with an electric bike in average riding conditions, a full charge of 3 to 5 pence of electricity cost should last you at least 3 days. For a 5 day working week, the electric cost works out here as below. 4.2 to 7 pence per week/16.8 to 28 pence per month Running Cost Comparisons Aside from the fueling cost comparisons, between electric bikes and cars. There are other running costs linked to both. The electric bike running costs are far lower and infrequent, compared to a car, though. Electric bike running costs generally tend to be for cleaning and any repairs, if they are ever needed. You may eventually have to replace the battery, but this shouldn't be too often. Electric bike batteries tend to last up to 1000 charges these days. The below infographic shows the typical car running expenses. Commuting with an electric bike is a great way of combining regular exercise with your regular travel. So you could even consider cancelling your gym membership if you have an electric bike. This will help you save even more money. Electric Bikes Make You Sweat Less Cycling is great for using the commute as a way to keep you active. However, a concern with cycling to work is that it's likely to cause you to arrive at the office in a sweat. As a result, this can put many people off the idea of cycling to work altogether. This is where electric bikes come into their own. The electric motor allows you to reduce the amount you exert yourself whilst cycling. This, in turn, reduces the amount you sweat during cycles. Or even allows you to not sweat at all. You can then arrive at the office without being in a sweat, whilst keeping active during your commute. After all, any exercise is better than no exercise. A study by Shimano has shown that on average, riding an electric bike means you sweat over three times less compared to riding a regular bike. Because of this, it means more people are turning to electric bikes for commuting. This is where they otherwise wouldn’t have cycled at all. This backs up why studies have proven that electric bikes can actually make you fitter compared to regular bikes. The less strenuous rides of electric bikes prompt many a person to cycle more often. This allows them to be an alternative for other modes of transport, for all sorts of journeys. A further consideration is once you’ve ridden an electric bike to work, to avoid arriving in a sweat. You can exert yourself a lot more, on a more strenuous ride for the commute home, to get even fitter. Here, you can avoid using the electric motor altogether, for the same level of exertion as a regular bike. Cycling Improves Health and Fitness Cycling is an effective way of combining daily exercise with commuting. Essentially, killing two birds with one stone. This can be a no-brainer if you desire more free time, or you have a busy schedule. After all, lack of time is the number one reason why people avoid exercise. We can all be guilty of putting off exercise. So using an electric bike for commuting is a very effective way of disciplining yourself to exercise every day. Electric bikes make it easier and quicker to travel long distances, compared with regular bikes. So even if the office is a long trek away, an electric bike could tempt you to ditch the car. This will give you a far more active trip to work. Here, an electric can be the difference between cycling to work, or not cycling to work at all. This is if commuting with a regular bike would take too long, or be too much effort for you. A regular bike could be too much effort, if you are recovering from injury, lacking fitness, or experiencing arthritis, for example. Traditionally, there's been a stigma with electric bikes. This is that many hardcore cyclists consider using them to be cheating. The point to consider here, though, is that electric bikes don’t replace pedalling. Electric bikes simply assist with pedalling. Therefore, pedalling is still required. Some electric bikes (local laws permitting) do also have a throttle though. However, the previous statements are still true for when using the electric pedal assist. This means electric bikes can still give you a solid exercise session. The below shows how you can still burn a lot of calories commuting with an electric bike. If your route to work is particularly hilly, you may be put off cycling to work on a regular bike. Again here, an electric may be the difference between cycling to work and not cycling at all. This is due to the fact that electric bikes make it easier to cycle up hills. Remember again, any exercise is still better than no exercise. Ultimately, electric bikes make cycling far more accessible for more people. They help break down barriers that may normally prevent people from cycling. This means more people can take advantage of the health benefits of cycling. Electric Bikes Allow for Better Use of Time You may find the biggest gripe you have with commuting is the sheer amount of time it eats up. Time that you’ll never get back. Below shows the amount of time that the average British worker spends commuting. This is according to a recent study by Lloyd's Bank. 492 days over a lifetime 10 days every year 65 mins every day The daily commute is a source of stress for many people. This is due to issues like traffic jams and overcrowding on trains, causing aggravation. So if you're going to spend so much time commuting, why not make it a more pleasurable experience? Commuting with an electric bike is a great way to eliminate most of the issues linked with commuting. Or maybe even all of them. Imagine cruising past traffic jams