First of all I must say I'm a very lucky guy being born in the country with the best cycling infrastructure in the world (The Netherlands) and the ability to purchase a bicycle so I can make good use of it too.
In these insecure times where the global oil prices are skyrocketing, cycling might be a good alternative for some of you. I was inspired to write this post by a comment from 
The price of fuel
A large part of the fuel price in The Netherlands consist of taxes. The government uses these taxes both to generate revenue and to discourage fuel consumption. About 60% of the fuel price goes direcly into the treasury.
A lot of people living near the borders of Germany or Belgium drive to gas stations across the border to save some money.
And the war in Iran didn't make it better. When I passed a gas station today (by bicycle 😉) I noticed the price was € 2,41 !!! That is $ 2.76 !!!
It will cost you 120 euros to fill up a 50 liter tank. Crazy!
Trains
Apart from the great cycling network, we also have a quite extensive railroad network. Major cities are connected and during rush hours there are good connections. Most trains ride at least twice an hour.
But the train tickets are also subject to inflation. The Dutch national railway company was 'forced' to raise their prices with 6,5% this year due to increased costs.
The 11,3 kilometer trip from station to station to get me to work costs € 3,70 now. This is a 12 minute train ride. I remember it was € 2,50 just a few years ago. This means that going by train to work costs me € 7,40 a day.
And you know what the fun part is? The bike route to my work mostly runs alongside the railway. As you can see in a photo from last week, I’m just being overtaken by the train here.
Saving money
I'm not doing it for the money and I haven't calculated the purchase of my bicycle, clothing and maintenance, but I thought it would be funny to see what I'm saving on a yearly basis by cycling to work.
I've estimated that I cycle to work about 120 days a year. The distance (one way) to the office by car is 16 kilometers.
When a car rides 1 on 15 it would use 2,14 liter fuel for a roundtrip. With the current price of the fuel it would cost me € 5,13 a day. This is quite a bit cheaper than the € 7,40 a day it costs me to go by train.
Car: € 5,13 * 120 days = € 615.6 a year
Train: € 7,40 * 120 days = a whopping € 888,- a year!
Not bad at all!
Conclusion
It might not have been an entirely serious comment from
And in this blog I've only been focusing on the financial aspect of it. I haven't even touched on the benefits it brings for physical and mental health.
Burning calories and clearing your mind after work are also great advantages of commuting by bicycle.
So if you have the chance... go for a bicycle ride!
I’d love to hear your thoughts about my blog. Feel free to share your perspective in the comments.
Friendlymoose
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