Does Cycling To Work Save You Money?

[Drago]

Tax cars on mileage, period.

A single lorry does, quite literally, the damage of many thousands of cars, so there is little justification for doing it by a cars mass.

Similarly, BHP isn't a good indicator - an increase in volumetric efficiency does not automatically mean a rise in emissions.

Keep the taxes on road fuel for personal use, but add a mileage charge. Also apply taxes to the electricity used to charge electric vehicles, and add a mileage charge.

We simply need less unnecessary car use, and less cars, and anything that achieves that evenly across the board, is worthwhile. Aside from political problem in the eye of a generally uneducated public, electric cars solve little, and simply encouraging folk out of one type of car and into another doesn't help us a great deal.

The bone-idle lazy won't do it of their own volition, so they must be forced to do it instead. The major hindrance is that the body responsible for achieving all of this is the government, and they rely on votes from those very same bone-idle lazy car drivers. Until someone grows a pair that conflict will never be resolved. Meanwhile, the planet and our society hurtle headlong to an oblivion that is going to be a lot more painful than the short term pain of simply getting on a bike today.

forgive me, I know i'm largely preaching to the choir on that one.

 

[simongt]

Agree with that Drago. The habitual car user lobby are percieved as being too influential by whatever government is in power to upset. Said lobby has for years been screaming that they are already taxed to the hilt, being charged unfairly from every angle, etc., etc., so any political party that is likely to get into power isn't going to get on the wrong side of that lot without being voted out at the next election - !
For my two penn'orth, scrap VED in its present form and put it on fuel prices. That way, no-one can avoid paying and it's paid in proportion to the number of miles covered by any given vehicle.

 

[Archie_tect]

Tax cars on mileage, period.

A single lorry does, quite literally, the damage of many thousands of cars, so there is little justification for doing it by a cars mass.

Similarly, BHP isn't a good indicator - an increase in volumetric efficiency does not automatically mean a rise in emissions.

Keep the taxes on road fuel for personal use, but add a mileage charge. Also apply taxes to the electricity used to charge electric vehicles, and add a mileage charge.

We simply need less unnecessary car use, and less cars, and anything that achieves that evenly across the board, is worthwhile. Aside from political problem in the eye of a generally uneducated public, electric cars solve little, and simply encouraging folk out of one type of car and into another doesn't help us a great deal.

The bone-idle lazy won't do it of their own volition, so they must be forced to do it instead. The major hindrance is that the body responsible for achieving all of this is the government, and they rely on votes from those very same bone-idle lazy car drivers. Until someone grows a pair that conflict will never be resolved. Meanwhile, the planet and our society hurtle headlong to an oblivion that is going to be a lot more painful than the short term pain of simply getting on a bike today.

forgive me, I know i'm largely preaching to the choir on that one.

You have to have a multiplier on a cost per mile rate to encourage people to use more efficient vehicles... like the energy rating on white goods... an A rating has a lower multiplier than a G rating... if people only do short journeys when their internal combustion engine is cold it chucks out far more pollutants per mile.

 

[Lovacott]

Tax cars on mileage, period.

Car ownership has become progressively more expensive with each passing decade. For most 18 year olds today, a car is an expense too far.

Most cars spend the majority of their time doing nothing anyway.

The logical future path is that fewer and fewer will own cars, choosing to use services like Uber instead.

Uber will develop reliable, self driving cars pushing costs down and making the use of the service more cost effective.

Electric bikes will make cycle commuting more attractive and, if the government puts in some decent cycling infrastructure, more will adopt cycling as a form of daily transport.

 

[Tom B]

You have to have a multiplier on a cost per mile rate to encourage people to use more efficient vehicles... like the energy rating on white goods... an A rating has a lower multiplier than a G rating... if people only do short journeys when their internal combustion engine is cold it chucks out far more pollutants per mile.

We could have a cold start multiplier too!

 

[mustang1]

If I commute 100 miles per week on the bike, I have to clean the bike every weekend. I also have to take extra clothes with me, eat extra food, take showers, service the bike every 6 months for about £100 plus a major service of £200 annually. New tyres every 2 years. Edit: actually, with my weight, that's new tyres for my road bike every year.

If I commute 100 miles per week on the car, the insurance I have to pay for anyway because it's the family car, I think about £400 per year. Servicing is every two years which costs £200.New tyres every 5 years or so.

The car is far cheaper and less time consuming both in terms of commute and maintenance. It's quicker to drive, dont need to shower, far more comfortable, dont need to change clothes thus convenience. So why do I ride the bike? IDK, some muppet told me it'd be cheaper (it's not), I'd be happier (debatable), I'd feel so fresh at work (uhm not really) and all that baloney (plenty). No sir, I just ride the bike coz I enjoy it.

