Faster Travel Times
Tests comparing car and motorcycle performance on real journeys suggest that traveling by motorcycle can shorten journey times by as much as 33 minutes of every hour for town centre and city travel, and 20 minutes of every hour for travel through a mixture of built-up and non built-up areas.
Motorcycle Industry Association (UK).
Professor Marcus Wigan, in his report to the Victorian government and Appendices, found that motorcycle trips take 14 – 46% less time in suburban areas.
Travel speeds on Sydney major arterial roads has decreased by over 10% morning peak hour periods. Average speeds of 30km/h are not uncommon.
www.smh.com.au
Lower Cost
With mid range bikes at 4-5 l/100km and scooters sipping at 2-4 l/100km, there are significant savings to be made in fuel consumption over a typical family car.
For a typical 16,000km pa, this could equate to $1000 to $1500 pa. That’s $20-$30 per week tax free.
Depending on your circumstances, commute, parking availability this can add up to very signficiant funds. In my case, on-site parking is not provided for employees cars, however it is provided free for motorcycles & scooters. That’s an additional $1500 pa saving and I’m not even in Sydney’s CBD.
Other factors to consider when weighing up the savings are;
- Rego and CTP is about the same as a car in NSW (but very much cheaper in Brisbane).
- Tyres will be a little more expensive depending on wear (supersoft sportsbike tyres will cost you).
- Servicing will depend on the bike, again penalising the sports machine but favouring the LAMS or scooter brigade.
- Parking can be a signficiant cost saving.
- Depreciation with be signficiantly lower, resulting from both a lower initial outlay and higher residual values.
You’ll need to weigh up the costs for your own machine, but where a motorcycle is used in lieu of purchase of a second vehicle the costs should be siginficiant. Where it’s an additional vehicle, the main advantage may only well be that it offsets the cost of the motorcycle as a recreational vehicle.
Nonetheless, on a day to day basis, every time I commute on my motorcycle, the daily cost is lower by about $15 than the equivalent day in a car. Add in the time saving, congestion busting and sense of energy as I arrive at work, it’s well worth the effort.
Reduces Congestion
Use of large motor vehicles for single occupant commuting is a large contributer to the problem of congestion.
Every motorcycle or scooter on the road instead of a car reduces congestion and increases average speeds.
A small reduction in the number of motor vehicles can have a signficant impact on arterial and motorway flow rates.
Motorcycles with their reduced footprint can make a dramatic contribution to a reduction in congestion without the need for additional lanes and motorways.
Where government actually do spend on infrastructure, the effect can be enhanced by an increased take up of motorcycle commuting.
Reduces Greenhouse Emissions
Motorcycles are lightweight and city commuting scooters are even lighter with small engines that use even less fuel.
The Australian Greenhouse Office recognises these facts;
The Australian Government Submission to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change April 2007 National Inventory Report 2005 – Volume 1, provides the following:
During the same period as the above chart, the motorcycle fleet has expanded by more than 30%. This indicates the improvements in emissions of newer motorcycles and scooters and points to an under utilised transport strategy option.
Assuming a constant speed of 60 km/Hr, these are the emission volumes for selected common vehicles:
- Ford Falcon 4000cc at 2,000 rpm gives emissions of 4,000 L/min.
- Aprilia 1,000cc motorcycle at 3,000 rpm gives emissions of 1,500 L/Min
- Suzuki Across 250cc motorcycle at 4,000 rpm gives 1,000 L/Min
- 50cc four stroke scooter at 5,000 to 10,000 rpm gives 125 to 250 L/Min.
Source: http://www.environment.gov.au/
Thus the car generates 16 to 32 times more emissions than the 50cc four stroke scooters. Even the larger motorcycle emits only a quarter of a Falcons output. All motorcycles currently imported into Australia are emission compliant to at least Euro3 levels. Most PTW’s comply with Euro 5 (September 2009) and some available are Euro 6 compliant (September 2014).
Walking and cycling are only viable for trips up to about 5 kilometres. Bicycles may commute further if geography and specially built level tracks allow. Motorcycles and scooters provide for extended distance single person trips in a very efficient manner, particularly for commuting.
If we are serious about retaining our flexibility and making a serious impact into reducing carbon emissions from commuters, then motorcycle and scooter commuting must become a transport option taken seriously by all levels of government.