Bikes are streets ahead, says study
(from 
)
LAUREN NOVAK
January 15, 2007
EVERYONE knows that riding a bike saves money and the environment, but now commuters can calculate the true value of swapping four wheels for two.
UniSA researcher Stuart Clement has weighed up the environmental and financial costs of driving a car and riding a bicycle to prove how much better pedal power is for both the environment and the bank balance.
Testing of cars and bicycles on an 18.3km route from North Haven to the city showed motorists could save up to $17.50 in car running and maintenance costs and prevent up to 6.6kg of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere if they rode a bike instead.Every litre of burned petrol produces about 2.2kg of carbon dioxide and one tree absorbs only 20kg of the greenhouse gas a year.
Dr Clement used the Green Vehicle Guide, developed by the Australian government, to show a Toyota Corolla emits 150g of carbon dioxide per kilometre.
A Holden Commodore emits 250g/km and a Toyota LandCruiser emits 390g/km.
Cyclists and drivers also generate the gas when they exhale - about 40g/km for cyclists and 10g/km for drivers.
Driving a Corolla on the North Haven-to-city route produces about 2.7kg of carbon dioxide. “If we ride our bike, it’s going to take 15 minutes longer, but we will be helping the environment because we will have saved about 2.2kg of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere,” Dr Clement said. Riding a bike produced a “whopping” 6.6kg less than driving a LandCruiser, he said.
The financial savings were also significant. “If we compare the different travel modes on the North Haven-to-Adelaide route, the bike will cost $1.83, the Corolla $9.22 and the LandCruiser burns a $19.32 hole in the wallet for the one-way trip,” he said.
Dr Clement will present his findings at the two-day Thinking on Two Wheels conference, which starts today.
