How enviromentally friendly are push bikes.

[Shadyadie]

Without a proper network of cycleways, how enviromentally friendly are bikes.

The amount of extra fuel used by cars, vans, lorries and buses. by slowing down and then accelerating to get past must all add up, as must the extra time it adds to journeys.
Especially when you add in the amount of cycle trips that aren't going anywhere (just for the fun of it) so they aren't saving anything to offset.

Just a thought, I'm not anti cyclists, but do get fed up with the media making out that they are a carbon free way of travelling, when they quite obviously aren't if you look at the big picture.

(A bit like saying electric cars are carbon free, where do people think they get their power from)

I am just asking, without cycle paths are bikes enviromentally friendly?

Other than offroad paths there aren't any cyclepaths where I live.

[MWS]

I am heartily sick of ignorant, arrogant lycra clad to55ers who want all of the rights and privileges, but refuse to abide by the rules which they insist that all of the rest of us must follow. I wonder how many of their precious "helmet cams" would show them riding dangerously, or on footpaths, and riding across Zebra crossings. Riding on the wrong side of the road, or the wrong way down one way streets, or just being selfish anti social and loutish ?

[Tig]

I am heartily sick of ignorant, arrogant lycra clad to55ers who want all of the rights and privileges, but refuse to abide by the rules which they insist that all of the rest of us must follow. I wonder how many of their precious "helmet cams" would show them riding dangerously, or on footpaths, and riding across Zebra crossings. Riding on the wrong side of the road, or the wrong way down one way streets, or just being selfish anti social and loutish ?

^ This

[markp2]

Interesting
I am often Lycra clad cyclist (but hopefully not a ######) and agree with MWS's comments about riders who break the highway code and law.
I had often wondered about the CO2 output of a cyclist - we all breath and burn food fuel so have an emmissions output which varies with the work level.
I was recently tested on a gas analyser (don't ask, it was arranged by the team I ride for) and when peddling hard, had a CO2 output of 100-110g/km. This is higher than some cars! In London it would require you to pay the congestion charge if you were a car!

So, cycling isn't carbon neutral/carbon free - even before you factor in the amount of CO2 produced in making a bike in Taiwan/China and shipping it to the UK.

HOWEVER - drivers in cars also produce CO2 - all breathing mammals do. Those fuming in traffic jams will have a very high output per km because they aren't moving very fast.

Food for thought?
Mark

[andyverran]

Interesting
I am often Lycra clad cyclist (but hopefully not a ######) and agree with MWS's comments about riders who break the highway code and law.
I had often wondered about the CO2 output of a cyclist - we all breath and burn food fuel so have an emmissions output which varies with the work level.
I was recently tested on a gas analyser (don't ask, it was arranged by the team I ride for) and when peddling hard, had a CO2 output of 100-110g/km. This is higher than some cars! In London it would require you to pay the congestion charge if you were a car!

So, cycling isn't carbon neutral/carbon free - even before you factor in the amount of CO2 produced in making a bike in Taiwan/China and shipping it to the UK.

Very interesting... I don't suppose you were tested for CO2 at rest as well?
HOWEVER - drivers in cars also produce CO2 - all breathing mammals do. Those fuming in traffic jams will have a very high output per km because they aren't moving very fast.

Food for thought?
Mark

Very interesting..I don't suppose you were test for CO2 output at rest as well?

[Tig]

I wonder how a motorist would go about making a claim in the event of a cyclist running down the side of his/her vehicle, causing damage?

I'm no expert but I doubt cyclists have insurance cover....perhaps the lycra-clad gentlemen could enlighten us here?

Either way they're sure to be off like a shot & with no real means of identification (ie; registration plate) the motorist is left with unnecessary costs.

I think it's about time Cyclists were brought into the 21st century & made to be accountable by means of insurance & the like.

[markp2]

Tig. Insurance isn't compulsory for a cyclist any more than it is for a horse rider, pedestrian or mobility buggy user. British Cycling promotes 3rd party insurance as a 'good thing' but I expect the uptake is low.
Personally, I have insurance.
Andy. Yes I was tested at rest but can't remember the figure. The high effort one stuck in my memory because it was similar to a Smart car type of vehicle.
Mark

[Tig]

Tig. Insurance isn't compulsory for a cyclist any more than it is for a horse rider, pedestrian or mobility buggy user.

