Have you ever considered abandoning your car and using an electric push bike? They can be quite expensive items to buy but there is always the option of actually building your own.
Why go to the trouble of building an electric bike for yourself? Well, first of all there's perhaps the most obvious reason...
all the money you can save.
Let's face it motoring costs are significant these days for most people and in my own experience these costs are going up month on month as fuel costs increase, not to mention car insurance, MOT costs, maintenance, parking...
it all adds up.
My insurance premiums have increased year on year despite me making no claims and for youngsters just starting out the costs are in many cases totally prohibitive.
For example my step son who is nearly 18 years old, he's at college and desperate to start driving a car.
But when we started to research the cost of insurance just on my own policy the quotes were completely off the scale.
In fact some insurance companies won't even quote now for young men under 18 years old.
So driving for him at the moment is a total no-no despite him desperately wanting to be independent and mobile.
Public transport is not so great where we live so to get to college or to the gym he walks the 3 miles there and back.
So cycling is another option but we decided to research one step further than that when we heard about such a thing as an electric push bike.
This can get him to the gym in no time, he saves money every time he rides, he can lock it on to the bike rack when he gets there and can choose whether to pedal or not! Cost isn't the only factor to consider though...
the electric push bike offers a potentially keep-fit tool.
Ordinary cycling is great but cycling in to a wind or the sight of a huge hill ahead of you can dampen the enthusiasm? When you have a motor easing the burden of pedaling then it all becomes a lot easier.
So you can cycle further with less effort, thereby encouraging you to cycle further and keep fit.
Think of it this way...
if your place of work was 10 miles away...
with a conventional bike would you really consider cycling to work and back?...
arriving all hot and sweaty?...
Honestly?!...
But with an electric push bike because of the assistance it gives you, you can extend the range you are able to cycle before you get tired.
And if you have access to a mains outlet at your destination to charge the battery for the return journey, then you can go further still! The only possible 'snag' I could foresee when I first read about electric bikes was that somehow there would be some rules or regulations or special requirements.
I was delighted to learn that in fact electric bikes do not qualify as 'motor vehicles' so there is no need for a license or an MOT.
There are some regulations, for example in the UK,14 is the minimum age and there are also restrictions on top speed.
So you need to do a bit of research in your particular country to check this out.
The last reason for building an electric push bike...
but by no means the least important...
is the fact you are reducing your carbon footprint which has to be a good thing in my book.
So if you are seriously thinking about replacing your car or just can't afford a car...
then investigate the option of building an electric bike even if you don't consider yourself a very technical person...
this is not beyond most people's capability.
With the right guidance and learning some new skills it can be done and it is well worth the effort.