Why Biking Is the Best Choice for Students

As a student, you can’t spend your life without leaving your apartment or dorm. You have to move around a lot. You have classes to attend, appointments to go to, and extracurriculars to participate in. You probably frequent the library, too.

In a city, you don’t lack choice when you need to go from point A to point B. You can hop in your car (if you have one, of course) and drive. Or catch a bus. Or go underground and use the metro. Or just walk around.

But let’s make a case for one often overlooked mode of transportation: cycling. Here are five reasons why it’s often the best option on the table for students like you.

It’s (Almost) Free to Use

Of course, you’ll need to buy a bike first if you don’t have one yet, along with some must-have accessories (bell, lock, lights, and pump). But once you’re fully equipped, getting on a bicycle and riding to the campus will cost you $0!

Considering the current gas prices, riding a bike may be a necessary lifestyle change for you. After all, what kind of student has money to splurge in this economy, right? Plus, you can invest the money you save into hiring a college paper writing service to make time for work or hobbies. That’s a nice bonus, isn’t it?

Not convinced? Then just think how much a car costs you every year – and how much a bike will. Car maintenance will cost you $0.09 per mile. If you drive 5,000 miles a year, that amounts to around $450 in just annual maintenance fees!

But with a bicycle, you’ll need to spend up to $135 in the worst of scenarios. That means replacing tires, the chain, cables, cleats, and brakes in the same year. And even if your bike breaks down beyond repair, a new one won’t cost you thousands of dollars!

It’s Good for Your Health

Yes, riding a bike often means making yourself sweat. But that’s a good thing! Regular physical activity has countless benefits for your long-term health. For example, it helps prevent

excess weight gain;
high blood pressure;
strokes;
arthritis;
heart conditions.

Apart from that, exercising helps people fall asleep faster and get more quality sleep.

What’s more, it’s not your physical health that benefits from a bit of exercise every day. Your mental health does, too. Exercising is among the top recommendations for avoiding or managing conditions like depression and anxiety. And it improves cognitive functions and boosts mood!

So, if you think you need a vacation, maybe that’s not it. Perhaps, exercising may do the trick and put you back on track.

It’s the Fastest Mode of Transportation

Yes, cars can go at 30 miles per hour in most populated areas. But just because the speed limit is 30 mph doesn’t mean you’ll get to drive at that speed.

First, traffic can be a nightmare in urban areas. You may spend half an hour in a traffic jam driving like a snail at five mph. An average cyclist can ride at 18 mph on flat terrain – and they won’t be slowed down by traffic jams!

Then, there’s public transport. While the metro isn’t susceptible to traffic jams, buses are (if there’s no dedicated bus lane). But for either of them, the schedule can be inconvenient, and you’ll have to walk to and from the bus/metro stop. With a bike, though, you can ride straight from point A to point B!

As a cherry on top, most cities and campuses in Canada and the United States have invested in good cycling infrastructure. This means dedicated bike lanes, for one – so you won’t be slowed down by a crowd of pedestrians or a swarm of cars.

It’s Better for the Environment

If you don’t own a car yet, think twice about purchasing one – even if it’s an electric or a hybrid one. The thing is, car manufacturing takes a serious toll on the environment. It requires rubber, steel, plastics, paints, etc. – and those materials extremely rarely come from recycling.

While bicycles also need similar materials for manufacturing, producing them requires fewer raw materials. Why? Simply because they’re smaller in size.

Then, there’s the footprint from the fuel used in most cars. Oil products first need to be extracted from the earth – that leaves a mark on the ecosystem. Then, they have to be shipped, and oil spills aren’t rare. Plus, there’s the combustion – vehicles account for a third of air pollution in the U.S.

Bikes don’t need any fuel. All you need is to pedal, and the energy you spend will drive the bicycle (and you) forward. Ergo, no air pollution – and no harm to the environment.

It’s Easy to Find a Parking Spot

Remember the last time you had to circle the campus parking lot looking for a free spot? How long did it take you – five, ten, fifteen minutes?

If you switch to riding a bike, you can forget about that. The beauty of it is that you can park it almost wherever you want. Even if there’s no spot on the parking racks, all you need is a tree or a metal pole.

Just make sure to chain up your bicycle properly before leaving! That means:

avoid poles short enough for someone to just lift the lock chain and ride away on your bike;
have a proper lock chain: it should be difficult for someone with a metal cutter to cut it open;
put the chain through both your front wheel and the frame.

In Conclusion

If you had any doubts about biking, they must be busted now. After all, it’s cheaper, faster, and good for your health. Yes, you’ll have to sweat a bit (and wear a raincoat when it rains). But considering all the perks of cycling, it’s a small price to pay!

So, if you don’t have a bike yet, it’s high time you got yourself one. Don’t worry: you don’t have to spend hundreds of dollars on it, either. Just go to your local thrift store if you’re low on budget. And the next time you have to get to class or the library, get on your bike and start pedaling!