Cycling in the Bay Area, Research Paper Example

Introduction

The Bay Area of California is one of the largest cities in America. The population of this area is nearly 4 million and a large percent of this number works every day.  The majority of people living in this area depend upon their cars to get from place to place. Although the infrastructure of the Bay Area is able to support and accommodate the drivers, more transportation options would create easier mobility throughout the city. There are several typical modes of transportation in large cities like the Bay Area. Some people use forms of public transportation, other walk, the majority use personal cars, and few cycle. In recent years, many large cities have begun to advocate for alternative modes of transportation within the cities. Many cities have created policies that reward commuters for using these alternative modes of transportation.  Americans have long been notorious for their love of the automobile; the Bay Area is no different. However, the Bay Area is plagued by congestion due to the use of cars. Getting to work in the Bay Area, California is a battle fought each day. Commuters, environmentalist, and employers are facing substantial issues that have progressively gotten worse in recent years. Sadly, this problem will only become worse if measures are not made to alleviate these issues. Environmentalists have been proposing ways to reduce smog from car emissions for some time, but many commuters are just simply ignoring the issue. This issue has been ignored because many do not understand how important it is, and that there are many benefits for the commuter. People must help to convey how important this issue is and by showing the benefits for all involved stakeholders. The transition to cycling can be done gradually over time. Cycling can greatly reduce traffic congestion and spare the environment. The benefits of establishing and supporting cycling as an alternative method for commuters are immense.

The Bay Area

Streets in the Bay Area were constructed with only automobiles in mind. The Bay Area has more than 6500 miles of streets, but only about 320 mile are accommodating to cyclists. Only about 8 percent of Bay Area residents reported not owning an automobile. Nevertheless, the Bay Area has been making progress in accommodating alternate modes of transportation in the city. In 2010, the American Consumer Survey revealed that the use of automobiles as a primary form of transportation has declined nearly 4 percent, while the use of  bicycle had increased over 60 percent, and the use of public transit increased by nearly 10 percent (2010, American Community Survey). To ensure that these numbers continue to rise, areas like Los Angeles have implemented what they coined the bicycle plan.   They have posed the question:

“Suppose the set of alternatives available to a worker for his commute to work consists of driving an auto alone, carpooling, taking the bus, and taking rail. If any alternative were removed, the probabilities of the other alternatives would increase (e.g., if the worker’s car was being repaired such that he could not drive to work by himself, then the probability of carpool, bus, and rail). The relevant question is: by what proportion would each probability increase when an alternative is removed?” (American Community Survey, 2010)

What if some employers gave incentives for using alternative modes of transportation? The city has installed about 14 miles of bicycle lanes near the Metro Orange line. They have also installed bicycle racks to accommodate cyclists on the city buses. Even train cars have allotted space to store bicycles.  Nevertheless, walking has declined in the Bay Area, but that is equivalent to other larger cities. Ease of mobility is the key factor in determining if one will use an alternate mode of transportation. Implementing other modes of transportation, especially cycling, will not prove expensive. A study conducted by the Federal Transit Administration found that it typically costs less than $400 dollars to install bike racks, while it can cost as much as $5000 dollars to complete the surface of a parking lot (Research Board Annual Conference, 2009).

Alternative Modes of Transportation

When taking in account the vastness of t he Bay Area, cycling will not be the easiest alternative mode of transportation for all commuters.  For those commuters who have trips as long as 20 miles one way, cycling will prove difficult. For a person in this predicament, it might be more feasible for them to cycle to cycle shorter distances before trying to cycle an entire trip. They may cycle to run errands to the post office or grocery store on weekends. Although it may seem minimal, it would make a great difference overall.

Evidence

Few studies have been devoted determining what factors affect a person’s choice to cycle versus driving a car.  The first characteristic taken into consideration is the city’s infrastructure. Cyclists are concerned with whether or not the facilities are bicycling friendly. According to the literature, there are four main factors that discourage cycling. They are: environment, demographics, land pattern, and availability of facilities that are accommodating of cycling. Stinson and Bhat (2009) found that inclement weather was the major deterrent of cycling. That included areas that received a great deal of rain and even areas that daylight saving time affected. Other areas that were very hilly deterred more people from cycling. The demographic make-up of the areas also played a dominant role in commuters using cycling as an alternative mode of transportation. One study found women are less likely to cycle than men due to safety issues. More female own cars than males.  It was also determined that persons with higher incomes were more likely to cycle than those with lower incomes.  Persons who lived closer to the areas they needed to go were more likely to cycle. For example, “households within 0.5 mile of 9 of 13 separated bike trails in urban areas had higher bicycle commute mode shares: 1.55% as compared to .52%, and fully 25% of bike commuters in those counties live within 0.5 of the trail”. About 40 percent of household trips are less than 2 miles in length. For trips of this distance, bicycles are a great option (Stinson & Bhat, 2009).

