Imagine a murky grey world with no color, plants, animals, or life. This may sound like science fiction, but it is the hard reality of cities all around the world. There is too much air pollution worldwide. 

Cars burn fossil fuels, which is an unsustainable resource. This means that fossil fuels cannot be replenished like water or electricity. To stop this, we need a better solution for transportation: bicycles. Bicycles do not cause air pollution and encourage physical activity. We should ride bicycles more than cars because they do not produce air pollution, and bicycles help us get exercise. 

Cars are one of the main sources of air pollution around the globe. For example, Visalia, California is the most polluted city in the United States, because the amount of cars on the roads are so significant. Cars burn fuel or kerosene, which produces greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide and methane which harm the ozone layer. This causes global warming because it depletes our atmosphere which protects life on Earth from the sun. On the other hand, if you ride a bicycle, the only source of air pollution is you! This is because you are exhaling carbon dioxide, though in small amounts, unlike cars, which belch out carbon dioxide and methane. 

Bicycles can also help us get exercise. Instead of just sitting on a seat for a few minutes, why not ride a bicycle? Often, people who ride cars get less exercise than people who ride bikes. Additionally riding a bike helps your body in different ways. Cycling exposes you to natural light which helps regulate the circadian rhythm of our bodies. As a result, this improves the quality of sleep. Second, it’s also a great stress reliever, lowering cortisol levels in the blood, promoting feel-good hormones, and helping boost mental agility are all pros of bicycles over automobiles. Third, bicycles may help people not go stir-crazy during the pandemic by helping them release extra energy and pass the time with family members outside! 

Now, you may be thinking, “Why not use electric cars instead?” Or, “there are other types of exercising and family bonding!” Well, electric cars are not very common, and they are expensive. However, bicycles are cheap, and you can find them almost anywhere! Also, sitting at home playing board games is not as healthy as going outside and getting some fresh air. Plus, you can go bicycling sometimes, but you should always do other exercises every few days to change up the routine. 

If you do not want to live in a gloomy world with no color or vibrancy, you can do multiple things to help. First of all, you can write to your local government and ask them to build more bike lanes. You can write to your state governor and protest the use of fossil fuels, or, you can simply go buy a bike yourself! We should ride cars less and bikes more because bicycles cause less air pollution, and you can get some exercise while bonding with your family.