A Global Solution to Breathing Easier?

Air pollution has been making international headlines in 2013, beginning with particulate matter in China and continuing with the Forward on Climate rally in Washington, DC. In the United States, motor vehicle emissions account for 51% of household carbon dioxide emissions, which is why government agencies and environmental organizations encourage the use of public transportation. I work for Amtrak, so I frequently take the train, but I've noticed that many of my colleagues here actually drive in to work, despite having a train stop near their homes. The biggest barrier that I've observed is that there's no easy way for people to get directly from their houses to the nearest train stop, so they simply decide to drive.

As an urban commuter, I had always solved this issue by riding my bike to work, but being unable to store my bike inside my apartment had led to a lot of problems (to the point where I felt like we needed to hang a sign like the one to the left outside of our apartment). In one instance, the bolt on my front tire was stolen, and I actually rode all of the way to work without it, only realizing the bolt was missing once I reached the train station. Obviously, this was pretty dangerous, since my entire front tire could have fallen off my bike during the ride, and I felt that I needed a better solution. 

While trying to replace stolen components from my bike I visited Trophy Bikes, where a really helpful mechanic suggested Pitlocks, which are bolts with customized keys to prevent theft. I was interested until I found out that the price tag was about $90, which was probably worth more than my actual bike. It definitely would have solved some of my problems, but I was hesitant to spent this money on a bike that I was forced to leave outside uncovered (and was already generating some rust). After mentioning this to the mechanic, he pointed out a foldable bike that they carried called a Brompton. For those of you that are not familiar, these bikes are wonderful, but very pricey, and usually cost upwards of $2,000. My grad school budget has no room for splurging, but I was hooked on the idea of a folding bicycle, which could be stored indoors, would prevent theft, and could even be taken on a train! 

I looked around for a few months, and I thought that maybe I could find a great deal on a used Brompton or Dahon on Craigslist, but there were very few located in the area, and most were out of my price range. Finally, I stumbled upon Citizen Bike, which offers a range of foldable models, with prices between $169 (16" wheels and steel frame) and $399 (20" wheels and alloy frame). Another theft (this time of my bicycle seat) forced the issue and I donated what was left of my bike the day after purchasing a Citizen Miami online. I've had the Citizen Miami- which my coworkers have affectionately named 'Matilda'- for a week now, and I'm very impressed. 

In the interest of full disclosure, I'm by no means a bike connoisseur. In addition to Matilda, I own a used Specialized Hardrock for mountain biking, which I purchased only after another bike mechanic seemed legitimately concerned that I might break the frame of my Huffy on the trails at Wissahickon Park. Matilda offers a smooth ride, and with 20" tires and a steel frame, weighs about 30 pounds. She folds nicely in 3 quick moves, and while I was secretly worried that the bike would look ridiculous, I've gotten a few compliments already.  My favorite was one by a clear Philly native who shouted "Yo, that jawn is TIGHTTT!" Best of all, she only set me back $269, and fits nicely under my desk. 

I've had friends complain about the difficulties of taking their bikes on public transportation (having to place their beloved bike in front of a bus or not being able to take it on the train) and I really think that foldable bikes have an important place in this discussion until public transit can find a better way to accommodate full sized bikes and their riders. They could fill the missing link for the everyday commuter, and ultimately help us cut down on commuting costs and congestion while improving air quality. The New York City MTA has already partnered with Citizen to create the MTA MetroBike which can be taken on any MTA Trains and Buses without restriction, 24 hours a day. The MTA already serves 8.5 million transit riders each weekday, but I hope that folding bikes make it easier for suburbanites or those more removed from city transit to also chose public transportation. The advantages would be similar overseas, as these bikes take up very little space and encourage the use of public transportation in areas that are experiencing a surge of vehicle usage. My only complaint is that I wish I had known about Citizen's folding bikes earlier, specifically when I lived on 36th Street and carried my heavy mountain bike up 4 flights of stairs because it wouldn't fit in the elevator, ha ha! It would also be cool to know more about what Citizen does within their own company to incorporate sustainability.

My next post will be a "Sustainability Spotlight", focusing on a company that has set the standard on incorporating environmental consciousness into their operations. See you soon!