During the Chapel Hill Climate Strike Friday, activists biked 33 miles from Chapel Hill to Raleigh to prompt local and state lawmakers to address climate change. Their ride, while a little long for a daily commute, proved that biking is a feasible mode of transport in the Triangle.
For students at UNC, the personal and environmental benefits of biking are well worth it. Biking is a low-carbon form of transport that saves money, provides regular exercise and gives riders greater control over their schedules.
Compared to driving to campus, biking is incredibly affordable. The cost of a full-year, on-campus parking permit ranges from around $200 to $800 for students, while bikes can be built for free at the ReCYCLEry off of Franklin Street or purchased for cheap at the UNC's annual bike auction. If students are wary about owning about a bike, the University’s Tar Heel Bikes bike share program allows students to ride throughout Chapel Hill's campus for up to an hour for free every day.
Beyond the financial benefits, biking helps to reduce the risk of diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular disease and depression. A group of researchers from the United States and Europe found that biking leads to “higher levels of satisfaction, lower stress, higher relaxation and a heightened sense of freedom compared with car drivers.”
For most students, biking to campus saves time and provides greater flexibility in their schedules. The trip from Downtown Carrboro to the Old Well takes less than 10 minutes on a bike. The same route takes nearly half an hour by foot, approximately 15 minutes by bus and about the same amount of time by car when factoring in time to park.
The time savings of biking are most apparent on Sundays and late at night when Chapel Hill bus service is severely reduced. Biking allows off-campus students who do not own cars to quickly get to campus for club meetings, evening study sessions and University events. The ease of travel better integrates them into the University community and makes it easier to stay involved on campus.
Perhaps the most important reason to bike is its impact on climate change. The United Nations Environment Programme reported that switching from a car to a bicycle saves 241 grams of carbon dioxide per mile. The organizers of Friday’s bike ride said biking is, “a great way to show that we care about sustainable transit, a major part of curbing emissions.”
Cameron Avenue and Rosemary Street constitute the main bike thoroughfares in Chapel Hill. Bike lanes on West Main Street and the Libba Cotten Bikeway shepherd cyclists in Carrboro. While Chapel Hill and Carrboro have better biking infrastructure than many towns of their size, cycling could certainly be safer in both locations. The League of American Bicyclists rates Carrboro as a safer community for biking than Chapel Hill, but both towns are actively working to improve bike safety.
So for your next commute, consider traveling by bike. The choice will yield dividends not only for your physical and mental health but also for the environment.
