Bicycle Commuter - does it serve to society?

medoramas

Hi all,
I'm in the middle of my uni assignment. A first part of it requires me to choose one of the roles I play in my everyday life that does any sort of service to society. After loooong thinking I've got an idea that our role - bicycle commuter - is something that has got something to give to the world. I looked at it from different perspective and it goes way beyond "getting from point A to B". There is something in it that I could call "a mission", don't you think? Forgetting the main reason for it there are those bits that can be called "a service". Just by looking at the Forum - sharing our experiences and knowledge, warning about any dangers on the routes... Or the "activist" part of it - I personally managed to turn 4 of my workmates into regular commuters and they really enjoy the new chapter in their life...
The reason I'm posting it here is I just want to hear from You if it's the good way I chose or maybe it's not enough to call it "a service to society"?

Headhuunter

I suppose in some ways cycling to work does provide a service to society as a whole. Cyclists tend to be fitter so are perhaps less likely to cost the NHS money in illness, if you cycle you are not polluting, you're not in a car so you're not damaging road surfaces, reducing traffic (causing delays which cost business) and not putting pressure on state funded public transport

cjcp

For my part, I commute by bike not to serve society, but for my own benefit: I hate commuting by train, tube, bus, any other method. This has the added benefit of getting/staying fit. If this serves society in some small way (see HH's post), cool.

Initialised

Nah, the NHS argument is wiped out the minute you need an X-Ray because some anti-green fascist spilt oil all over the road.

iPete

Hmm I suspect my increased methane output is similar to that of using the train.

shouldbeinbed

I'm not a bicycle commuter. I'm a commuter. I just happen to do it by bicycle more often than not.

dhope

iPete wrote:

Hmm I suspect my increased methane output is similar to that of using the train.

Plus the cloud of smug that hovers around cyclists tends to drown out car fumes

TheStone

I've got a feeling that cycle commuting makes very little difference to society as a whole. Nearly always a personal choice: fitness, cost, time or just to avoid public transport.

Probably the biggest gain to others is freeing up a bit of room on the bus/train/tube etc.

Headhuunter

TheStone wrote:

I've got a feeling that cycle commuting makes very little difference to society as a whole. Nearly always a personal choice: fitness, cost, time or just to avoid public transport.

Probably the biggest gain to others is freeing up a bit of room on the bus/train/tube etc.

Of course it makes a difference! How could it not? Perhaps not a hugely significant difference but a difference nonetheless. You state that it's a personal choice dependent on cost, time, and avoidance of public transport, however each of these things has a financial cost to society as a whole, not simply to the individual.

If every cyclist commuter in London decided to drive their cars to work (of course this is unlikely given the congestion charge and parking in central London) there would be a pretty large increase in jams and delays to other motorists and increased damage to road surfaces. If the same cycle commuters decided to jump on the Tube it would increase wear to the infrastructure and discomfort of existing passengers fairly significantly. It seems pretty obvious to me that drivers at least should be appreciative of cycle commuters as they reduce motorists travel times.

anonymousblackfg

As hardenned cycle commuters I'm not sure we're the best advert for a truly cycle friendly society, we end up being the loons in lycra where we'll only every have a limited number of other converts join us. As a cycle campaigner surely we have greater benefit.

For the record, I cycle commute selfishly for fitness and to do harm to Bob Crow so less of my hard earned cash can trickle through to him and feed his children.

shm_uk

Cycle commuting may benefit society, but I think it's a bit pretentious to try and pretend it's any sort of 'service' to society. Also sounds way too smug, which will alienate everybody else in the world.

davmaggs

As a student and for many stages in life (I'm thinking when single and not active in community activities that family typically draws you into) I would say that you biggest impact is as a consumer. The choices you make about what you buy, where you buy it, who you bank with and how you treat your local area impact the world more than a couple of journies on a bicycle.

rolf_f

davmaggs wrote:

The choices you make about what you buy, where you buy it, who you bank with and how you treat your local area impact the world more than a couple of journies on a bicycle.

A couple of jouneys? I can't speak for others but generally I do about 220 round trips per year for my commute.

davmaggs

Rolf F wrote:

davmaggs wrote:

The choices you make about what you buy, where you buy it, who you bank with and how you treat your local area impact the world more than a couple of journies on a bicycle.

A couple of jouneys? I can't speak for others but generally I do about 220 round trips per year for my commute.

I was of course talking about a couple of journies per day

TheStone

Headhuunter wrote:

If every cyclist commuter in London decided to drive their cars to work (of course this is unlikely given the congestion charge and parking in central London) there would be a pretty large increase in jams and delays to other motorists and increased damage to road surfaces.

You could make a similar argument for nearly everything. If everyone started/stopped doing something, it would obviously have some kind of impact.

W1

I do think *we* do "society" a favour - but not much of one (all things considered), and not that conciously.

cooldad

No.
End of.

