Maybe you enjoy cycling as a pastime, but did you know that it also has many benefits to the environment and to your community?
Every time you choose to cycle rather than drive, you’re saving the environment from more pollution. Society’s reliance on cars causes more carbon emissions to be released into our environment every day. But the more people who choose to cycle, the cleaner the earth will be.
There are also economic benefits to cycling. If a significant amount of the population stopped driving and started cycling, we would also fuel prices decrease as the demand for gas became lower. Individuals would also save money on insurance, registrations, and expensive vehicle maintenance year after year.
Cycling can also help solve the problems of overcrowded parking lots and congested streets. Busy cities especially have a big problem with traffic and lack of parking available. Parking a car requires the same amount of space as 12 bicycles. If more people would cycle as a means of transportation, we could save the space on parking lots. That saved space could be used in more environmentally-friendly ways.
Cycling also has health benefits for the communities where we live. Cars contribute to outdoor pollution, and outdoor pollution plays a part in making people sick. In 2014, the World Health Organization said that outdoor pollution contributes to strokes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), lung cancer, ischemic heart disease, and acute lower respiratory infections in children. Of course, riding your bike also has health benefits for you as the rider. You can get your daily exercise as part of your commute.
There are social benefits of cycling. You can cycle with family and friends and create memories that are much more enjoyable than riding in a car. You can join cycling clubs, ride for fun, or get more serious and ride competitively.
Hopefully, this list of benefits has inspired you to cycle more and drive less! If we all make that decision a little more often, our environment, communities, and health will all benefit from it. So, get riding!