The virtuous cycle of riding your bike
Those pedaling negative stories about two-wheeled travel are missing its financial benefits.
It seems one well-known commentator could barely contain her glee at the news that Auckland Transport plans to slash walking and cycling spending by 90 per cent. ‘‘Cycling is not the future for New Zealand!’’ she screamed; this silly fad was never going to catch on here, she scoffed.
Her column was desperately in need of some facts, but I think I can help: four out of five Aucklanders think it’s important to invest in cycling. We’re riding bikes in record numbers, with double digit annual growth in the city centre. Even with all those new riders in the saddle, the number of accidents is falling.
Cycling has been my main mode of transport for five years now. The frisson of excitement when you whizz past a queue of idling cars, wind in your face and heart pounding, would be reason enough.
But the original reason I got into it was more prosaic: a bicycle is an incredibly efficient wealth-building machine.
Commuting by bike easily saves $1000 a year in vehicle running costs, and several times more if you pay for parking. Then there’s all the little errands: Warming up a cold engine and piloting two tons of metal down the block so you can pick up a bottle of milk is hideously inefficient, and unforgivable for anyone in possession of two legs and a pulse.
You don’t need any fancy gear to get started. I’m currently riding an old cruiser that I bought secondhand for $80, and I’ve never worn lycra in my life.
The holy grail is getting to a position where you can become a one-vehicle household (or better still, none). That frees you from all the fixed costs of car ownership – easily another couple of grand for rego, warrants, insurance, depreciation, maintenance and repairs.
There are loads of indirect financial benefits too. Commuting by bike gives you a free dose of life-enhancing exercise twice a day. The more active you are, the less likely you’ll get sick, the lower your medical expenses and insurance premiums, and the better your quality of life.
This tiny hit of adrenaline is the perfect way to kick-start a productive day, and improves your mood and cognition. It also make you sexier over time, tapping into the ‘‘halo effect’’ in which people often get better jobs and pay simply by virtue of having a pretty face (or in this case, toned thigh muscles).
It’s true that cycling is more dangerous than driving on a per kilometre basis. But you have to balance the ledger with the considerable life-extending benefits. If you do the maths, each hour spent riding a bike adds several minutes to your lifespan, while sitting sedentary behind the wheel drains it away.
This equation is only going to get even more compelling over time. Each new bike lane or connection is more valuable than the last, because it makes the whole network more attractive than the sum of its parts.
There’s also safety in numbers. Motorists get better at dealing with cyclists when there’s lots of them around, and everyone who gets a taste of life on two wheels immediately becomes a far more considerate motorist.
Rather than preach (like I’m doing) the best way to speed up the cycling revolution is to quietly set a good example. When you ride to the office, people are naturally curious. What happens when it rains? What about hills? Punctures? Helmet hair? All of these are of course trivial challenges to overcome, but they can seem like a big deal to the uninitiated.
In a country with the thirdworst obesity rate in the world, and which markets itself as being clean and green, failing to invest in walking and cycling is a travesty.
The good news is that the Auckland Transport plan is only a draft. I’m confident the giant gaping hole where the strategic vision should be will be addressed in the final version. In the meantime, get on your bike, and let’s get this virtuous cycle turning.
Commuting by bike gives you a free dose of lifeenhancing exercise twice a day... the lower your medical expenses and insurance premiums, and the better your quality of life.’
Got a burning money question? Email Budget Buster at richard.meadows@thedeepdish.org, or hit him up on Facebook. You can also find links to previous Budget Busters here.