I want to ride my bicycle…save energy!

Here at KVB we’re all about energy efficiency.  What would you consider the world’s most energy efficient vehicle?  If you said, “Bicycle” go two spaces forward and pick up a Get Out Of Carbon card to save energy!

There are the obvious immediate benefits of replacing the automobile with a bike.   The CO2 you emit is nothing compared to the exhaust from a clunker.  You would certainly be in better shape.  Parking would be a snap.  Avoiding the rush hour crunch of the local Gas-N-Go would certainly be a plus.

Consider some of these factoids:

  • If you figure the average cost of gas and maintenance on an automobile in the U.S. and were able to replace just one fourth of your weekly trips by auto with a bike you would save $2000 per year.
  • The average American makes about 10 bucks an hour.  That burger flipper works 3.2 hours per week JUST TO PAY FOR THE CAR!
  • If you live in an urban environment it is almost as fast as the car.  The average 5-mile city trip in a car takes about 8 minutes.  It’s 12.5 on a bike.  And you don’t have to circle the block 5 times to park.
  • If you converted all energy consumption to calories an auto would require 1,860 calories per passenger mile.  A bicycle would be 35.  That’s right, three five.
  • It costs less to build a bike path than a conventional roadway.  About 5% the cost, in fact!  Bikes weigh 1/100th the weight of a car and a 12-foot wide path can accommodate many more bikes than cars.  Bike paths are also much easier to maintain.  2 to 3 cents per kilometer biked vs. 40 cents per kilometer driven.
  • Bicycle and pedestrian path construction is generally more labor intensive.  Per million dollars spent it takes 7.8 jobs per million dollars for a conventional roadway vs. 11.4 jobs for a bike path.  Job creation!

The State of Virginia has an active State Bicycle Policy Plan that creates and promotes bicycle accommodations in the Commonwealth.  Virginia currently has numerous bicycle trails and roadways.  While still currently under construction the Virginia Capitol Trail links Downtown Virginia with the original seat of our State in Colonial Williamsburg.  The Virginia Creeper Trail is a former railroad bed that takes a rider 34 miles from the Blue Ridge to the Valley.

All of our state parks are bike friendly.  Between the parks, trails and back roads you could conceivably ride from Assawoman to Appalachia.

You don’t need to get carried away and buy a wooden bike like this to make your environmental statement but we do encourage you to pedal away!