In all fairness I've not witnessed any horse riders/pedestrians/mobility buggy users hareing up the inside of vehicles in traffic but I'll be sure to look out for them from now on.

[andyverran]

Tig. Insurance isn't compulsory for a cyclist any more than it is for a horse rider, pedestrian or mobility buggy user. British Cycling promotes 3rd party insurance as a 'good thing' but I expect the uptake is low.
Personally, I have insurance.
Andy. Yes I was tested at rest but can't remember the figure. The high effort one stuck in my memory because it was similar to a Smart car type of vehicle.
Mark

thats a shame, i'd love to know the answer to that...

push bike insurance used to be very cheap, I recall paying £6 a month for TPFT

[Maverick]

Looking at the bigger picture you also have to take into account the damage done to the road surface, also the savings to the NHS. I saw an Austrailian study that proved investement to infrastructure for cyclists compared to a four fold saving to the health costs.

[Jameswallace]

I am heartily sick of ignorant, arrogant lycra clad to55ers who want all of the rights and privileges, but refuse to abide by the rules which they insist that all of the rest of us must follow. I wonder how many of their precious "helmet cams" would show them riding dangerously, or on footpaths, and riding across Zebra crossings. Riding on the wrong side of the road, or the wrong way down one way streets, or just being selfish anti social and loutish ?

Or outside there designated cycle lane holding up traffic

[J i m s t e r]

^ This

Hilarious. IIRC, that bloke killed a few of them. Shame it wasn't all of them, eh Tig?

Just got back on the bike after 8 week layoff while my collarbone healed. Girl knocked me off, she didn't see me. I was off the road on a cycle path. Silly me, I should use the Surf for all journeys.

I regularly commute by bike and avoid being on the road as much as possible. There are d*ckhead cyclists in roughly the same proportion as d*ckhead drivers in my experience, of course. It's just bikes hitting cars are less fatal than the other way 'round.

[J i m s t e r]

I am just asking, without cycle paths are bikes enviromentally friendly?

As we all shove out CO2 breathing, it depends where you draw the line at "Friendly".

It's probably just below walking as friendliest.

Is any form of moving from A to B "Friendly"?

Staying in, well, you'd perhaps have a cuppa, put the telly on or the heating. Tut tut.

Even Teleporting, well, Scotty says the Dilithium crystals get a right pasting every time they push the old faders up. Just can't win.

Suicide? There's the digging, the funeral procession, the slowing down... The coffin made from rainforest.

Seriously though, speed humps have the same effect on traffic. I'd be happy to see the back of them.

Then there's the insects and cows pumping out methane. Ronald McDonald is doing his best to get rid of the cows, but wait, he's knocking down the rainforest for grazing...

I guess all we can do is our own little bit. I don't think running cyclists down is the answer though.

[Shadyadie]

The actual thread was started to ask How environmentally are push bikes on the road ? If it could be proved the extra pollution they cause was great enough, then there would be a good case to put forward, to get more cycle paths put in.

In this day and age you have to prove a saving to get anything done. So the amount of carbon given off by a cyclist is irrelevant as they will give this off whether they are on a road or a cycle way.

I don't cycle much (i've got a car) , but I would have thought all the keen cyclists would be well behind this. If you could prove that installing a cycleway would prevent pollution, then you would have a great case.

[Tig]

No motorist wants to turn a bend to be met by a dozen middle aged cyclists, blocking the road, living the dream that would be the Tour de France.

It's a serious matter & I've had it out with these guys....they made it absolutely clear that they have absolutely no interest in using cycle paths.

I'll say it again, registration & insurance should become compulsory, the funds from which could go towards nationwide cycle pathways.

In answer to the OP's question about the green issue, sure, cycling has to be considered a more environmentaly friendly alternative but without a proper structure in place, cyclists will continue to be obstructive to motorists & thereby inadvertently adding to hydrocarbon pollution - not to mention the current, very real risk of death & the associated costs both financially & emotionally to both parties.