Why a Motorcycle Beats a Car for the Environment
Two wheels, a few tradeoffs, and gas prices
With French commutes averaging just 1.08 passengers per car, a motorcycle offers a more honest and efficient alternative. The author's Kawasaki uses half the fuel of a comparable car, requires fewer materials, and takes up less road space. Riding also changes habits: planning routes carefully, walking for short errands, and staying alert. While acknowledging the dangers, the author argues that the tradeoff is worth it for the joy and intentionality it brings.
A pothole that a car driver doesn’t notice can put you on the ground.
- buildsjets
I get it, I have over 60,000 miles commuting on two wheels (Most of them on my 2003 Kawasaki ZR-7s that I have owned since new and just rode to work on Thursday), in all kinds of inclement weather, primarily to avoid parking hassles and traffic. But I'm also lucky to be alive, because one day, I was waiting at a red light, and the guy who was stopped about 2 car lengths behind me was so drunk he hallucinated that the light turned green, punched the gas, rear ended me, and drove me and my bike into the 3 cars ahead of us. I was remarkably uninjured, but could easily have lost my legs or worse. There was nothing I could have done or forseen to avoid the collision.
My wife had a separate motorcycle accident on her Ninja 500r that she caused by turning left against oncoming traffic and getting T-boned. The car bumper hit her directly on the right foot, breaking most all the bones in her ankle, then flipping her over the hood and breaking her femur. She had to have bunch of bones in her foot fused, walks with a pronounced limp, and can't go to any event where she has to stand for more than 30 minutes at at time. We used to go to all kinds of rock concerts, now she has to skip the pit and is stuck in balcony seating.
Motorcycles can be convenient and a whole lot of fun, but do not underestimate the statistical likelihood of a life-changing accident, especially if you are in a position where you have dependents that you have financially and emotionally committed to. I have ca […]
- mulanroo
Motorcycles are everywhere in the Philippines, and there are far more now because of delivery riders. They make sense here: they get through traffic and park anywhere. The tradeoff is the roads, which can be rough, and riders squeezing through whatever gap they can find. Accidents are common. I don't ride myself, but it's obvious why so many people do.
- mcmoor
About the risk part, I'm still not really sure how third world countries traffic change the equation. There are a lot of them so cars have to already account for them by default. The sheer quantity also makes traffic slower, and when accidents do happen, when it's between motorcycles there's not that much energy involved compared to cars accident. Also people here rarely have motorcycle with >150cc so accident impact is reduced even further.
But we also have much worse roads and people drive much more recklessly. But maybe this is risk compensation in action. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Risk_compensation
- stanski
I'm not so sure that motorcycle emissions are much better than a car's, even if they do consume less gas. Cars have very complicated emissions systems and are under stricter regulations.
I've also never been able to get anywhere close to 3l/100km. As soon as you move onto bigger displacement bikes, you're looking at around 6l/100km, which is comparable to a hybrid car that weights 5-6 times what the bike does!
It's far from an extremely efficient mode of transportation given the significantly reduced utility.
Regardless, ride as long as you enjoy it, or until you have to recalculate the amount of risk you can afford!
- gravypod
We will not reverse climate change by consuming less. The solutions are equally political and technological. Driving a smaller vehicle does help but real solutions would be: building homes next to jobs, public transportation, electrification, and carbon capture.
> On a motorcycle, you’re in the environment instead of sealed off from it. Lavender above Grasse in June, a 5-degree temperature drop when the road cuts through a forest, leaning into corners with your whole body
Very romantic, but not very realistic. Most commuters need to show up for work in heat, rain, snow, etc.