Benefits

The benefits of establishing and supporting cycling as alternative method for commuters are immense. First, there are many health benefits associated cycling. Cycling helps build the cardiac muscles. It raises the heart rate and causing an increase in stamina. According to the British Medical Association, “cycling just 20 miles a week can reduce the risk of coronary heart disease by 50%. A major study of 10,000 civil servants suggested that those who cycled 20 miles over the period of a week were half as likely to suffer heart disease as their non-cycling colleagues”. Some commuters are even trying out something called bike sharing. Through this process, people who work together will jointly purchase a bike. They will then alternate cycling to work.

“Bike sharing is good for cities in many ways. It delivers all the benefits of bicycling: by replacing car trips, it helps the environment, road congestion, the economy, parking, mobility, and traffic safety. In addition, bike sharing has unique advantages. It is more convenient and affordable than bike ownership for many residents; it helps overcome barriers to using a bike in a city, such as theft and storage; it generates revenue for municipalities and private companies; it creates new jobs; it motivates cities to improve bike infrastructure; it both connects to and relieves pressure on transit; it provides branding for a city; and it introduces new audiences to bicycling” (Bikes Belong, 2011).

Yet, many other chose to bike-pool. These are people who choose to ride their bikes together to their destination. This makes cycling a social event and much easier to maintain.  Also, researchers have found that traffic congestion causes stress. For example, “commuters can experience greater stress than what fighter pilots going into battle or riot policemen feel. “Long commutes (more than 18 miles one way) may also increase the likelihood of having a heart attack due to exposure to high levels of air pollutants, which appears to be a risk factor for heart disease” (Credo, 2010) Commuters can reduce their stress levels by avoiding traffic congestion, which results in them being more productive at work because of increased energy level.

Many key environmental indicators support the need for alternative transportation methods.  Another study found that it only takes about five percent of the materials used to make a car to produce a bicycle. Bikes are efficient and can be used in any season without the cost of gas. Riding a bike, a person can travel the equivalent of 2, 924 miles on one gallon (Abraham, et al. 2009).  Cycling to work is a pollution-free mode of transportation that can reduce the need for a car, the cost of servicing them, and the cost of disposing them. On average, if a person cycles to work about an average of 10 km each way, he/she would save the environment from about 1500 km of greenhouse emission gas. In major cities like the Bay Area, traffic delays and congestion can account for about 13 million tons of greenhouse emissions per year.  Furthermore, cycling during peak traffic hours can reduce major traffic congestion and drive frustration.  When more people cycle instead of driving, more space is left for greenery.

There are many economic benefits of cycling as well. Transportation is the second largest household expense, with food being first. The average car costs commuters about 55 cents per mile to operate, while a bicycle only cost about 1 cent per mile to operate.  Consequently, the cost of buying and operating a bicycle is astronomically cheaper than buying and operating a car. The average person will save about 1700 dollars per year when they cycle to work instead of driving. Also, bikes cause less damage to road structures than cars.  About 75 percent of persons in the Bay Area leave within walking or cycling distance from their jobs and schools. Substituting only 2 trips per month with cycling can make astronomical an astronomical difference (George, 2010). When more people choose to cycle, residential space is conserved due to the decrease in the need of roadways.

Conclusion

Getting to work in the Bay Area, California is a battle fought each day. Commuters, environmentalist, and employers are facing substantial issues that have progressively gotten worse in recent years. Sadly, this problem will only become worse if measures are not made to alleviate these issues. Environmentalists have been proposing ways to reduce smog from car emissions for some time, but many commuters are just simply ignoring the issue. As presented there are many environmentally friendly ways to reduce traffic congestion. Improving roads and making them more efficient at handling large amount of cars is the first step. Public transportation such as trains and buses can handle large amount of commuters reducing the impact on the roads. Lastly and even more environmentally friendly is the use of non-motorized vehicles and walking to work. By following any or all of these suggestions traffic congestion and thus smog can be greatly reduced. Commuters will be able to help their cities and themselves by cycling to work. Cycling improves the overall function of the human heart while keeping excess pounds from forming.

References

Abraham, John E et al. (2010). Investigation of Cycling Sensitivities Authors. Transportation Benefits. (2015). Retrieved from http://www.pacommutes.com/public-transit/benefits/ American Community Survey, 2010

Bikes Belong. (2011). Bike Sharing in the United States. Retrieved from http://www.bikesbelong.org/assets/documents/uploads/bikesharinginUS.pdf

Credo, Rachelle. 2009. “10 Ways to Reduce Commuting Stress.” http://ezinearticles.com/?10- Ways-To-Knock-Stress-Off-Commuting&id=52623&opt=print. Date accessed 08/10/08.

George, L. (2010). Development of a Model to Predict and Mitigate Environmental and Public Health Impacts of Traffic Flows and Traffic Management Policies in Urban Transportation Microenvironments. Transportation Insights for Vibrant Communities. Retreived from: http://trec.pdx.edu/research/project/345/Development_of_a_Model_to_Predict_and_Mitigate_Environmental_and_Public_Health_Impacts_of_Traffic_Flows_and_Traffic_Management_Policies_in_Urban_Transportation_Microenvironments

Research Board Annual Conference (2009): 2-12

Stinson, Monique and Bhat, Chandra (2009). Frequency of bicycle commuting: Internet-based survey analysis´. Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, 1978, pp.122-130.