Low Tech Solutions

In this high-tech era, we dare to suggest a low-tech solution to a major problem... walk, bike, or skate to reduce air pollution.

All three of these transportation options are cheap (or free), make you healthier, and produce no air pollution at all. Each day that you walk, bike, or skate to school or work means not having to put gas in the tank, not putting more miles on your car (that lead to maintenance bills), and not having to pay for parking.

This doesn't mean you have to walk or bike EVERYWHERE you go - a couple of days a week can make a big difference. You may find, however, that once you give it a try, you'll want to walk or bike more often.

Did you know that 25 percent of trips people make by car are one mile or less?

How long does it take to walk a mile? You'd be surprised - only 20 minutes (less if you are a fast walker). Compare that to driving (in a city): a couple of minutes to get into the car, crank it, get your seatbelt on, etc. (and a few extra minutes to scrape off ice and snow if it's wintertime), about five minutes to drive the mile (if you hit all green lights and the traffic isn't too heavy), and then a few more minutes to find parking (if you're lucky). Altogether, that's about ten minutes at best and up to twenty minutes or longer if it's winter, or the traffic is bad, or parking is hard to find. So walking a mile doesn't really take that much longer than driving it, and in some cities it can even be quicker! Don't believe us? Time it yourself: the clock starts when you walk out the door (and includes opening the garage door, unlocking the car, etc.) and ends when you arrive at the door of your destination. Time it for walking and driving.

As far as biking goes, bicyclists usually travel about 10 to 20 miles per hour. A car in regular commuter traffic goes about 30 miles per hour, and that's fast compared to heavy traffic where cars slow to five miles per hour or less - a bicycle can outrace any car that's stuck in traffic! Bicycles are smaller and lighter than cars, and don't get stuck in traffic easily. Oh, one more thing: electric-assist bikes are now available - the models vary, but most of them are set up so that when you pedal or brake you are charging the batteries, and when you need a break from pedaling, you simply grip the electric lever on the handlebar and hang on as the bike does all the work. That can really increase the distance you go!

According to Divorce Your Car!, by Katie Alvord, walking and biking help whole communities by:

• Making communities healthier... car-dependent communities have fewer sidewalks, often feature strip-mall landscapes, and have few trees. Walkable communities, in contrast, have plenty of people on foot, talking to their neighbors, and walking to shops along streets that have lots of trees, wide sidewalks, and few cars.
• Restoring a sense of community... people in walkable, bike-able communities get to know the people in their neighborhood.
• Helping the environment... most trips that people make by walking are less than two miles or so, and most bike trips are under 15 miles (although many people bike much farther!). Cars produce the most pollution in the first few minutes of travel. So short trips mean that the car is always in its most polluting mode, because it hasn't warmed up and gotten the fluids going well enough to decrease emissions. If people walked or biked for these short trips, we'd reduce air pollution emissions by millions of tons every year.
• Helping the local economy... research has shown that locally-owned small businesses do better in walkable communities. Walkable communities help keep the community's economy thriving because the people who live there walk to the store and spend their money in their own community, rather than driving 10 to 50 miles away to spend it at a chain store.

If your community is kind of an icky place to walk or bike because of a lot of traffic, do something about it! Many schools - and students - have set up "Safe Routes to School Programs," that include mapping good routes, setting up no-idling zones around schools, putting in bike racks, etc. An organization called Transportation Alternatives can help you get started.

And if you organize a new program for walking or biking at your school, tell Easy Breathers about it and we'll post your project on our site!

For more information about biking, skating, and walking, check out these sites: