Americans Leery of Bicycles Despite Gas Price Jump
US: May 16, 2008
PHILADELPHIA - It's US National Bike to Work Day on Friday and Americans are
facing record high gasoline prices, but most commuters will stick to their
cars.
The combination of gas near $4 a gallon and the annual campaign to get
people to pedal to work may prompt a few more people than usual to commute
on two wheels.
But the majority won't consider the bicycle as a regular means of transport
because they simply have too far to go and feel nervous about riding on
traffic-choked streets, bicycling advocates and dedicated motorists say.
"It's never just a matter of picking up a few things you could carry on your
bike," said Crystal Kelson, 33, a nurse and mother from North Philadelphia.
"You need a car."
Kelson said there was no real alternative to her Dodge Charger -- which now
costs her $65 a week in gasoline -- even for short trips to the supermarket.
According to the National Sporting Goods Association, the number of
Americans who bike "frequently" -- 110 days a year or more -- fell almost 10
percent in 2007 to 3.7 million people.
Similarly, the number of people who ride bikes at least six times a year
fell to 35.6 million in 2006, the lowest since the survey began in 1984,
from 56.3 million in 1995.
Thomas Doyle, vice president of information and research at the association,
said the decline was probably due to the aging population, reluctance by
parents to allow children to ride bikes and more children using wheeled toys
such as scooters and skateboards.
The proportion of personal trips made by bike is less than 1 percent,
according to the League of American Bicyclists, a Washington-based advocacy
group.
That compares with 27 percent in the Netherlands and 18 percent in Denmark,
both of which have networks of bike-only paths, bike lanes and calm streets
where people of all ages can feel safe riding.
SIGNS OF A TURNAROUND
Still, American bicycle advocates said there are signs the trend could be
reversed, prompted most recently by gas prices, and by concerns over climate
change, air pollution, energy security and personal health.
"All the indications are that people are looking at cycling and other
transportation alternatives, and gas prices are pushing them to do that,"
said Andy Clarke, executive director of the League of American Bicyclists.
Some American cities including Portland, Oregon, and Washington have higher
rates of bike use than the national average thanks to bike-friendly
infrastructure.
In Philadelphia, the jump in gas prices has become the "tipping point" for
getting more people on their bikes, said Alex Doty, director of the Bicycle
Coalition of Greater Philadelphia.
He said bike use in the city rose 25 percent in 2007 and is up 6 percent
this year, but only 1.4 percent of personal trips in Philadelphia are made
by bike, compared with 30 percent in Amsterdam.
Jesse Gould, a salesman at Assenmacher's Cycling Center in Flint, Michigan,
said more people are buying bikes for commuting.
"Gas prices give them a kick, but the big thing that makes them start riding
to work is that they see their friends doing it," Gould said.
Edgar Gil bikes seven miles (11 km) to work in Washington from his home in
Arlington, Virginia, every day. He will be making the trip -- about 60
percent of which is on traffic-free bike paths -- on Bike to Work Day to
show seven coworkers how he does it.
Gil, 35, said biking saves about $100 a month in bus fares, and, despite the
traffic and pollution, he simply likes to ride.
"You enjoy it more, you get to work relaxed," he said. "You have a better
day."
Catherine Williams, a retiree, filled her Cadillac with $3.77 gasoline at a
BP station in North Philadelphia for a 50-mile (80-km) roundtrip to the
doctor's office. She said she uses public transportation when she can, but
wouldn't feel safe on a bike.
"This is the US and people will kill you out there riding your bike," she
said. "I would not take my life in my hands and ride a bike."
(Editing by Doina Chiacu)
Story by Jon Hurdle
REUTERS NEWS SERVICE
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