Dust off your bikes because May is Bike Month!
The League of American Bicyclists established Bike Month in 1956, an annual celebration that encourages biking as the main form of transportation. This is an opportunity for everyone to demonstrate the positive impacts that bicycling has for the environment and our well being.
With the introduction of bike rentals, such as JUMP, and improvements on new bike lanes throughout the Sacramento area, it is easier for everyone to access and enjoy the perks of bike riding. Over the past decade, bicycle commuting has experienced a tremendous growth. From 2000 to 2016, there was a 51% nationwide growth in bike commuters and a 40.8% growth in Sacramento region for bike commuters.
Our team at Nacht & Lewis are active bicyclists and we partake in Bike Month each year by cruising the streets of downtown Sacramento. We are all cycle-paths!
Instead of starting your engine for a quick trip to your neighborhood supermarket, try cycling there! Reduce the mileage you would incur by driving your automobile to cycling, which will save 6 to 14 million tons of CO2 and 700 million to 1.6 billion gallons of fuel. In addition, cycling will contribute to the reduction of traffic congestion and air pollution.
Here are additional benefits to riding a bicycle:
- The average cost of operation per year for bicycles is $120, whereas the average cost of operation per year for motor vehicles is $9,641.
- A 4-mile bike ride keeps 15 pounds of pollutants out of the air.
- If 1 out of 10 commuters switched to biking, we would save 2 BILLION gallons of gas per year.
- By riding your bike to work, rather than driving, can reduce your household emissions by at least 6%.
- Bikes require fewer natural resources to make than cars. The production of cars generates 1.2 billion cubic yards of pollution each year.
- Zero emissions into our environment.
Join us as we celebrate each national biking event! Whether it is for one day, one week, or one month, hop on a bike, make a difference and enjoy the breeze.
- National Bike to Work Week: May 13th-19th.
- National Bike to Work Day: Friday, May 17th.
References:
https://visual.ly/community/infographic/transportation/benefits-commuting-bike-work
