20,000 kilometres is equivalent to travelling halfway around the world, 26 trips between Auckland and Christchurch, or 400,000 lengths of an Olympic pool. Depending on your perspective that may be a long way, or not very far. For me however, it’s the distance I recently achieved on my e-bike commute to work.
The milestone is one that crept up on me. The on-bike speedo captures the mileage, and as I’ve recently upgraded my bike, it was only after I saw the total mileage on the previous bike that it clicked.
It does provide a nice feeling of satisfaction though. Over the years of my e-bike commute I have had to put up with the gentle (and quite persistent) ribbing about not having to pedal or still not using his legs, but I keep smiling.
A sustainable way to travel, while also saving time and money
Ever since my first e-bike ride which was over a decade ago, to owning my own e-bikes, I have loved it. If any colleague or friend is interested, I will always offer them the bike to ride. I have yet to find someone who has taken it for a ride and not returned with a big smile on their face!
I am a strong advocate for sustainable travel. While I also appreciate a good classic car, or the sound of a V8, time and place is everything. For my daily commute to work, I don’t have a better choice. By bus, it will take 40 minutes, by car in the morning peak it can be 15–25 minutes without even considering where I’m going to park, but the e-bike is 15 minutes maximum! That’s makes it an easy choice.
Inland Revenue has a rate that they use to calculate the running costs of a car and this currently sits at 83c/km. On that basis, I have immediately saved over $12,000 – even after accounting for the cost of the bike and maintenance.
When I put it all together – the quicker commute, the money saved, the health benefits (yes, I do still use my legs!) and the simple pleasure that can come from a nice bike ride, it’s a win-win situation.
Perhaps it’s time you try out an e-bike for your commute to work, to run some errands or a weekend adventure?
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Matthew Noon
Associate Director, Safe System