BechtelBikes



**__Problem__**

One of the most serious problems that we face today is our current transportation system. In the United States, almost 90% of all trips are made by car, leaving less than 9% which are made by walking, bicycling, and public transit put together (Bluejay). This system is far from sustainable and is responsible for several negative effects. The most notable of these effects are the enormous emissions and fuel consumption of the vehicles. Residential automobile use alone is responsible for roughly 400 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions in the U.S. per year (RITA 2010). Emission of carbon dioxide, along with other pollutants from cars, has been connected to global warming as well as respiratory health problems. Furthermore, cars are terribly inefficient. Only 12% of the fuel used by a car actually provides momentum and of this only 5% actually goes into moving you, instead of the car itself (Rodrigue, Comtois, and Slack 2009). The result is that of the 20 million barrels of oil consumed per day in the U.S., 40% goes to personal transportation (NRDC 2004). Many scientists fear that it is not long until we run out of the world’s supply of oil, but still we guzzle it right up on a daily basis. Other negative effects of automobiles include safety and solid waste.

**__Solution__**

Sustainable development was well defined by the Brundtland Commission in 1987 as, "Development which meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs". This clearly does not include the use of the automobile in virtually any form. Improving cars’ mpg consumption does little to help, especially when the number of people driving continues to increase. Alternative fuel sources for vehicles which are viable today are also not helpful. Biofuels and electricity still require the burning of fossil fuels (mostly oil and coal) in production. The real solution is to reduce our personal motorized vehicle use. This is not anywhere near as simple as it sounds and the best replacement options are public transit, walking, and the bicycle. Integration between all of these transportation modes is important, but the key element in it all is the bicycle. Bicycles are more energy efficient that cars (do not directly use any oil), more time efficient than walking (faster), and give you more freedom than public transportation. It makes perfect sense that the mode of transportation we should use is the most efficient available (not to mention the most fun!). Cycling really is the future of transportation.

**__Overcoming Challenges__**

The greatest challenge that we face in trying to solve any sustainability problem is to stop our current destructive progress and make a sharp turn to avoid immanent catastrophe. We certainly face several similar challenges in trying to reform our transportation system. The three most notable challenges are physical difficulties, infrastructure, and individual mentality. All three of these challenges are closely related and must be addressed at the same time. The problem is that our current automotive driven development makes it very difficult to use other modes of transportation. The best contemporary example is suburbia. These landscape designs are very difficult to access without cars. At best they contain sidewalks, which are rarely used because everything is so far apart that walking from place to place is inefficient. Part of the problem is the culture of suburbanization and other widely dispersed urban development is deeply ingrained in the American mind and U.S. land-use policy (Medina and Tarlock 2010). We simply do not respect that there are any natural barriers to our settlement. As a result, many Americans are required to travel long distances on a daily basis. The most efficient mode of transportation in this case is public transit. Trains and busses are certainly more energy efficient than cars but lack some of the freedom to choose the destination. Thus, there must be integration between public transit and bicycles or walking to overcome great distances and other physical features, such as steep hills.

On the other hand, in some cases, the problem of reducing auto-oriented development around suburban multifamily housing is not a problem with land use or density, but site design and development (Larco 2010). There are similar problems faced in large cities where the density and land use is clearly much different. This is where infrastructure becomes the most important challenge. Most cities are designed (although not always effectively) to best accommodate cars, with some sidewalk infrastructure as well. Where then do bicycles fit in? In most of the U.S. the legal answer is on the road with the cars. This creates a myriad of problems on its own, since bicycles are clearly drastically different vehicles than automotives. The outcome is that a large amount of risk and difficulty is placed on the cyclist. Most riders find themselves hugging the side of the road, trying to stay out of the way of the giant metal monsters and their aggravated operators. This alone turns away the majority of potential cyclists who are simply too timid to engage in this kind of battle to get around. The solution here is to improve the urban infrastructure to incorporate bicycles. The best way to do this is to create space for the cyclists to travel. This can be as simple as painting bike lanes on the road, but a much better solution is to actually separate bicycles from automotive traffic by building a small curb to elevate the cycles off of the road, giving them their own space. Other infrastructure improvements include bicycle lights, which control traffic flow and are timed to fit the speed of cyclists, and ramps and proper storage facilities.