 

[glasgowcyclist]

If I commute 100 miles per week on the bike, I have to clean the bike every weekend. I also have to take extra clothes with me, eat extra food, take showers, service the bike every 6 months for about £100 plus a major service of £200 annually. New tyres every 2 years.

If I commute 100 miles per week on the car, the insurance I have to pay for anyway because it's the family car, I think about £400 per year. Servicing is every two years which costs £200.New tyres every 5 years or so.

The car is far cheaper and less time consuming both in terms of commute and maintenance. It's quicker to drive, dont need to shower, far more comfortable, dont need to change clothes thus convenience. So why do I ride the bike? IDK, some muppet told me it'd be cheaper (it's not), I'd be happier (debatable), I'd feel so fresh at work (uhm not really) and all that baloney (plenty). No sir, I just ride the bike coz I enjoy it.

I find it hard to believe annual servicing for a bicycle can be £400!

The costs of 100 mile/week commute between a car and a bicycle will always favour the bike.

 

[Gravity Aided]

You know, I had but one car and Mrs. GA and I have jobs in different directions from home, so she would drop me and the bicycle at work in the morning and I would ride the bike to where the car was at the end of the day, or ride on home. We saved enough during the depression of the twenty teens to buy a very fine second-hand auto for Mrs. GA. And pay our mortgage and bills on time. This was done by a lot of things, but commuting by bicycle definitely helped.

 

[keithmac]

This years commuting has cost me £8 (set of brake pads front and back).

Not bad going!.

 

[Gravity Aided]

Agree with that Drago. The habitual car user lobby are percieved as being too influential by whatever government is in power to upset. Said lobby has for years been screaming that they are already taxed to the hilt, being charged unfairly from every angle, etc., etc., so any political party that is likely to get into power isn't going to get on the wrong side of that lot without being voted out at the next election - !
For my two penn'orth, scrap VED in its present form and put it on fuel prices. That way, no-one can avoid paying and it's paid in proportion to the number of miles covered by any given vehicle.

That is how it is in my state, a goodly portion of my gasoline cost is made up of taxes. Round about 40 cents per gallon,but my gasoline cost is about 2.25 USD. So the motor fuel tax is more than a fifth and less than a sixth the price of a gallon of gas. Could stand a raise to fund things properly. If I had to pay what you guys pay for gasoline, I would ride a bicycle much more. But in The States, we do not have the passenger rail network Britain does. Population is less dense, and after WWII, when the railroads were worn out from the war effort, some less informed people (yes, I'm looking at you, Genl Eisenhower) thought as a reward, the railroads should be taxed to support competitive means of transport like trucks and air. Add to that the removal of postal business to trucks, and passenger service run at government whim, and it is no wonder we have few alternatives.

 

[keithmac]

Thank your lucky stars you're not in the UK..

 

[mjr]

. Insurance is exactly the same. When you do a proposal form it will normally ask you how many miles you are likely to drive a year. The resulting premium will not be reduced if it turns out at the end of the year you did less miles than you estimated you might do. The premium was based on the info that you gave at the start of the year. The cost is fixed.

The cost is not fixed. It varies with how many miles you say you'll do and while you might not get a refund if you drive less, you will be penalised if you consistently underestimate. So cycling more and driving less will make next year's car insurance a bit cheaper, even without installing a tracker.

 

[Zanelad]

It's the saving money theory that I used on Mrs K when I bought an e-bike to commute on. I save half a gollon of petrol each day. As the bike cost £2,500 I reckon 1,000 trips to work and it will have paid for itself. Trouble is that I will most probably be retired before I reach 1,000 commutes. There's other costs but I'll still incur them as I'll not get rid of the car amd the bike requires tyres, chains oils etc.. The wellbeing I feel by using the bike instead of the car cannot be valued. Anyway, you've got to spend your money on something. Better on bikes than booze or fags.

 

[mustang1]

I find it hard to believe annual servicing for a bicycle can be £400!

The costs of 100 mile/week commute between a car and a bicycle will always favour the bike.

I think I mentioned £300 annually (£100 for 6 month play £200 for 12 months). for me, it also includes new tyres, the cost of a few inner tubes during flats, brake pads.

But anyway, give me an example of servicing cost for an all weather bike ridden for a year, at a bike shop from your perspective.

By car, let's call it £150 over two years, so that's £75 annually. No new tyres required.

 

[I like Skol]

No new tyres required.

??????
Do your car tyres not wear out?