Bicycle vs Car
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[edit] Cost per Mile
Typically a car costs more than $.25 per mile to operate. A low-cost bicycle can cost about $.05 per mile.
[edit] Speed
Typically a bicycle can achieve speeds of 10mph to 20mph. For long distance driving, it is common for cars to achieve an average speed of 60mph, where a bike might achieve a speed of 12-15mph. Although the speed record a bicycle on flat ground is over 80mph, such speeds require specialized bicycles and conditions only encountered during a race.
In big cities, cars have very little speed advantage, because of traffic.
[edit] Fuel
Bicycles don't require gasoline. Bicycling can cause you to burn fat. Bicycling sometimes means you have to buy more food.
[edit] Weather
Cars protect you from rain, and from the mud on the road on a rainy day.
[edit] Parking
Bicycles are easy to park in a big city. Cars are expensive to park in a big city.
[edit] Theft
Bicycle thefts are more common. In some instances, car theft is not covered by insurance. In that case, the loss of a car is usually much more expensive than the loss of a bike.
[edit] Insurance
Low cost bicycles don't need theft insurance (you can buy another bike), liability insurance, or any other kind of insurance.
[edit] Safety
Bicycles help you get exercise while you're going somewhere. This can reduce your chance of heart disease/cancer/stroke etc. Cars can sometimes keep you safe from harm, in collisions with other vehicles on the road. Bicycles can't.
The difference in risk due to accidents is not as big if the cyclist is wearing a helmet.