**__Benefits__**

Overcoming the challenges that sustainable transportation faces is no small task, but is certainly rewarding. The benefits of using bicycles include mobility, health, safety, economy, equity, environment, and fun! Not only can a bike get you somewhere sustainably, it can even be faster than cars. One of the best ways of an area to promote sustainable transportation is though traffic calming. This usually means reducing speed limits, but can also include traffic bans and strict parking controls. Riding a bike is healthy because it will keep you in shape. In this vehicle, you are the motor that drives everything. Many Americans are out of shape and would benefit from this. Bicycles are much safer than cars, if the right protective equipment is used and proper infrastructure is in place simply because there is less force present. A bicycle accident will rarely result in death, but the same cannot be said about cars. The economic gain from riding a bicycle is enormous. The clearest differences between bicycle and car expenses are that: 1) a new bicycle costs roughly 1% of what a new car does; 2) maintenance is equally inexpensive and can mostly be done yourself; and 3) they require no purchase of gasoline. On top of all these benefits, if we were to remove all government transportation subsidies and take into account the cost of all externalities of each vehicle, the bicycle cost would be miniscule compared to the car. Because bicycles are so inexpensive and externality free, they can be enjoyed by people in nearly every income bracket without any harm to others or future generations. Another benefit to riding a bike is that you get to spend time outside, much closer to nature and your community than if you were riding around in a car. Last, but certainly not least, riding a bike is fun! Most people enjoyed doing it when they were kids, but do not realize it is equally fun for adults. Get your bike out and go for a ride some time and you will see!

**__Examples__**

Infrastructure and community changes have already been made a few places in the United States and there are numerous cities around the world that provide excellent examples of how our transportation system can be more sustainable by using bikes. The token example comes from Copenhagen (for more information see the link below). This city is a large urban center that was not so different from many U.S. cities only a decade ago. Looking at Copenhagen now it is a heaven for bicycles and this shows in many ways. Elevated bike lanes as well as bicycle traffic lights and respectful motorists encourage people of all age groups and back grounds to travel by bike; thousands of people do every day. There is also a strong community here and a great amount of pride in the city. Another example that comes from Europe is the town of Houten in the Netherlands. Here, half of all trips are done by bikes. This is possible because the entire community is designed to be accessible to bicycles (see the link below). As a result, there have never been any fatal traffic accidents in Houten. The best example from within the states is Portland, Oregon. Portland is truly leading the way when it comes to sustainability, especially when it comes to transportation (see link below). This city has made cost effective decisions about transportation as part of its Platinum Bicycle Master Plan. This includes the creation of bicycles “greenways” and traffic calming by creating “bike boulevards”. The city has also developed an excellent system of way finding and bicycle parking. Some of Portland’s goals are to make changes that will reduce the number of cars in the city by 4,000 and therefore increase the number of bicycles this much, within the next 10 years. Also, Portland wants to be a a "20 Minute City" where residents spend 20 or less minutes traveling (Sustain Lane 2008). These goals are certainly ambitious, but seeing what the city has already done, there are high hopes for the future improvements.

Although there isn’t anywhere quite like Portland nearby, many local cities are trying to make similar changes right now. Saratoga, for example, is in the process of overturning legislation which made cycling a more difficult form of transportation (see link below). Albany has also just finished drafting their Bicycle Master plan, which will make the city more bicycle friendly over the next 10 years. Furthermore, many colleges are in the process of promoting cycling as an option for sustainable transportation. They are doing this primarily by creating bicycle sharing programs and other facilities to students. Even here at RPI there is a small group that is starting up and attempting to make the campus more bicycle friendly (there is not much information about it online, but a few pieces can be found below). The initiative include starting a bike share program, opening up a student run bike shop, and working with campus planning and other administration to improve storage and other infrastructure. As you can see, we have really come to a turning point. We need to make changes to our transportation structure and doing so now will be much easier than in the future. Bicycles are the future of sustainability!

**Links:** Copenhagen: @http://vimeo.com/13499122 Houten: [] Portland: @http://www.treehugger.com/files/2010/11/portland-mode-share-tops-7.php Saratoga: [] RPI: [] [] (old document, new one in the works) **Peer Reviewed:** Larko, Nico. Overlooked Density: Re-Thinking Transportation Options in Suburbia. Rep. Oregon Transportation Research and Education Consortium, Feb. 2010. Web. 22 Nov. 2010. . Medina, Rachel, and A. Dan Tarlock. "Addressing Climate Change at the State and Local Level: Using Land Use Controls to Reduce Automobile Emissions." Sustainability (2010). Web. 21 Nov. 2010. .

**Other:** Bluejay, Michael. "Car Almanac | Statistics about Pollution, Energy Use, and Danger." Bicycle Universe: The Kitchen Sink of Bicycles &transportation. BicycleUniverse.info. Web. 22 Nov. 2010. . NRDC. "Reducing America's Energy Dependence." Natural Resources Defense Council - The Earth's Best Defense. NRDC, July 2004. Web. 30 Nov. 2010. . RITA. Pocket Guide to Transportation 2010. Rep. Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), Jan. 2010. Web. 21 Nov. 2010. . Rodrigue, Jean-Paul, Claude Comtois, and Brian Slack. "Chapter 6 and Chapter 8." THE GEOGRAPHY OF TRANSPORT SYSTEMS. New York: Routledge, 2009. Hofstra People. Web. 23 Nov. 2010. . Sustain Lane. "2008 US Cities Sustainability Ranking." People-Powered Sustainablity and Living Guide. SustainLane.com, 2008. Web. 27 Nov. 2010. .

[] [] [] [] [] [] [] (modified by me) Other picture taken by Edward Yu
 * Pictures: **