Three Uber car doors that are half open, four deceivingly quiet electric buses tethered to suspended spark filled wires and one Lyft passenger hopping into a parked Toyota Corolla. This may seem like a strange shopping list, but these represent a sample of the obstacles that a cyclist, in an urban setting, has to be aware of as they make the trek from their front door to their destination. It’s part of the challenge and keeps things exciting.
After relocating for my new job to San Francisco it was almost considered a rite of passage to buy a bicycle, ride it to and from the California Train Station every day and ultimately have the blue front wheel stolen outside of the Museum of Modern Art (the entire bike was stolen a few weeks later). Cycling around your city and using a bicycle as your main form of transportation is a great way to begin reducing your carbon footprint (although this is technically not considered to be completely free of carbon emissions), but in order for there to be a significant reduction in the amount of CO2 that the United States pumps into the atmosphere, via our transportation system, there needs to be a leap in innovation and a reconsideration in policy.
What the data shows
Taking a look at the first pie chart you will notice that a significant chunk (26%) represents the emissions from the United States transportation sector. That’s the same as having a whole pizza pie, eight slices, with two put aside for your friend named TRANSPORTATION. The second pie chart, below it, breaks this down further by showing what makes up that 26%.
Now, these pie charts also show that the transportation sector is certainly not the only contributor to U.S emissions, but what they do highlight is that combating climate change is a multi-faceted problem. Changing one thing or behavior in your life is a great first step, but ideally all parts of our daily routine and life should reach a more sustainable place. Policy needs to reach a place in which we are holding the big players accountable and our daily practices have to be reshaped.
Is it really worth switching from driving to cycling?
This is a very tough question to answer and is actually widely debated due to the fact that the conditions can be analyzed in a wide variety of ways. You can compare a car that is full of 5 people to one person riding a bike and you may actually find that driving is not as bad as you initially assumed. You can also investigate the manufacturing and materials used for each, such as nickel for the batteries in cars and stainless steel and aluminum for bicycles. Another thing to take into account is the diet of the individuals operating these vehicles. For example, Harvard University’s Keith Group argues that cyclists who have a very meat heavy diet can contribute more emissions to the climate than those people who drive low-emission vehicles and rely on a plant-based diet. There is also the economical side of things that can be taken into account such as money spent on gas, maintenance, parking, etc.
The bottom line is that I cannot say that, factually, it is 100% better to switch from driving to cycling, but what I can say is that switching your habits from less sustainable to more sustainable is more effective in the long run. Switching to a plant-based diet and riding a used bicycle (removing the additional carbon emission from producing a new bicycle) to and from your office everyday will release less greenhouse gas emissions than driving a typical 25 mpg US car by yourself. Taking into account the energy required to power both modes of transportation (gas vs food) it has been shown that there are 300 gCO2 emitted per kilometer of driving and 130 gCO2e/km of biking (this is not a number that reflects everyone, but is based on an average american diet of consuming 2600 kcal/day and .2 MJ/km requirement for biking).
Taking the time to better understand your daily commute and the pros and cons will only help. It is up to us to make more sustainable choices that create for a better today and tomorrow. Talking with others and discussing the problem space is a step in a right direction towards more effective and universal solutions.
As you are all probably well aware, taking action to help combat climate change is a group effort. There are already several cities and countries that have prioritized the efficiency of their transportation networks (relying on electric trams, zero emission buses, car sharing programs, increased bike lane coverage, etc.), but cities within the US need to use other countries and cities as a form of inspiration.
What’s an example of a city that has a climate conscious public transportation network?
For example, Munich is the third largest city in Germany with the size comparable to Montana (population 1.024 million), but with a population of 82 million. The Munich transport company (Munich Verkehrsgesellaschaft or MVG) is in charge of the city’s public transportation system. This transportation network is structured in a way that puts every household within 400m of an underground, bus, or tram stop. Can you imagine if that was the case in all U.S cities? According to a study performed by The Federal Transit Administration it was found that 80% of peak period travel within the city center area was carried aboard public transportation. They also found that bicycle usage is around 12% for residents of the city and walking makes up 15%.
***If we look at Europe, half of all car trips are less than three miles (there are outliers as well).***
Why do so many people use public transportation?
Well, the MVG uses many strategies to attract more and more people to the public transportation system with one of them being called the “mobility management for new residents” campaign. Whenever a new resident moves into the city of Munich they are provided with clear/informative materials and consultation on the various options for transportation throughout the city. This is such a great and simple idea! Early results from this program showed that there was a 7% increase in public transportation use.
Public transportation also involves a substantial amount of greenhouse gas emission (primarily CO2), but more and more cities are starting to implement clean energy and zero emission buses and trams. If you are someone who enjoys the problem solving aspect of this issue I encourage you to brainstorm any ideas you have. Be the change that you wish to see in the world (thank you for that quote Gandhi) and set an example to others around so you can identify with a more sustainable future.
What you can do right now and in the near future:
Solutions to implement
- Start a group message or calendar with your colleagues or even office wide to talk about ride sharing possibilities (maybe even create a mobile app for showing occupancy in vehicles and what not).
2. Create a quick post or info sheet regarding the information about public transport and give it to new residents. Even consider submitting this to your local government officials to increase distribution.
3. Ask friends or family if they have a bike they aren’t using anymore, check out a used bike, or invest in a new bike.
4. Look into monthly public transport passes.
5. Bike to the supermarket or when you run your errands.
6. Sign up for Zipcar, Getaround or Turo if you are moving to a new city and don’t have a car (these are different forms of rental car companies, ranging from a standard rental car model to car sharing)
7. Reference biking websites that have resources and knowledge regarding how/why to use a bike vs a car. Youcanbikethere.com is a great example for people in the Bay Area.
8. Take the time to think more about your current transportation methods and how you can get involved in more sustainable practices.
9. Ask questions and keep the conversation going!
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