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Bicycles are far more energy efficient than automobiles. You can travel further with less fuel and less pollution using a bicycle than any car. It's easy to see the dramatic difference if we compare the CO2/Mile of a few common modes of transportation.
The following are averages of CO2/Mile pollution by vehicle with a single passenger:
- 1.57 lbs of CO2/Mile in a "Sport Utility Vehicle" - 15 MPG
- 1.10 lbs of CO2/Mile in an "Average car" - 21.5 MPG
- 0.59 lbs of CO2/Mile in an "Economy car" - 40 MPG
- 0.00 lbs of CO2/Mile on a "Bicycle"
Reviewing the pollution each vehicle produces, it's easy to see why environmentalist like to encourage bicycle friendly destinations whenever possible.
What is a "Bicycle Valet?"
A bicycle valet is an organized valet and/or parking service for bicycles - imagine a coat check for bicycles. Each area has it's own execution but the goal of the service is to encourage visitors to arrive on their bicycles and to offer large scale, short term, bicycle parking.
In Santa Monica, California, you can find one variation of the bicycle valet. The City of Santa Monica offers free bicycle parking for both the Summer Twilight Dance Series (a free summer concert series) and the Sunday Farmers Market. In this case the city provides staff and similar to a traditional valet, the staff provide a ticket and take your vehicle. You are required to pick up your vehicle before the end of the event but there is no service fee, tipping is at your discretion.
Further north in San Jose, California, the Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition offers similarly designed bicycle valet services at many locations including Stanford home football games, the San Jose Blues Festival, Moffett Field Airshows and numerous Civic Art and Wine Festivals.
San Francisco, California, offers a free valet bicycle parking at a number events including all the San Francisco Giants home games, the Movie in the Park series, Tour de Fat and Winterfest. San Francisco is unique from many other cities in that as of January 1,1999, the city requires bicycle parking for all major outdoor events.
In Fairfax, California, you can find a more grassroots effort. The Marin County Bicycle Coalition loans PVC bike racks to "Green Wednesdays" who in turn use them to offer free, secure, bicycle parking. "Green Wednesdays" offers bicycle parking at the Wednesday Farmers Market. While not exactly a bicycle valet service, "Green Wednesdays," is offering large scale temporary secure bicycle parking. This in turn makes their local Farmers Market a bicycle friendly destination.
The Benefits of Bicycle Valets
Bicycle valets can offer benefits to both event holders and event locations while creating a more bicycle friendly destination, here are just a few of the benefits:
- Maintain clear driveways and walkways. Without a bicycle valet or any other form of large scale bicycle parking, cyclist are forced to lock their bikes to whatever, wherever they find it. A bicycle valet provides a central location for large scale bicycle storage and keeps driveways and sidewalks clear.
- Reduce local traffic congestion. Each person riding a bicycle is potentially one less car. Bicycle valets reduce traffic by reducing the number of people who arrive by car.
- Encourage attendance. Many people avoid events due to parking hassles. Bicycles are fast and easy to check-in and with less cars parking is sure to be a breeze.
Riding a bicycle is not only good for your health, it's also good for the planet. Each mile you ride on your bike instead of in your car reduces your carbon footprint. In this ever changing environment, it's important for us to each do our part, so I encourage you to find your local bicycle group or coalition, and if you don't have a local bicycle valet in service then why not start your own program?
Sam Greyhawk is an energy efficiency evangelist who works with Cool-N-Save™, an Energy Star Partner based in Huntington Beach, California.
Do you live in the Bay Area? If you do remember that May 15th, 2008 is "Bike to Work Day." According to the Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition, "Bike to Work Day is a community event that encourages local residents to try bicycling as their mode of transportation to help relieve traffic congestion, improve bicycling, and ease motor vehicle emissions in the Bay Area."
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Article Source: Sam Greyhawk
Labels: article, bicycle, bicycle valet, bike, carbon emissions, carbon footprint, earth, fitness, green, health
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