Sustainable Energy Transitioner

Currently, ~1% of all trips in the US are by bicycle – much lower than the 10-30% throughout most of Denmark and The Netherlands. This mode of transportation still requires some steel, aluminum or other metals during production, but utilizes a renewable fuel source (human energy derived from food) and is much more efficient than our reliance on 2,000+ pound vehicles to get us from place to place on an everyday basis. With pump prices per gallon approaching $4 for gasoline and $4.50 for diesel, there is talk of increased bicycling to save money.

The US Bureau of Transportation Statistics reports that 68% of commuters travel less than 15 miles each way, seemingly providing a large pool of commuters who travel distances that are bikeable for an average American. Assuming the additional cycling share comes from average trips that are 1/3 the distance of average commutes, a cycling share of 5-10% would lower US oil consumption by 1-2% (200,000-425,000 barrels per day less than before). While such savings would not erase our demand for foreign oil which currently runs ~10 million barrels per day, it does lower demand enough to make up for the annual decline of production in our key importer Mexico for the next two years. Many other demand reduction strategies mentioned in previous blogs can be employed to make up for further declines. How can we make such a transition?

Step One: People need access to bicycles.

Well, we may already have enough bicycles to make it happen. We buy about as many bicycles as cars every year, at over 15 million. But we often consider them only recreational vehicles such as mountain bikes for use once we’ve driven to a nice trail in our car and/or we let them rust unused in our garages. And if someone doesn’t own a bike yet they can find one for less than $400 new -- or even less used -- purchase a helmet and lights, and get on their way. In urban areas such as DC and San Francisco, folks won’t even have to own them as bicycle share programs that people can borrow for short trips for just $40 per year. So, we can check that obstacle off the list.

Step Two: People need safe routes from their homes to their places of work, school, errands and play.

This is the kicker. While some bike lane corridors exist and other bicyclists are courageous enough to ride with automobile traffic, convenient and comfortable bike-friendly infrastructure is woefully lacking in most communities. Investments into infrastructure are never cheap, but are dramatically less expensive per mile than building new roads or train lines. Sometimes new bike lanes can be as easy as extending the shoulder a couple feet, painting new lines, and posting a few signs to remind motorists to share the road. As long as we build key arteries for bicyclists to get in and out of town/city centers, they can often navigate the smaller neighborhood roads to get to the bicycle corridors.

As has been stressed before, bicycling is no silver bullet – but it can help make significant progress along with our other efforts toward further carpooling, transit and telecommuting advances.