To this avid cyclist and bike commuter, no mode of transportation has been invented that is more efficient and practical than the bicycle for most trip purposes.

Passenger/commuter rail is better for longer commuting and intercity travel distances, but considering 40 percent of all trips are two miles or less in length from home, bicycles win hands down. The list below is provided in no particular order of importance and is not meant to be comprehensive. Readers are always welcome to add their benefits to the list.

Bicycles use zero fossil fuels to be propelled.

The human energy used to propel bicycles is renewable and largely non-polluting.

“Short car trips (over distances that could easily be bicycled) are much more polluting than longer trips on a per-mile basis because 60 percent of the pollution resulting from auto emissions is released during the first few minutes of operation of a vehicle.”

Source: League of American Bicyclists