Commute by Car? Be ready to dish out $4K/year

By Heights Bicycle Coalition | December 21, 2010

The folks over at bundle.com have published two nifty infographics ranking “America’s Best and Worst Commutes.” Cleveland ranks 34th on the list with commuters spending on average $343 per month to pay for gas and other automobile expenses (that’s $4,116/year!).

For $4,000, a bicycle commuter could:

  1. Buy a 2011 Specialized Carbon Fiber Elite Apex ($2K)
  2. Buy spare tubes, oil, clothes, accessories (roughly $1K)
  3. Invest the remaining $1,000 in their Roth IRA.

And this is only for the first year. Assuming a generous $1,000/year cost for bicycle maintenance and other accessories, the average bicycle commuter would save over $28,000 over the remaining decade. Oh, not to mention that cycling also helps you keep your figure, conserve fuel, and burn off stress.

With that said, how are you planning on getting to work tomorrow?

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