every day, rather than being stuck in them. So riding an electric bike is a great way to actually make your commute enjoyable. Commuting with an electric bike is also using the time you spend commuting constructively. This is due to the health benefits that cycling provides. These include physical benefits like weight loss and improved cardiovascular health. Cycling also improves your mood, by releasing the happy chemicals in your brain. This can really help you start your working day on the right foot. Essentially, commuting with an electric bike is taking advantage of an essential journey that you make anyway, to fit in daily exercise. All the more beneficial, if you live a hectic, busy lifestyle. Cycling makes you feel calmer, more alert, less stressed and improves your focus. So again, commuting by cycling sets you up for the working day better. Cycling is simply a fun activity. That, in itself, makes it less of an ordeal compared to other methods of commuting. The fact that you're outside is proven to improve mood and reduce anxiety. All these factors contribute towards what a good use of time cycling for your commute is. Ultimately, commuting by cycling is time invested, rather than time wasted. Commuting With Electric Bikes Removes Environmental Impact There’s no getting away from the heavy environmental impact that commuting causes. Automobiles are far and away the most used form of transport for the daily commute, as of today. Until the day that all cars are electric, they’re still going to continue to be a burden on the environment. Emissions from cars also cause a massive impact on people's health. This is as well as their contribution towards climate change and global warming. Car pollution is the cause of 80% of lung disease in the UK. It can also cause and aggravate various other health conditions. These can include cancer, heart disease and asthma. Even if you're a driver, you can still be exposed to harmful emissions. This is due to emissions from the traffic in front, coming through the ventilation systems. Meanwhile, any cyclists riding alongside the automotive traffic are able to avoid the higher concentration of pollution. This is why cyclists can be exposed to 8 times less pollution than drivers, as found in a study by healthy air. Ditching the car and cycling to work instead, is by far a more environmentally friendly option. You can feel a sense of well-being that you're doing your bit to help save the planet. Riding an electric bike emits no harmful emissions whatsoever. You can even go a step further, by using an electric supplier that uses renewable resources. Therefore, even when you're charging your electric bike, you can still be doing your bit. If more people cycle to work, then this will help towards lowering traffic congestion. Congestion is a particular contributor towards harmful emissions. This is because car engines burn up more fuel in static/slow moving traffic, compared to when the car is cruising at speed. Not to mention the fact that congestion results in cars remaining on the road longer. Ultimately, commuting with an electric bike instead of a car will help you lower your carbon footprint. Time Saving Linked to Commuting With Electric Bikes British roads are becoming more and more congested. So it is often becoming quicker to cycle, rather than drive to work in city centres. In many of the UK’s major cities, the average driving speed can vary between just 5 to 11mph. A recent study by Telematics company cleverness has revealed this. This makes the typical city centre speed limits of 20 to 30 mph virtually irrelevant. Conversely, the average cycle speed in city centres is 10 to 15mph. This is due to the fact that cycling is far less affected by congestion. Remember that electric bikes allow for a quicker cycle, compared to riding regular bikes. They allow for faster speed and with less pedal effort. Electric bikes also allow you to tire less, for you to better keep up your effort. These factors help electric bikes get you to work quicker than regular bikes. This allows the daily commute to be less intrusive on your day and for you to have longer lie-ins. You can even get home sooner as well. City/town councils are increasingly encouraging people to cycle more. This is by creating cycle lanes and paths, which is making it easier and safer to cycle in city centres. Also, this contributes towards making for a quicker cycle journey. You may even be able to use shortcuts whilst cycling. This can include cutting through parks, for example, that you would not be able to take advantage of in a car. “London Mayor, Sadiq Khan, wants 80% of journeys into the city to be by cycling, walking, or by public transport by 2041”. Commuting with electric bikes can also give you these other time saving benefits. No time wasted searching for a parking space. Less likely to need to change clothes once at the office. This is due to that electric bikes can allow you to not sweat during a cycle (whilst still getting a decent workout). Conclusion Ultimately, electric bikes are great for commuting. This is due to the fact that electric bikes allow you to be active whilst commuting, whilst allowing you to not arrive at work in a sweat. They allow you to get to work quicker than a regular bike, whilst still reducing your carbon footprint. These factors, among others, allow electric bikes to resolve a lot of issues linked with commuting. Furthermore, electric bikes break down barriers that prevent a lot of people from cycling. When it comes to commuting, electric bikes more than have their place.