Pedalations.com

As a society we need to keep the bicycle in the forefront of today’s youth as the preferred method of transportation. We may not be able to change the current generations driving habits but we can certainly influence and shape the future driving habits of today’s youth. They will have been raised with more expensive fuel costs and their minds may be more open to adapting different transportation habits then previous generations. 

For today’s youth much of what they do is all local to where they live. Where they go to school, where their friends live, where they play sports and where they work. Their community centers around their school and most of them live close to their schools. Making the bicycle ideal transportation for their daily lives.
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 It is a changing world we live in and a business landscape that is always evolving. With an increase in Taxes and the cost of everything going up I wrote a letter to the editor to urge individuals to think of the “total cost” or “the real cost” of their purchases.

It follows below: 

Written to the Editor of the The Capital Newspaper, Annapolis, MD it was published at the end of November l2007:

As Marylanders we face many issues such as the rising cost of homes and the possibility of an increase in sales tax.

While it may not solve these problems shopping locally and supporting local businesses may ease these problems. Local businesses support the local economy by employing your neighbors, friends, loved ones and fellow Marylanders.

Local businesses generate tax revenue and collect sales taxes. These taxes support our first responders the firefighters, police and emergency medical personal. Among many things taxes help maintain the roads we drive on as well as pay our teachers and build new schools.

We have tasked our lawmakers to provide the citizens of Maryland with the services we have come to expect and rely on. To meet our expectations they need to make choices in funding and explore ways to increase revenue. All of the choices our government makes are hard choices. 

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So I just filled up my truck to the tune of $100 the other day! Ouch, that hurt. For many of us myself included many of our trips by car could be replaced by a bike. For many Americans 40% of our trips in cars are two miles or less. Two miles on a bike are easy and fun. For people in the Odenton/Piney Orchard area the basic needs are easy to access by bike in the area. The neighborhood is fortunate to have a bike trail, shopping center, hardware store and a train station. Even the schools are close by. It is an ideal area to live and utilize the bike. How many of you load your kids up to school in your car each morning? It would be a healthier and more fun to ride your bike to school with your children wouldn’t it? Plus it would show your children what a great transportation tool the bicycle truely is.

Check out some of the facts below:

How many of your car trips could be replaced with fun and a bicycle?

Bicycle commuting beats sitting in traffic.

• Each U.S. rush-hour auto commuter spends an average of 50 hours a year stuck in traffic.
• 50% of the working population commutes less then 5 miles to work
• 25% of all trips are within one mile of the home
• 40% of all trips are within two miles of the home

Biking can help you live longer.

• Just three hours of bicycling per week can reduce your risk of heart disease and stroke by 50%. League of American Bicyclists

It’s time to get kids riding. In just one generation:

• The percentage of U.S. kids who walk or bike to school has dropped by 70%.
• Childhood obesity has tripled.

More cycling means less dependence on foreign oil.

• 10% of global oil production goes toward fueling America’s cars and trucks. Congressman Earl Blumenauer (D-OR)
• The U.S. could save 462 millions of gallons of gasoline a year by increasing cycling from 1% to 1.5% of all trips.

This is a great cartoon check it out:

http://cartoonbox.slate.com/jimborgman/2008/05/12/