Stop Using These 5 Excuses to Not Ride Your Bike to Work

Commuting to work on a bike has a ton of benefits. In addition to the obvious health benefits to you personally, including weight loss and increased cardiovascular health, it’s also great for the environment and your finances.

Bicycles have zero emissions and don’t require you to fill up on fuel, making it the best choice for getting around, especially for shorter trips. So, why don’t you ride your bike to work?

Five Common Excuses to Not Commute by Bike

• It’s Not Safe – It is true that bicycling is statistically more dangerous than driving, with approximately 700 deaths occurring every year in America. However, studies by the CDC and NHTSA have shown that more than 75 percent of those fatal bike accidents occurred on the same handful of streets in each city. Plan your route so that you dodge the most dangerous roads in favor of streets with bike lanes and you will have lowered your risk by as much as 60 percent.
• I’m Out of Shape – So… get on a bicycle. This excuse really sounds more like another reason to start commuting by bicycle. Did you not read the part about health benefits I mentioned earlier?
• I Have to Dress Nice for Work – There are a couple of ways to solve this issue, probably the best of which is to store clean clothes at work so that you can change into a fresh outfit when you get there. If that isn’t an option, you can always carry clothes with you on your commute, neatly folded into a backpack or mounted basket.
• I’m Too Old – Did you know that last year a 102-year-old man broke his personal record and pedaled his bike 16.7 miles per hour? That’s a new record for the “over 100” category, which is an official category. Don’t be a square, Gramps.
• I Can’t Afford a Bike – You can actually find a really nice used bike on Craigslist for about $250 most days. The money you save on gas will make that purchase worth it. If that still doesn’t float your boat, there are community bike stations where you can actually pay for annual or monthly memberships to rent bikes any day.

Start taking advantage of all the wonderful benefits of riding your bike to work. You, your wallet, and the environment will all feel better once you start pedaling.

Joshua Bonnici is an avid cyclist himself who is dedicated to promoting safe cycling and helping individuals after bicycle accidents.