The Bicycling Paradox?

Friend of Activeness (FOA) Ryan ventures into FOA Anonymous Economist territory by sending a link to a New York Times article on a provocative theory put forth by a professor at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Karl T. Ulrich's paper argues that traveling by bicycle may cause more environmental harm than driving around in pollution-spewing, fossil-fuel-swallowing cars and SUVs. Why? Because healthy bicyclists (if they can avoid being run down by cars) live longer and will consume more energy than they save over their lifetimes.

Of course there are huge holes in the argument of Ulrich, who is a cyclist himself. And there are similar theories about nonsmokers living longer and thus placing a greater strain on the health care system. Let them smoke and die sooner!

Anyway, here's a blog tracing the arguments and counterarguments of the environmental bicycling paradox.

Click here to download a PDF of the paper.