AAP has produced a story that's been picked up in whole or in part all over the media (including The Age, The Australian, the Herald Sun, and channel seven):
In response to the soaring prices, commuters are ditching their cars for pedal power to avoid the sting of record high petrol prices.
And bicycle stores are the big winner, cashing in as people move towards alternative modes of transport.
I think "cashing-in" is a bit over the top - that implies that bike shops are bumping prices in the face of growing demand. If price is a major factor in people moving to bikes, it seems pretty unlikely that bike shops would do that. And unlike the petroleum behemoths, there is real price competition between the local bike shops. (And for the conspiracy theorists like cfsmtb's pal, no I don't think the current price jump in petrol is entirely due to cartel-like operations of the petrol companies.)
Both John McCormack of Clarence Street Cyclery in Sydney and Anthony Cramer of Cecil Walker in Melbourne are quoted as saying that fuels costs seem to be a major factor in their customers' purchasing decisions:
Mr McCormack said the biggest sales were among middle-aged baby-boomers and that health and fitness incentives also played a role.
He said the cost of petrol was a topic of conversation among customers, with many weighing up the cost of a bicycle against fuel savings and how long it would take to break even.
"It's generally not very long once you do the maths," he said.
I'm sure this is something those of us who have been on our bikes for ages have known for a long time (I know I have). Ah, and it actually doesn't take much longer to recoup costs if petrol prices are at $1/litre.
I regret that rising fuel prices will inevitably cause inflation and that the added costs may drive some businesses to the wall or lead to job losses. And I think it's a bit late to be talking about alternative fuel sources now that a "crisis" is upon us. (it's like talking bushfire prevention in the middle of the bushfire season); I'm sure alternative fuels will eventually take their place but they are a long-term option.
On the other hand, if bike sales really are up 15-20% in the last year or so, that's got to be a positive side-effect of petrol pricing. But what I find most amusing is that cycling is suddenly being considered a sensible and viable means of personal transport - will it ever reach the stage where we are no longer the office weirdos? <Gasp!> Will we come to be considered mainstream or even <Shudder!> "normal"?
What price a shift in perception? About $1.38/litre…
With Summer approaching here in Canada, I predict a influx of bikers this year. Gas is at an all time average high price of .08/L and the Canadian dollar is worth about the same as the AU$. Today the local stations are selling it at .149 and I live in an oil producing province.
I biked to work today, it was warm even in the morning at about +14, and +20 in the afternoon on the way home. I stopped biking last October when I was hit by a full size van and my bike was ruined and my leg bruised.
FWIW, I've definitely seen more bikes on the road on my short (7km) commute to uni in recent months than before. That's gotta be a good thing, surely?
Comments
I predicted over a month ago that the number of bike commuters would make its usual seasonal decline as autumn progressed. Since then the trails seem to be just as busy as ever.
I also suggested that every year some "fair-weather" cyclist turn into all-weather commuters. It seems like this is going to be a bumper year for such transformations.
So yeah, that sure is a good thing.