©2004 Mid-Michigan Environmental Action Council P.O. Box 17164, Lansing, Michigan 48901-7164 (517) 485-9001 yorko446@cs.com

Time: “Dave Duffield of the League of Michigan Bicyclists bikes a 17-mile round trip to his job. When he gets home, he can complete his wife’s ‘honey-do’ list without hankering for a cycling trip to rev up his heart rate.” (The Detroit News.   Tuesday, September 21, 2004, “Cycling becomes Metro quality of life issue”) Money: Half of America’s trips are under three miles — and we make an average of 10 to 12 trips per household per day. With rising gas prices, replacing single-occupant car trips with Smart Commute trips means money in the pocket! Health: According to a 2004 Ingham County Health Department report, about 62% of Ingham County adults do not engage in moderate physical activity at least 3 times a week. About 58% of Ingham residents are overweight, and 20% are obese.  Replacing car trips with Smart Commute trips also means inches off your waistline and years on your life! Economy and Environment: “The economic benefits of trail systems neighboring a community have been studied by the National Park Service [and] the Urban Land Institute. Both studies indicate that trails increase tourism and trail-related businesses to the area and reduce the number of single-occupant vehicle trips, improving air quality.” (Delta Township Website: www.deltami.gov/deltatrails/plan.htm) Creating “Cool”: According to Robert Ficano, a Wayne County executive and advocate for an I- 275 bike path, “Cycling is a quality-of-life issue. Young professionals want bike lanes, bike paths in cities where they seek work."

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Click here for full article. Excerpts: 20 - tons of smog-forming emissions would be reduced over the course of a year, for every 1,000 new carpools formed 7 - number of passengers with which a bus is more fuel-efficient, in terms of passenger miles per gallon, than the average single-occupant vehicle used for commuting. 9 billion - gallons of fuel are wasted in traffic each year -- 800 times the amount of oil spilled by the Exxon Valdez!!! Source: SmartCommute "Studies have linked commute-related stress to increased physical and mental problems, higher use of health insurance and decreased productivity. For instance, if a worker earning $30,000 a year is 15 minutes late two days a week, the annual cost to the company for time lost is $375."