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STRESS-FREE AND MORE QUALITY OF LIFE - COMMUTING BY BIKE
For many professionals it is the daily morning ritual on the way to work: crowded streets, traffic jams, overcrowded trains and buses. The majority of commuters even take on the permanent driving stress, although they do not even have to cover 10 kilometres to their workplace. But the daily traffic is not only annoying, it can even cause illness in the long run.
Germany's roads are dense!
More and more people commute to work. According to the latest figures from the Federal Institute for Research on Building, Urban Affairs and Spatial Development, around 18.4 million Germans are on the move every day - that makes up almost 60% of the working population. And the trend is rising! In addition, there is inner-city commuter traffic in larger conurbations. The majority of commuters - over 68% - travel by car. Only a small proportion use public transport and even fewer use bicycles. What the crowded streets mean, commuters experience every day: traffic jams and delays. This is also shown by the ADAC evaluations for 2018, according to which last year the Germans spent almost 460,000 hours in traffic jams - that is over 50 years of life. A high price, considering that a good 50% of commuters travel less than 10 kilometers to work.
DAILY COMMUTE IS PURE STRESS
Getting up early, going to work by car or train and back in the evening - that's everyday life for many commuters. The stress load is very high. Quality of life and even health can suffer, especially over longer distances. Surveys have shown that many commuters feel stressed from a daily driving time of 20 minutes per trip. The load increases accordingly with the length and duration of the pendulum section.
Stress is triggered by a feeling of passivity and powerlessness towards external conditions that cannot be influenced, such as traffic jams or delayed trains. A distinction is made between direct and indirect stress in the stress factors of commuters.
Acute and direct stress are caused by:
- Traffic disruptions such as traffic jams and construction sites
- Parking search before and after work
- Delays and cancellations of public transport services
- Heat stress in cars, trains and buses on warm summer days
- Fear of increased risk of colds in public transport during the winter months
- Noise and tightness in public transport or in the car
- Fear of delays at work
- Feeling of wasting time in cars, trains and buses
- Pulse lawn due to acute driving stress
- Lack of time for family, recreation, sports
Various studies on the mental and physical health of commuters have also shown that overall job satisfaction decreases and absenteeism increases.
CYCLISTS ARE SATISFIED COMMUTERS
Surveys show that cyclists are the most satisfied commuters. There are a number of reasons for this:
- More self-determination: cyclists move much more self-determined than car and rail commuters. They are not at the mercy of the departure times or delays of public transport and usually simply drive past the daily traffic jams.
- Driving with sense: The journey to work is not perceived as wasted time, but as personal time-out and an easy way to keep fit by exercising more.
- More well-being: Daily exercise in the fresh air has been proven to release hormones of happiness - regardless of the weather. The skin is supplied with blood and the senses are stimulated, which makes you awake and balanced.
- Better health: Cycling is an optimal cardiovascular workout. Especially the oscillation with electric drive, because the pulse frequency remains at an optimal level. Find out more here.
- Save costs and relieve the burden on the environment: not only does commuting by bike reduce CO2 emissions, it also saves costs for the daily journey to work - for journeys of 10 kilometres alone, this amounts to around 600 euros a year in petrol costs. If you would like to make a quick and easy calculation for your way to work yourself, you can use an online savings calculator.
CHANGE TO CYCLING
In the Netherlands, about 25% of working people travel to work every day. In Germany, on the other hand, it is not even half as high at around 10 %. Bicycle swinging is particularly suitable for shorter distances. Many transfer passengers report that only in the beginning did it cost them to leave the car behind and take the bike - especially in bad weather. But after a short time they could no longer imagine commuting to work in any other way.
Our tips for switching to the bike:
- Start slow: The best way to start your change is to start with a fixed day of the week and then increase slowly if it works out well and is fun.
- The right equipment: The right basic equipment includes above all bicycle bags so that you can continue to do your errands on the way to work without straining your back and impairing your riding feeling.
- Make it weatherproof: Weatherproof clothing for rain, wind and cold days is also one of the important basics, so that small rain showers or temperature drops do not take the fun out of driving.
- Benefit from subsidies and tax advantages: For some years now, company bicycles have been tax-deductible. In some cities there are also subsidies for the purchase of bicycles. Here, in particular with a new bicycle, should be inquired in advance, so that the investment in an eBike can be reduced.
EASY WHEEL SWINGING WITH E-DRIVE
Even easier is the daily cycling with supporting e-drive. Here are just a few reasons why you should drive your bike:
Faster and longer distances: With the e-drive you can reach 25 km/h without any problems and effort - so longer distances can also be easily achieved by bike every day.
Tailwind on inclines: If the working route also has gradients, these do not become a major challenge thanks to the electric drive. The E support allows you to drive almost by yourself and thus take any mountain without effort.
Weld-free to your destination: What many fear on the way to work does not happen when driving with electric drive: arriving sweaty. The ease with which you can get on the bike reduces the need for your body to cool off from sweating - this makes cycling much more pleasant both in summer and winter. Nevertheless, driving with electric drive remains a perfect cardiovascular training!
You don't even have to buy a new bike to commute with electric drive, because with the Pendix eDrive almost any bike model can be easily retrofitted. So you can use your existing bike and turn it into an eBike. There are only few installation requirements for our drive. Depending on the distance you travel, you can choose between a small battery (300Wh) or a large battery (500Wh). Our configurator will tell you which of our products suits you best, as other factors also play a role in the range of the Pendix eDrive.