📢 Read the text.

Heading Across Town? Take a Bike

Bike-sharing schemes have grown in popularity in Australia, transforming how people get around cities. The concept is simple: people can rent a bike for a short period of time from fleets of bikes set up around town. These bike-share systems add value to cities by reducing traffic congestion, increasing mobility and improving public health. Though some people are sceptical of systems like these, the initiative has taken hold. The first bike-sharing system in Australia was established in Melbourne, Victoria in 1993; however, it lasted less than a year. The first successful system was established in London in 2010. Today, similar systems exist in most cities across the country. 

In large metropolitan areas, bike sharing can make a difference in inner-city congestion. In the United States, for example, a 2014 report from the New York City Department of Transportation showed that even after some traffic lanes were converted to bike lanes to accommodate bike shares, travel times by car stayed the same or improved—by fourteen percent on one busy avenue. In cities like New York and London, office workers in suits and ties often use the bikes for a convenient and efficient commute to work. In fact, participants in some cities report that they substitute rides via bike shares for car journeys as much as twenty percent of the time. 

Bike shares are advantageous not only for daily commuters but also for visitors who’d like to tour a city. Indeed, riding a bike is probably the best way to see any city. There is no better way of experiencing a city’s sights and neighbourhoods. As Richard Buning, Lecturer in Tourism at the University of Queensland in Australia, points out, ‘The bikes allow for better access to local neighbourhoods, cultural areas, tourist sites and businesses than tour buses, ride-share operators and public transport can provide.’ Many like Buning view bike-share systems as tourist attractions in themselves.

Bike sharing is also good exercise. According to Transport for London, bike-share participants completed the equivalent of sixty-five return journeys to the moon over the course of 2018. Furthermore, many highlight the health benefits that come with reductions in traffic-related smog. In fact, a study of New York’s Citi Bike scheme concluded that the city’s addition of bike lanes reduced pollution, thereby benefitting even those who don’t use the system. Additionally, studies show that bicycle commuters report not only improved health but also increased happiness and less stress. 

Some question whether or not bike-share systems are merely a part of ongoing urban gentrification, a type of development seen as catering to the wealthy and shutting out those with little money. Critics assert that bike-sharing systems are unfair to disadvantaged populations who can’t afford the deposits and hefty penalty fees charged by some providers. In the US, one metropolitan bike-share company charges twelve hundred US dollars to a renter’s credit card if the bike is not returned to its dock at the designated time. Most bike-rental systems also require the use of a credit card, which excludes those who don’t have good enough credit to qualify for one. Bike-share companies are beginning to pay attention to these complaints, though, offering cash systems, fee waivers and lower rates for low-income customers. 

As a result of efforts to answer these concerns and make bike sharing attractive and available to all area residents—not just the wealthy—attitudes may be shifting. For example, the Bikes for All project in Glasgow, Scotland, reduced the annual bike-share membership fee from 60 pounds to only 3 pounds. Plus, for the average city resident, bike shares are more affordable than other options. Mario, a twenty-nine-year-old bike-share user in the American city of San Francisco, states, ‘It’s the cheapest transport option we have.’ In regard to the burden on taxpayers, an analysis by People for Bikes concludes that the taxes used to fund bike-sharing systems are far lower than the taxes used to fund public transport. Clearly, the many benefits of bike sharing outweigh its drawbacks. It’s no wonder, then, that brightly coloured fleets of bikes are popping up in cities across Australia, and people are hopping on.

What is the author’s main claim or argument?

• Bike-sharing schemes should be established in both large cities and small towns.
• Bike-sharing schemes are beneficial to people who live in urban areas.
• Bike-sharing schemes are not beneficial to low-income populations.

📢 Read the text.

Common Cents

Since 1793, the American penny has been minted and circulated as a one-cent piece of currency in the United States. The first penny was designed by Benjamin Franklin, one of the nation’s Founding Fathers and the man credited with the phrase ‘A penny saved is a penny earned.’ The appearance of the penny has evolved over time, but for ages it has stood out from other coins due to its copper colour and low value. Today, some believe the penny is a nuisance that should be eliminated from circulation and no longer minted. However, the penny has more worth than some realise, and it should remain in use.

The most common reason given for eliminating the penny is that the coin is essentially worthless in today’s marketplace. It’s true: there is essentially nothing that can be bought for one cent anymore. As recently as the twentieth century, the existence of penny sweet shops meant a piece of liquorice or a hard sweet could be yours for one cent. During this time, penny games at funfairs offered a chance at a big prize. Today, though, pennies lack even the power to put a piece of bubble gum in your mouth. They weigh your pockets down, and they serve no purpose in your daily life.

However, the reason to have pennies in circulation is not to purchase things for one cent but to keep prices down. If there were no more pennies, cash transactions would have to be rounded to the nickel (five cents). In all likelihood, vendors would opt to round costs up instead of down, since doing so would increase profits. In fact, this is precisely what occurred in Canada after they eliminated the penny in 2013. A 2017 study of Canadian supermarkets indicates that rounding to the nickel benefits merchants far more often than it does consumers. The study shows that for Canadian supermarket owners, rounding up by a few cents generates an additional 3.27 million Canadian dollars per year in profit.

Pennies can add up for charities and non-profits, too. Charitable organisations such as the Salvation Army and Ronald McDonald House hold ‘penny drives’, during which enough pennies accumulate to assist people in need. In 2012, Ronald McDonald House raised twenty-eight million American dollars in their coin drive. Even smaller organisations, such as schools, hold penny fundraisers that result in hundreds or even thousands of dollars raised for various causes.

In addition to the financial impacts of the penny, we should consider the penny’s symbolism. Since 1909, the American penny has commemorated President Lincoln. Lincoln’s profile is featured on one side of the penny, and the Lincoln Memorial is featured on the other side. Lincoln was president during the American Civil War and a leader in abolishing slavery in the United States. To eliminate the penny would be a disservice to this significant figure in American history. Furthermore, President Lincoln is featured on the five-dollar note. If the five-dollar note is the next to be eliminated from circulation, the effect on consumers and the economy would be all the more drastic.

Finally, polling strongly indicates that most Americans are in favour of keeping the penny in circulation. According to independent polls conducted by media sources such as CNN and USA Today, at least sixty percent of Americans want the penny to stay. It has sentimental value for many people, and what is more American than saying the majority rules? While the penny may not buy anything on its own, it nevertheless has power as cash currency by keeping prices down. The penny plays a significant role in charitable fundraising, and it honours Abraham Lincoln. The penny is worth keeping.

What is the author’s main claim or argument?

• We should continue to mint the penny, but its design should be updated.
• The penny is surprisingly important in the US, so it should remain in use.
• The penny should be kept in circulation, but only for certain specific purposes.