I don’t understand why the duration of the trip should be included in the calculation. It’s not like the time saved would be used for working.
If we use the same logic, sleeping is the most expensive things in life!
I think the comparison should be much simpler:
40 dollars – walking
80 dollars – running
150 dollars – bike
several thousand dollars (plus the cost of not exercising) – car
Any clarification on that?

A three mile commute is much less than the 16 mile average (according to government statistics). If we are going to use the 20% of income I think we would need to compare it to a 16 mile commute that on average takes 26 minutes (another stat). When I was living in a very bike friendly community (bike paths through green belts without traffic lights is most areas) my 15.4 mile trip would take about 70 minutes. Let’s assume 16 miles was 70 minutes and do the comparison.

Commute time:
Biking: 35000
Driving: 13000

If we use your estimates for cost and maintenance (which seem to ignore time spend on oil changes and such) we get:

Biking: 36060
Driving: 37000

Assuming my commute time was close to average, the difference isn’t really impressive. I would definately rather spend my time biking than driving (when it wasn’t raining 😉 but I think it’s more of a judgement call in this case.

You’re a hard nut cyclist though 🙂 It takes me 20 mins to drive the route to work versus 40 to cycle 😉

There are other pluses to the bike riide, not only do I save the money, I get to know the families of birds on the way at this time of year. You get a lot of flats, too, I would only expect to get one a year if that, and my journey is 6.5 miles each way. I only bike it half the year however. Maybe Schwalbe kevlar is working harder for me than I’d appreciated!

I thought from the title you actually meant speeding.

Some people are going to drive, no matter what you tell them.

But even if a car is a given, speeding makes no sense. Even less, actually:
Driving at 75mph instead of 65 saves you all of 7 seconds per mile.
For the average 16 mile commute, thats all of 2 minutes. (Of course, that’s only if you somehow managed to have the entire trip, from your driveway to the parking lot be on the freeway. Realistically, you only save 1 minute)

In exchange for that one minute of time you saved, you just used up to 25% more gas (which you have to pay for by working that much more) and increased your risk of a fatal accident by as much as 160%.

Going below the speed limit, at 55mph will cost you all of 10 more seconds per mile. It will also put you right about optimal speed for fuel mileage for most vehicles, and reduce your risk of an accident even more.

The number one cause of traffic fatalities isn’t alcohol, or cell phones, or teen drivers, or elderly drivers. Its speeding.

Slow down.
http://neapolitanblog.blogspot.com/2009/08/slow-down-my-philosophy-for-life-also.html

@Surio – It took me many years to realize that a big part of the reason that people are so reluctant to move under their own power is that they simply aren’t dressed for it. Shoes and socks are uncomfortable and not useful for much beyond sitting and looking good; shirts don’t breathe, nylon pant liners become sticky. And of course, most people are so out of shape that it’s hard to image. (I still can’t empathize with “couch to 5k programs for instance, the gap is just too huge… I can’t imagine not being able to will your way through a 5k. I mean I realize the existence, but I can’t understand it.)

I wish I could drop my car and just use a bike but I travel too much and I like to visit friends and family. But what I am going to do when I get back from my work trip is dump my car that I have a loan on and pick one up for cash. Hopefully it will be 2k or less. Even though I can pay for the car loan, another car will get me to the same place just as well. It’s hard to remain vigilant in the quest for ERE! Have to resist keeping up with the Jones’ and the girlfriend! lol

If we’re doing a full accounting, lets factor in health benefits of walking, running, or biking (versus driving).

What’s the cost of that angioplasty or aneurysm from those years of sedentism. Not to mention the lower quality of life and expenses– due to lower level of health– over the years.

Seems to me the movement becomes even more economical then.

@oji @Nick – LOVE your comments

My go to is definitely walking. I use a backpack for grocery shopping and opt for the bike when my destination is further than 3 kilometres one way. These outings are definitely part of my daily physical activity regimen and I know I’m getting greater overall health benefits than if I chose motorized transportation options such as the car or public transportation.

My performance measures include blood pressure and resting heart rate, which are on the low end of normal. I also find my mood and outlook is enhanced when I make a point of walking to my various destinations. The result is greater quality of life now and in the future and likely savings in the area of health and wellness over time.