A number I'd like to know...

I'm thinking there is a number that might be useful to cycling
advocates, but I don't have the data to calculate it or even to make
a reasonable estimate...but maybe someone on the list does.

Suppose that bicycles were totally banned, and that every mile of
bicycle travel was then replaced by an automobile trip.

How many additional gallons of gasoline per day or per year would
then be consumed?

Anybody have a reasonable estimate?

Sheldon "Numbers" Brown
+----------------------------------------+
| Cyclists fare best when they act and |
| are treated as drivers of vehicles. |
| -- John Forester |
| http://www.johnforester.com/ |
+----------------------------------------+
Harris Cyclery, West Newton, Massachusetts
Phone 617-244-9772 FAX 617-244-1041
http://harriscyclery.com
Hard-to-find parts shipped Worldwide
http://captainbike.com http://sheldonbrown.com

"Sheldon Brown" wrote in message
...
I'm thinking there is a number that might be useful to cycling
advocates, but I don't have the data to calculate it or even to make
a reasonable estimate...but maybe someone on the list does.

Suppose that bicycles were totally banned, and that every mile of
bicycle travel was then replaced by an automobile trip.

How many additional gallons of gasoline per day or per year would
then be consumed?

Anybody have a reasonable estimate?

Sheldon "Numbers" Brown


I would think you would need to remove "training" and "racing" miles. I
don't think most people will replace training on a bike with training in a
car. Maybe the number of commuter miles on a bicycle is more appropriate?

--
Pete Rissler
http://web1.greatbasin.net/~rissler/
http://www.tccycling.com

"Pete Rissler" wrote in message
...
"Sheldon Brown" wrote in message
...
I'm thinking there is a number that might be useful to cycling
advocates, but I don't have the data to calculate it or even to make
a reasonable estimate...but maybe someone on the list does.

Suppose that bicycles were totally banned, and that every mile of
bicycle travel was then replaced by an automobile trip.

How many additional gallons of gasoline per day or per year would
then be consumed?

Anybody have a reasonable estimate?

Sheldon "Numbers" Brown


I would think you would need to remove "training" and "racing" miles. I
don't think most people will replace training on a bike with training in a
car. Maybe the number of commuter miles on a bicycle is more appropriate?

--
Pete Rissler
http://web1.greatbasin.net/~rissler/
http://www.tccycling.com


Pete,
I had the same immediate reaction (I'm sure most folks will). Wouldn't it
be great if training in a car would work! If you could count that, then
Robin Williams has climbed Alpe de Huez as fast as Lance has! ;-)

Bob C.

Sheldon Brown wrote:
:: I'm thinking there is a number that might be useful to cycling
:: advocates, but I don't have the data to calculate it or even to make
:: a reasonable estimate...but maybe someone on the list does.
::
:: Suppose that bicycles were totally banned, and that every mile of
:: bicycle travel was then replaced by an automobile trip.
::
:: How many additional gallons of gasoline per day or per year would
:: then be consumed?
::
:: Anybody have a reasonable estimate?

In my case, zero. I don't ride my bike as a replacement for driving my car.
Bike riding, for me, is for fun and fitness.

So, likely, to get reasonable numbers, you'd have to look at those who
commute by bike, not recreational folks are racers.

"Pete Rissler" wrote in message
...
"Sheldon Brown" wrote in message
...
I'm thinking there is a number that might be useful to cycling
advocates, but I don't have the data to calculate it or even to make
a reasonable estimate...but maybe someone on the list does.

Suppose that bicycles were totally banned, and that every mile of
bicycle travel was then replaced by an automobile trip.

How many additional gallons of gasoline per day or per year would
then be consumed?

Anybody have a reasonable estimate?

I would think you would need to remove "training" and "racing" miles. I
don't think most people will replace training on a bike with training in a
car. Maybe the number of commuter miles on a bicycle is more appropriate?

Or general utility miles -- not just commuting, but running errands,
shopping, etc.

My first thought is that bicycle miles might not be replaced with automobile
miles. Before I took up bicycle commuting, I rode the bus to work. When I
don't ride, I still take the bus to work. It's just not a pleasant trip in a
car, and it costs $25 a day to park in my building. Similarly, if I weren't
riding to places like the post office or the drug store, I'd probably be
walking there -- so again, these are not replaced with automobile miles.

