We love all of the bicycle-inspired infographics popping up these days. This one makes it pretty clear: you’re going to save a lot of money and maybe your life by riding your bike to work. A few choice bits we pulled out…
- 20 bikes can be parked in the same space as 1 car
- Bikes are 50% faster than cars during rush hour
- Adding 30 minutes of daily cycling saves us $544 in medical costs annually
- The average person loses 13 pounds in their first year of riding
Definitely makes us feel good about hopping on our bikes everyday.
Created by: Healthcare Management Degree
Every Wednesday on Ditch Your Car we’ll be bringing you just another reason to spend more time on two wheels. Be it a photo, a statistic or an inspirational video, we want to keep reminding you about why riding is great!
Active Lifestyle, Advocacy
bike commuting, biking to work, economy, health, infographic
When this photo popped into our email inbox with our daily dose of GOOD in all it’s carfree, windswept glory, we knew we were going to like the accompanying story. And it turns out, it’s just as awesome as the photo. A new study shows that biking is not only good for your gams, but good for your city’s economy. Read more via GOOD:
Last week, the journal Environmental Health Perspectives published findings from a study by scientists at the University of Wisconsin on the economic and health benefits of switching from a car to a bike for trips shorter than five miles long in 11 metropolitan areas around the upper Midwest. Combining data on air pollution, medical costs, mortality rates, car accidents, and physical fitness, the researchers found that if inhabitants of the sample region switched to bikes for half of their short trips, they’d create a net societal health benefit of $3.5 billion per year from the increase in air quality and $3.8 billion in savings from smaller health care costs associated with better fitness and fewer mortalities from a decreased rate of car accidents.
Every Wednesday on Ditch Your Car we’ll be bringing you just another reason to spend more time on two wheels. Be it a photo, a statistic or an inspirational video, we want to keep reminding you about why riding is great!
Photo via (cc) Flickr user kamshots. Found on GOOD Finder by Morf
Active Lifestyle, Ditch Your Car
economy, good magazine, health
In the U.S., cities like Washington D.C., Minneapolis and Boulder have received national attention for their bike share programs. It seems like the movement is gaining momentum as the positive effects pop up: reduced carbon emissions, money saved and increased physical activity for commuters. Just yesterday, our athlete Nitish Nag posted about how cycling can protect you from heart disease and today we stumbled across a study in Barcelona shows that their bike sharing program is actually saving lives. Check it out.
Read more…
Active Lifestyle, Bike Europe, Ditch Your Car
bike sharing, health
Turns out, driving makes you fat:
After analyzing national statistics from between 1985 and 2007, the researchers found that vehicle use (measured in annual vehicle miles traveled) correlated approximately 99% with annual obesity rates. The more we sit around doing nothing in our cars, the fatter we get.
Just another reason to get out that bicycle…
Every Wednesday on Ditch Your Car we’ll be bringing you just another reason to spend more time on two wheels. Be it a photo, a statistic or an inspirational video, we want to keep reminding you about why riding is great!
Image: epsos.de
Ditch Your Car
cars, driving, health
Every Wednesday on Ditch Your Car we’ll be bringing you just another reason to spend more time on two wheels. Be it a photo, a statistic or an inspirational video, we want to keep reminding you about why riding is great!
Here’s an intriguing pro-bicycle campaign. Earlier this year the City of Copenhagen published this ad which reads:
You won’t believe it… You’re safer on the bicycle than on the sofa!
Lack of daily exercise is harmful to your health, while physical activity keeps your body healthy.
Cycling extends your life – daily excercise for minimum 30 minutes extends your life with up to five years.
Although promoting active transportation, focusing on the exercise benefits of riding your bike, the ad actually comes from the city’s public health department.
Simple and to the point. Makes sense, doesn’t it?
Via: Copenhagenize
Advocacy, Ditch Your Car
Copenhagen, Denmark, health, lifestyle
