Why we should take the bike more often
Home - Blog - Why we should take the bike more oftenTaking a pushbike is healthier for yourself and better for the environment. Everyone knows that, but what is the true health benefit of taking a bike instead of the car? And what is the effect of cars on the environment? Here are some facts.

Pollution
- Research has shown that around 75% of Melbourne's urban air pollution is caused by vehicle emissions (Betterhealth.vic.gov.au)
- Over 3,000 Australians are estimated to die from air pollution each year (Environmental Justice Australia).
- 27,519 healthy years of life are lost by Australians due to exposure to air pollution EVERY YEAR.
- Smoky vehicles are cars that smoke from its exhaust pipe continuously for more than 10 seconds. Smoky cars significantly emit more toxic chemicals into the atmosphere. (Victorian government).
Commuting
- The average commuting time by car in Perth is 20 minutes when there is hardly any traffic (Businessnews - 2013).
- This is extended to 31 minutes in peak traffic.
- The average commuting distance in Perth is 14 – 15km (Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development)
- The average cycling speed is 22km/h (Perthnow), although that seems quite high for most people. Globally the average commuters travels at 16km/h. (bikecommuters).
Other destinations
- A sample taken by Hiresquare showed that the average distance to a supermarket is roughly 1.5km. Many people walk at an average pace of 5km/h (Wikipedia). Walking to and from the supermarket takes 36 minutes or 11 minutes by bicycle.
- A sample taken by Hiresquare showed that the average distance to a primary school is 2 km.
- Children cycle at an average speed of 4 km/h (US National Library of Medicine).
- Cycling to school takes 30 minutes with your child and 8 minutes without.
Calories & health
- On average a 10k bike ride of a person that's roughly 72kg will help burn roughly 230 calories. (bicycling.com and livestrong).
- That's 9,967 calories a month if you ride your bike to and from work every day.
- By nutritional standards 3,500 calories is 450 grams.
- That equals losing 1.3kg of fat each month by replacing your car by your bike for commuting.
- A sportier commuter at 22km/h that rides 15km to and from work would burn 900 calories a day or losing 2.5kg of fat per month.
Costs
- The average cost per kilometre for driving a car (fuel, tires, service & repairs) is between 45 and 154 cent. ( RACQ )
- Let's say the average would be 65 cent dollar per kilometre. Commuting by bicycle would save you $422 per month or $5064 per year excluding bicycle maintenance cost.
At Hiresquare we promote sustainable living, Health & Safety, repurposing products, sharing and hiring instead of buying. You can hire bikes here.