Do you care that bike commuting is good for the environment?
 

I don't care. I suspect that's probably true for the vast majority here. And it's not that I don't care about the environment. We have 2 ev's and solar panels. But with regards to bike commuting, I'd probably pay money and burn coal if I had to, to keep commute biking.

I wouldn't say I don't care, but it's way down the list for me. It's nice to know that my daily transportation choice doesn't contribute any pollution, but the main reason I started commuting was to get more saddle time and integrate training into my daily commute, so I could race on weekends. Most of which I drive to, using more gas than if I stayed at home.

Heck yes.

Also I care it's good for my health, my wallet, and even available company parking spaces. I care that I can go for a recreational ride without coming home first, that not needing a car leaves more space in my garage for bikes.

None of those are why I bike commute, but they sure are effective excuses, rationalizations, and justifications.

Yes, since the 1980s. I didn't realize that "bike-free" was a thing back, but I didn't own a car until I was in my late 30s. Oh, wait, I had one for a year or so in my late 20s, but I let it deteriorate and it was eventually towed away. I'd really prefer living without one, but it's very hard in LA. Easier if you don't have family, kids, commitments, etc.

I've been at a home office for 5 years ... so I don't count as a bike commuter today. However, when I was commuting by bike, being eco-friendly was on the list, but not that high. Physical and metal health are at the top of the list, saving money on cars & health clubs is near the top too. So reduced emissions is kinda a bonus.

Sure, I care about how I'm doing my part to reduce pollution. It's near the top of my list, right below: cycling to work is fun; cycling to work is good for me; I save money cycling to work; and I see more interesting things on a bike.

I'd like to say yes but it would be fatuous. In order to claim it you'd need it to be only a part of a minimalist lifestyle. I'm squarely a suburbanite.

I don't really care, it was for health reasons that I started, nothing more or less. I glad it's pollution-free, but that was never my intent.

The fact that bike commuting is good for the environment certainly contributes to the overall smugness factor of year-round bike commuting, but I really don't care...unless some environmentalist starts a pissing contest.

I do care but it's not my top priority. The positive physical and psychological aspects were what kept me going.

Being able to always find a parking spot and getting to work faster and with less hassle were the main drivers. I've always ridden for convenience. But yes, good to know that it helps the environment. It's just not a motivation.

Ame answer but retired. I still bike commute as much as I can. Just not to work.

Right on! I run nearly all errands by bike. And on a day when I have no errands to run, I just go for a spin. Still get all the benefits of bike commuting.

It’s not an either/or question. You can ride for environmental reasons and enjoy the ride at the same time. The world is in color, why boil everything down to black and white decisions?

I’m retired after 39 years of working and I kept track of how much gasoline and carbon dioxide I didn’t use or spew into the air (7000 gallons and 100 tons). That didn’t mean I didn’t find a personal benefit from riding.

It's pretty far down the list. I really do not enjoy driving, sitting in traffic, or parking. I also do not enjoy spending money on cars, car maintenance, gas, and parking. I do enjoy riding my bike, spending money on bike stuff, and wrenching. I'll also admit that the smugness factor of showing up by bike when it's raining/snowing/generally foul outside is a bonus.

It's not to say that I hate the environment - I try to do my bit. If I'm honest, though, the work trips I've taken in the past decade have completely tanked any carbon emissions I saved from bike commuting and doing most of my errands by bike.

I bike commute because I love riding. It has nothing to do with anything else. We purchased the house we are living in because it allowed me to bike commute only 12 miles r/t instead of the 20 miles r/t I was doing. Though the ride is mostly a 25 mile r/t each day. I plan to retire from this company sometime in the next few years and will continue to bike as much as possible.

Absolutely I care that it's good for the environment. It's not why I started bike commuting, and not the main reason I kept it up for the first few years. But it's important to me to put my principals into action, even with small effect.

I went for years without ever driving into work, and when on some day I found myself on the edge of deciding to drive I would think "why not just save another day of destruction?"

The end use may be good for the environment but all the metals needed to create a bicycle still come from mining. Some people would have you think that certain choices disassociate you from realities but even eco-friendly products require manufacturing.

I agree that bikes also use resources but they use a lot less resources that cars, SUVs or trucks. Producing a bike costs a lot less resources than a 2ton truck. So many people in my area commute in huge SUVs and Pickup trucks. Just selfish. Gas is till way too cheap here in the US.
Yes I personally care about the environment and this is one of the reasons I bike. Not just to commute, but also for leisure and to shop. I have even built me a cargo bike I can use to run my shopping errands. Not that I want to start a complete car free life style but I want to reduce my car usage wherever I can.

Absolutely. I'm watching the entire state of CA burn due to climate change. I'm coming to the conclusion that my lifestyle isn't sustainable, and I need to accept responsibility for that. I'm not going to live a minimalist lifestyle, but actions do matter. I got an ebike so that it was more doable for my commute consistently by bike. Currently, I'm using the eBike to avoid having to live as a one-car household.
Savings, exercise, and environment are the main reasons I'm biking, but the ranking changes day to day.

not really

Yes

Before getting out the scourges, take a step back and look at scale. There has been about 1 billion bicycles made up to now. At an average of 30 lb of metal apiece, that would be 15,000,000 tons of metal. That’s a lot but it pales in comparison to that used in cars. Just GM has made 500 million cars at an average of about 2000 lbs each. Let’s say 80% of that is metal or about 1600 lb. That’s 400,000,000 tons of metal mined and refined. Ford and Chrysler have similar counts so that 1.5 billion cars or 1.2 billion tons of metal.

Bicycles have used 1.25% of the metal used for cars. Or, to put it another way, the total output of bicycles in history is equal to fewer than 18,000,000 cars or about a quarter of the number of cars made in one year. It took about 120 years to make a billion bicycles. We bicyclists don’t contribute a lot to the issues of the day.

Just like everyone else on the planet, I'm part of the environment. So yes, I care that my bike commuting is good for it.

It is not so much the environment that keeps me bicycling but I really enjoy not paying for parking or worrying about when the bus drivers go on strike.