This morning, Treehugger put together a persuasive list of reasons to stop driving and start cycling. Aside from the fairly obvious health benefits, a more active commute can influence your productivity and even your work attendance. Plus, it goes without saying that any reprieve from the drudgery of rush hour traffic is a serious advantage. Here's the rundown by Warren Mclaren:
Cycle commuting is apparently safer than not cycling to work. A Danish study assessing the health status of 30,000 people over a 14 year period found that, with all other factors being equal, simply cycling to work lowered the risk of death by 40%. Studies have indicated that cyclists have at least 15% lower absenteeism than non-cyclist workers, with the higher the frequency and longer the distance cycled, the lower the rate of absenteeism. Bicycle Victoria calculate that if you pedal at about 20 kilometres per hour, (~12.5 mph) for half an hour, then you'll burn the energy roughly equivalent to five Weetbix, or three bananas. A bicycle commuter who rides about 6.5 kms (~4 miles) to and from work, each work day avoids over 900 kg of CO2 emissions, annually. Other studies show a 4% to 15% increase in productivity, and 27% less task errors for physically fit employees.
Originally posted on Treehugger. Photo (cc) by Flickr user Richard Masoner.
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