EKE_38BPM

I think it is fair to say that cycle commuters do it for selfish reasons (quicker, cheaper, to keep fit etc), but that selfishness does benefit society as a whole (less wear on roads, more seats freed up on PT, less cars on the road, cleaner air etc), so cycle commuter's selfishness is doing society a service.
If cycle commuters, through their example, convert others to cycle commuting then the benefit to society further increases.

If you look at the converse position, if more people drove, the roads would need repairing more frequently, the air would be dirtier, there would be more congestion - leading to slower journeys, there would be more sedentry lifestyle related illnesses for the NHS to (try to) mend and thus cost the taxpayer more etc. That would not be a benefit to society. So I think it is fair to say that cycle commuters do do society a service, but its not done for society's benefit, its done for the benefit of the cycle commuter.

Now, where did I put my smug jacket?

rjsterry

EKE_38BPM wrote:

I think it is fair to say that cycle commuters do it for selfish reasons (quicker, cheaper, to keep fit etc), but that selfishness does benefit society as a whole (less wear on roads, more seats freed up on PT, less cars on the road, cleaner air etc), so cycle commuter's selfishness is doing society a service.
If cycle commuters, through their example, convert others to cycle commuting then the benefit to society further increases.

If you look at the converse position, if more people drove, the roads would need repairing more frequently, the air would be dirtier, there would be more congestion - leading to slower journeys, there would be more sedentry lifestyle related illnesses for the NHS to (try to) mend and thus cost the taxpayer more etc. That would not be a benefit to society. So I think it is fair to say that cycle commuters do do society a service, but its not done for society's benefit, its done for the benefit of the cycle commuter.

Now, where did I put my smug jacket?

Waydaminute...

EKE_38BPM

rjsterry wrote:

EKE_38BPM wrote:

I think it is fair to say that cycle commuters do it for selfish reasons (quicker, cheaper, to keep fit etc), but that selfishness does benefit society as a whole (less wear on roads, more seats freed up on PT, less cars on the road, cleaner air etc), so cycle commuter's selfishness is doing society a service.
If cycle commuters, through their example, convert others to cycle commuting then the benefit to society further increases.

If you look at the converse position, if more people drove, the roads would need repairing more frequently, the air would be dirtier, there would be more congestion - leading to slower journeys, there would be more sedentry lifestyle related illnesses for the NHS to (try to) mend and thus cost the taxpayer more etc. That would not be a benefit to society. So I think it is fair to say that cycle commuters do do society a service, but its not done for society's benefit, its done for the benefit of the cycle commuter.

Now, where did I put my smug jacket?

Waydaminute...

I don't know what you're talking about. *Shuffles off after getting caught*

walkingbootweather

I think it could be argued that the humble bike commuter does serve society in the wider sense. Society, just like animals and plants is subject to natural evolution - members behave differently to the norm; sometimes successfully and sometimes not. Over time the species or society will 'learn' from these experiences and change will occur.

As cyclists many of us are in the minority, but a healthy society needs diversity, and you only have to be on this forum for a while to appreciate just how 'diverse' some people are on here. If we aren't even prepared to challenge the conventional way to get to and from work, how the hell is mankind even going to change the bigger issues?

EKE_38BPM

walkingbootweather wrote:

I think it could be argued that the humble bike commuter does serve society in the wider sense. Society, just like animals and plants is subject to natural evolution - members behave differently to the norm; sometimes successfully and sometimes not. Over time the species or society will 'learn' from these experiences and change will occur.

As cyclists many of us are in the minority, but a healthy society needs diversity, and you only have to be on this forum for a while to appreciate just how 'diverse' some people are on here. If we aren't even prepared to challenge the conventional way to get to and from work, how the hell is mankind even going to change the bigger issues?

If its an evolutionary thing, we may just be OK.
I think I'm right in saying that motorists killed more peds than cyclists and motorists killed more motorists than cyclists, so, if things carry on like that, motorists will kill all peds and then all other motorists and we'll have the roads to ourselves.

Cyclists shall rule the world!

medoramas

Thank you all for your input!

I had another brain storm about it today and after reading your replies I'm pretty sure there is a "bicycle commuter service". Small things in general, but they do give something to our society. That is enough for me to continue my work on the assignment

Headhuunter

TheStone wrote:

Headhuunter wrote:

If every cyclist commuter in London decided to drive their cars to work (of course this is unlikely given the congestion charge and parking in central London) there would be a pretty large increase in jams and delays to other motorists and increased damage to road surfaces.

You could make a similar argument for nearly everything. If everyone started/stopped doing something, it would obviously have some kind of impact.

Exactly, just about every decision made by an individual or certainly, a larger group of individuals, has an impact on society as a whole and what I am arguing is that the difference cycle commuters make is positive. It's simply not true that your decision to cycle to work has absolutely no impact on anything other than your fitness and the time you get up in the morning...