Another thought -- if I weren't riding my bike, then I might be driving to
the health club in the evenings. So maybe there'd be additional automobile
miles to get the same exercise? This would be true even for the training,
recreational, and event miles. Or would we all take up running instead?


Warm Regards,

Claire Petersky
please substitute yahoo for mousepotato to reply
Home of the meditative cyclist:
http://home.earthlink.net/~cpetersky/Welcome.htm
Personal page: http://www.geocities.com/cpetersky/
See the books I've set free at: http://bookcrossing.com/referral/Cpetersky

In article ,
Sheldon Brown wrote:

I'm thinking there is a number that might be useful to cycling
advocates, but I don't have the data to calculate it or even to make
a reasonable estimate...but maybe someone on the list does.

Suppose that bicycles were totally banned, and that every mile of
bicycle travel was then replaced by an automobile trip.

How many additional gallons of gasoline per day or per year would
then be consumed?

.... an interesting question. I have, here on the shelf above me,
several USDOT, Census and DOE publications relating to transportation
issues, very up to date stuff.

I tried to synthesize the value:
#cyclecommutes X ave.cyclecommute.distance X ave.car.milage


It turns out to be difficult to get the cycle values. In fact, cycling
doesn't even show up, except as "fatalities: other".

from memory.

..max

--
the part of
was played by maxwell monningh 8-p

In article ,
Max wrote:

I tried to synthesize the value:
#cyclecommutes X ave.cyclecommute.distance X ave.car.milage

ahem.

#cyclecommutes X ave.cyclecommute.distance / ave.car.milage


..max
too little coffee+too little sleep = stupid.

--
the part of
was played by maxwell monningh 8-p

Pete Rissler wrote:
"Sheldon Brown" wrote in message
Suppose that bicycles were totally banned, and that every mile of
bicycle travel was then replaced by an automobile trip.
How many additional gallons of gasoline per day or per year would
then be consumed?
I would think you would need to remove "training" and "racing" miles.

Not necessarily; some of those might be replaced by driving to the gym.

I think "mile for mile" is a fair exchange; it also, frex, doesn't take
into account the tendency for cagers to choose to live further from work.
--
David Damerell flcl?

In article ,
Sheldon Brown wrote:

I'm thinking there is a number that might be useful to cycling
advocates, but I don't have the data to calculate it or even to make
a reasonable estimate...but maybe someone on the list does.

Suppose that bicycles were totally banned, and that every mile of
bicycle travel was then replaced by an automobile trip.

How many additional gallons of gasoline per day or per year would
then be consumed?

Anybody have a reasonable estimate?

Sheldon "Numbers" Brown
+----------------------------------------+
| Cyclists fare best when they act and |
| are treated as drivers of vehicles. |
| -- John Forester |
| http://www.johnforester.com/ |
+----------------------------------------+
Harris Cyclery, West Newton, Massachusetts
Phone 617-244-9772 FAX 617-244-1041
http://harriscyclery.com
Hard-to-find parts shipped Worldwide
http://captainbike.com http://sheldonbrown.com

In my case, my gas consumption would go down. I live in a lousy
location for biking, and have to drive if I want a decent ride.

Overall, my estimate is overall change in gas consumption would be
insignificant.

Mark Heiple writes:

In article ,
Sheldon Brown wrote:

I'm thinking there is a number that might be useful to cycling
advocates, but I don't have the data to calculate it or even to make
a reasonable estimate...but maybe someone on the list does.

Suppose that bicycles were totally banned, and that every mile of
bicycle travel was then replaced by an automobile trip.

How many additional gallons of gasoline per day or per year would
then be consumed?

Anybody have a reasonable estimate?

Sheldon "Numbers" Brown
+----------------------------------------+
| Cyclists fare best when they act and |
| are treated as drivers of vehicles. |
| -- John Forester |
| http://www.johnforester.com/ |
+----------------------------------------+
Harris Cyclery, West Newton, Massachusetts
Phone 617-244-9772 FAX 617-244-1041
http://harriscyclery.com
Hard-to-find parts shipped Worldwide
http://captainbike.com http://sheldonbrown.com

In my case, my gas consumption would go down. I live in a lousy
location for biking, and have to drive if I want a decent ride.

What about it makes it unsuitable for biking?