Commentary: This Bike Month, Let’s Pedal More to Cut Pain at the Pump

As the average gas price shoots toward records, these higher costs hit our inflation-strained wallets hard. Rather than racking up credit card debt or pulling too much from our savings, there are ways we can lower fuel purchases to offset higher costs caused by war. 

Since half of all trips in the United States are less than four miles, we can often use two wheels instead of four. While we can’t all afford to buy a new EV right away and we don’t all have access to a transit station, now is an important time for us to explore more biking and walking. 

At the East Coast Greenway Alliance, we are making bike rides to school and walks to the store safe and convenient alternatives to expensive driving. 

Over the past 34 years, we have worked with the 450 communities in our corridor to build out and map 1,100 miles of safe and connected greenways. While we still have 1,000+ miles to develop to complete our linear park, the East Coast Greenway already hosts 50 million bike rides, runs and walks every year. Our goal is to double that number to 100 million by 2030. Will you join us to save money and grow your community? If you have been averaging three walks or bike rides per week, perhaps you can go for six this spring. If you are already walking and biking everywhere, perhaps you can take the time to help neighbors and friends enjoy a less expensive and more fun way to get around, too.

On a trip to Europe last year, I saw the many benefits of higher rates of biking and walking. Countries like The Netherlands and Denmark rank among the happiest in the world with commutes marked less by road rage and more like joyrides. For people living Maine to Florida and beyond, our nonprofit is here to help you lower costs and improve your health through increased biking and walking.  

Bikes Are Trending

A brand new study by John Pucher et. al. shows that biking has grown consistently in cities across Europe and the U.S., from New York and London to Paris and Berlin. In New York, biking has tripled since 1990. And in Paris, biking is up 20-fold! Despite growth in the U.S., we still lag European peers who often quadruple our rate of biking. It shows great opportunity for further growth that could lower our household costs by hundreds if not thousands of dollars per year.

A School Bike Bus Runs on Cereal and Burritos, Not Less Reliable Fossil Fuels

Here in Durham, North Carolina, we have a Greenway Bike Bus to Southwest Elementary School that often hosts dozens of students and their parents. Not only are these rides making our kids stronger and more independent, but they are lowering the cost of daily trips. The energy comes from cereal, burritos and everything we eat, instead of relying on fuels that are vulnerable to major price spikes like the last several weeks. It’s been inspiring to be part of the Bike Bus and to see the connection and community that comes from our rides full of kids, parents and even grandparents. 

No Gas Required Vacations

Commutes to school and work aren’t the only opportunities to switch to biking. Summer vacations don’t have to be full of expensive flights and car trips. My family and I just enjoyed a train ride to a neighboring city where we walked, biked and took transit to visit cousins and friends. Many cities like Boston, New York and Washington, D.C. have bike share that can be used for short trips, and local bike shops provide longer bike rentals as well. I also invite you to consider a staycation exploring the most complete metro area of the entire Greenway — 75 miles in the Triangle of North Carolina — or southern New England through Connecticut and Rhode Island.

These changes aren’t just good for our wallet, they are also good for the wildlife we depend on for clean air and clean water. Fresh off Earth Day, throughout Bike Month and beyond, we can all be a proud part of the environmental movement by integrating more biking and walking into our lives.  

Let’s help each other lower costs in 2026 by increasing biking and walking. Together, we can replace pain at the pump with the benefits of the bicycle. The joy we get just might transform the anxious generation into a community-building force that restores our nation’s social fabric and fosters peace and understanding beyond our borders. Let’s go for it, shall we?