The 1 Mile Solution

Okay. I can imagine the (ahem) conversations this topic could ignite, but I found the idea intriguing. It was linked from the Velonews news feed (is that redundant?).

For the hyperlink averse, here's the summary. Draw a 1-mile radius around your house on a map. Pick a destination within that circle where you normally travel. One time per week, walk or ride your bike there instead of driving. It's not about adding a trip, it's about driving once less.

Now, regardless of your political leanings, your thoughts on the environment, on oil prices, etc. I can't imagine a normal scenario where biking/walking once a week to replace a trip in your car is a bad idea. It might not always be practical, it's definitely not convenient. For some, a 1 mile radius might not get them anywhere they need to go. I have a cousin whose mailbox isn't within a mile (not kidding). But I was intrigued by the idea, so with a little help from the good folks at Google, I made a map of the places I go in a 1 mile radius. It's not a very long list, but outside the Christmas season when trips to the mall seem like a daily occurence, a lot of our errands take place at this short list of businesses.


View Larger Map

I can think of two reasons why this is a great idea, and they have nothing to do with carbon footprints.

First, it's good economic sense, let's review the facts.

1. Cars cost money (lots of money, generally speaking)
2. Gas costs money
3. Cars burn gas less efficiently when the engine is cold.
4. Cars wear faster when driven on a cold engine (i.e. an exhaust system that doesn't heat up enough to expel water vapor from the engine, rusting from the inside out)
5. Bikes are inexpensive (relative to cars, mind you)
6. Shoes are cheaper then bikes.

This argument loses some of its impact since I can drive down the street and gas up for $1.35 (now there's a pickle, it's less than a mile), but the point remains. Short drives wear a car out faster than long drives and use more fuel. The cost of ownership of a bike is a fraction of the cost of ownership of a car, so racking up those short trips on your bike don't cost as much as putting them on your car.

The second reason it makes a lot of sense comes from a health standpoint. A year and a half ago I found out I have high cholesterol. One of the ways to control it is to exercise. I have a hard time finding time to exercise for the sake of exercise, but if I need to make a run to the grocery store, why not hop on the bike instead of in the civic and raise my HDL in the process.

I have some other thoughts, but I think I'm going to save them for another conversation.