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No.146 オリジナル英文

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Will High Gas Prices Spur Bike Sales?
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Thousands of Washington area commuters turned out Friday for bring-your-bike to work day - a promotional event supported by local bicycle dealers, and underwritten in part by local governments.

"Well today I think it is probably more hectic on the bike path than it is driving. There are thousands of people commuting to work by bike, and it has been a packed bike path. But generally it is a much less stressful ride into work on the bike than in the car."

Many here cycle to work routinely, because it is fun, it is a healthy lifestyle choice, and it protects the environment. But it is also becoming increasingly clear that, as an alternative to driving, bike riding can make good economic sense.

"I think people underestimate the cost of driving a car to work. If you are riding a bicycle, commuting, you can use just any old bicycle and it is almost free."

Randy Swart serves on a local bicycling advisory committee. He says most people forget to consider the total cost of commuting by automobile. "Think about the gas cost, especially right now when gas costs are high, but they forget all the other expenses, the things like insurance and tags, and taxes, and tires, and repairs, and parking fees. And they seem to ignore how much they are adding to the pollution of the atmosphere."

But as gasoline prices have risen in recent months, there are signs that the bicycling alternative may be picking up speed. John Brunow is owner of Bikes at Vienna, a bike shop about 30 kilometers west of Washington, D.C.

"We are seeing increases in people buying racks, panniers, baskets, the things that indicate that they are trying to do more errands and they are trying to commute to work by bicycle.”

John says he has not yet seen any sharp spike in bike sales, but he believes that may be on its way. "The cost of gasoline right now, people are absorbing that, and are not looking at it as cautiously yet. But it is going to happen soon because their disposable income is being chewed up by increased gas prices and that realization is going to come to them and they are going to have to start looking for alternatives."
As a matter of fact, many already have.

George Dwyer, VOA News
by danueno | 2006-05-31 17:31 | オリジナル英文


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