MOUNT VERNON — David Carter has been pounding the pedals of his bicycle and riding to work to battle rising fuel costs.
He’s not the only one.
Carter, a guidance counselor at the Mount Vernon High School, said he rides because of gas prices but also for the exercise. He said he began riding to work back in the spring of 2006 but he has been doing it more often recently.
“I don’t have a very economical vehicle,” Carter said. “It’s about 15 miles round trip. I save about $3 per trip, one way.”
He said he often rides one way and drives the other leg, leaving his vehicle at work when needed. Carter added that countryside along the ride is very pleasant: He leaves his home on Fairview Road, gets on Pleasant Valley Road, rides a short distance on U.S. 36, hits Columbus Road, and then takes Parrott Street.
“It works out nicely,” he said. “It takes about 35 minutes in the morning. Coming back I have to ride uphill, and it takes about 45 minutes.”
Carter said people thinking about riding to work should start out slow and give their bodies a chance to get used to the ride. He added that, after riding for about two years, he doesn’t have to walk his bike up the steep hill anymore.
Customers who visit Y Not Cycling & Fitness on South Main Street will notice a sign that reads: Bike to Work.
The number of people who are heeding this call is on the rise, according to Dave Frase, store manager. He said he’s noticed a rise in both bicycle sales and repairs so far this year, compared to previous years. The increase is mainly in the sale of hybrid bikes, a cross between a mountain bike and a road bicycle.
“A lot of people come in with their own personal bikes to get fixed,” Frase said. “More and more people are asking for rear racks to carry books, laundry, groceries.”
Kevin Mishey, owner of Mid-Ohio Honda in Mount Vernon, said he’s seen a 28 percent increase in motorcycle sales this April compared to last April and he expects sales for May to be up between 10 to 12 percent. Normally, he said, customers buy motorcycles for recreation but he has heard customers more recently comment on the need to drive a more fuel-efficient vehicle. A lightweight motorcycle can get around 80 miles per gallon; a middleweight motorcycle, about 45 to 60 miles per gallon.
Mishey said scooter sales have also been on the rise. These differ from motorcycles in that they are totally automatic. He said they can get anywhere from 55 to 120 miles per gallon, depending on their size and model, and added that they can be very useful in commuting to town and back.
