The year 2008 may well go down in history as the year when the financial world changed forever. The system based on perpetual growth funded by debt has proven itself to be unreliable and unsustainable. After a moderate recovery, here we are in 2011 heading into the second dip of recession.
Even if we achieve some growth in the short term and achieve some recovery, at some time in the not too distant future, oil production will begin to slow as the crude oil becomes harder to extract until finally, only a trickle remains. When this happens the world will need alternative sustainable transport and here’s where the humble bicycle comes in.
Use your Bicycle to Save Money
When times are financially tough, we all need to look at ways of saving money. And the good news is that sustainable transport is already here. The absence of oil need not worry us unduly because we still have the bicycle - the ultimate recession-proof transport. The only fuel required is a handful of calories taken orally and we’re off; simply crank those pedals up the gears.
Commuting vast distances on a bicycle may not be easy, but with so many folding bikes available nowadays, they can be combined with public transport to meet most commuting needs.
For more local transport it is an affordable, healthy and in current climes necessary means of transport. Pedal powered vehicles now come in all shapes and sizes - road bikes, mountain bikes, hybrid bikes, tandems, tricycles and, for the less fit or healthy, electric bikes. In other words, as a local transport tool, the bicycle is a vehicle capable of serving most needs.
How Practical is a Bicycle as an Actual Means of Transport?
Some people would suggest that a bicycle is not a practical means of transport if you want to carry a load like the daily shopping. While they are less convenient and less comfortable than the motor car and, obviously they require more effort to pedal than simply driving the car, they are, however, less polluting, cheaper to run and offer obvious health benefits in terms of maintaining or improving our fitness levels.
For simply getting from A to B a road bike, mountain bike or hybrid will suffice. For a shopping trip, or any trip where some form of light load must be carried, a wide selection of panniers and baskets are available for all forms of bicycle. If a more stable and load-bearing platform is required there is always a tricycle fitted with a storage box and or baskets.
I’m not Fit Enough to use a Bicycle as my Main Method of Transport
Many people use the excuse that fitness levels or leg strength is insufficient to pedal a loaded bicycle or tricycle, but help is at hand in the form of electric power. A large and ever growing range of electrically powered bicycles are now available, from commuter bikes to electric mountain bikes. When the going gets tougher, the rider simply flicks a switch and the electric motor whirs into life taking the load off the cyclist’s legs.
Beat the Recession and Buy a Bike
If you’re looking for some simple recession-proof transport to meet most local needs, think about buying a bike or getting your existing one serviced so it’s in perfect running order. Hybrid, road, mountain bike or electric bike, it may just be your only form of transport if the oil runs out.
Helen Smeaton - Helen Smeaton runs a cycling and hiking business and is also a freelance writer and web designer. Read her profile for more information
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