This is the average cost of gasoline in the United States. Thanks to our brilliant administration for getting duped into starting yet another war in the Middle East. If you support this admin, you should keep reading, but know that if you haven’t figured out you’re the mark, well, you are more detached than we thought you were, and that’s saying something because we already knew you were in the dark and certainly radicalized. In the twenty-five years we fought al-Qaeda, we radicalized our own country to believe we had a good side and a bad side, a good team and a bad team, and we learned to hate the other. So dumb, America, and now we pay the price, literally. (Food, gas, inflation, and healthcare costs have all gone up significantly since January.)
I was going to dive deep into the geopolitical side of the bicycle thing, but this gentleman already did it for us. The narrative here is key. And his approach is pragmatic. We need a new and better system. That’s all. What we have now isn’t working, and the war is a clear sign of this. Our administration said about both Venezuela and Iran, “We want the oil.” This, people, has clearly got to stop. It begins by voting out the con artists and liars and starting over. And maybe it also starts with two wheels instead of four.
And let us not forget, people are dying. Civilians. Women and children, and yes, it’s perfectly acceptable to use the words “war crimes,” and “genocide,” because that’s what’s happening. (Gaza, Lebanon.)
The Democrats did nothing from 2020 to 2024. Sure, they passed several key policies, but they forgot there was an election. They ran out Old Joe, then subbed Kamala at the last minute, a horrible strategy, and it looks like they are doing much of the same right now. Where the FU%$ is the candidate? Gavin is too slick and has way too many skeletons. Remember, you are parading this person in front of millions of people who think Hunter Biden’s laptop and Hillary Clinton’s email server were way worse than anything happening now. You must throw out logic. I have zero faith this will end well, and I can’t see the midterms even happening. The Republicans can’t let the vote happen. Connect the current dots: the Fulton raid, Venezuela, Iran, Epstein, the destruction of the DOJ and the FBI, $1.5 trillion in military buildup, and you have the stage set for a takeover, something that tens of millions of Americans seem okay with.
But let’s get back to the Middle East, a region I find fascinating. It’s easy to get lost in the death and destruction and Christian Nationalism on display through members of the administration. Was it about a nuke? Yes or no? Depends on who you ask, what day it is, and who is trying to fleece us behind the scenes.(Insider trading.) Was it about regime change? Same. The story changes from day to day. Lies. Nothing but lies.“God has chosen a side,” This is a Holy War,” they say. But what has become abundantly clear is the fragility of the energy industry. (And thousands of civilians are being killed.) I knew it was fragile, but I’ve learned a lot about some of the more detailed fault lines that are now clearly on display.
I’m about to venture to Japan, a country that receives 90% of its oil from the Middle East. Now, Japan is savvy and has a two-year reserve, but it is in the minority. The UK has a one-and-a-half-month reserve, and Australia has even less. The United States is better, but not entirely out of the woods. We’ve seen the stories about gas lines and other regions and countries in serious trouble after less than a week of the Straight of Hormuz being closed. Like COVID-19, the world is learning, whether it be food supply or energy. We need a better system, and we must, for the love of all things crappy, find a way beyond fossil fuel.
Here’s where my right-wing friends lose their minds. Yes, I have tons of friends on the right. I don’t agree with their views, but we remain friends. It’s the only logical way forward. I have to say, however, fewer and fewer of my right-wing friends are willing to have discussions now. They mostly throw up their hands and say, “We can’t talk politics.” This is a sign of doubt, frustration, and fear. Here is my take. I don’t look at something like this energy situation and see it as a political issue. It’s not. There are tons of politicians who want you to believe it is. That’s how they make their living. You can’t be the top Democrat on the Energy Commission and receive $750,000 per year from oil and gas and NOT make this into a political issue. It pays to keep it there.
But for us civilians sucking the tailpipe every day, it’s simply about using our collective knowledge to find a better way. This is COOL, not political. This is where the geek thrives. The kid who blew the curve in math class, your friend who collected spores, molds, and fungi. Your roommate, who played Dungeons and Dragons by herself. Now is the time for these folks to shine.
$1,000.
That’s how much I’ve saved riding my bike. I don’t have an exact timeframe for how long it took me to accumulate that mileage, but it wasn’t that long. I wasn’t even trying. Had I been more militant, this number would be way higher, and by the way, I’m being very kind by using a cost-saving ratio far below what it actually is. I’m using $.50 per mile instead of $1.00 per mile, which is closer to the actual savings. I’m doing this to piss off the haters. So, for those with inquiring minds, you could say I saved $2,000.
Let the excuses begin. I live in the country. I don’t have a bike. The roads are dangerous. I hate bicycles. I’m afraid of bicycles. The distances are too far. My town is hilly. I hate spandex. Cyclists cause all traffic. (Yes, I know someone who believes this.) I’ve heard them all. I get it. I really do, and I’m not delusional. I know what I want to see will never happen in my lifetime, maybe ever, but I still like to think about it. I still like to chip away at it. Nothing makes me happier than receiving an email from someone who dug an old bike out of their garage and rode to work instead of driving. Sixty percent of all vehicle trips in the United States are under five miles. Fifty percent are under three miles. Thirty percent are under one mile. For you haters, those are unfriendly percentages.
Americans no longer care about doing the right thing. I know that sounds bad, but hear me out. We don’t care that much about the environment. We don’t care about common sense or about thinking more about others than ourselves. We don’t care about many of the things we profess to care about, not when it comes down to crunch time. Like photographers who complain about Trump but still use Instagram. Sounds good to complain about the man, but deleting that app is just TOO much to ask. Many of the most “concerned” aren’t really that concerned. What do Americans care about? Money.
It’s only $1,000, you say. I can hear it now. It’s nothing. Nada. Oh, but you are so wrong. That $1,000 can be so much more. Put it in a HYSA. Why not? Let it gain some interest, or invest it into your overall portfolio. Or if you are smoking paint chips, go for crypto! I kid about this, but I know nothing about crypto other than some friends love it and seem to be doing fine, while others spectacularly lost their ass. (Some in the Trump coin. Idiots.) You could also donate that money. You could pay for emergency supplies, or maybe buy a truckload of Red Bull. (333 Red Bulls based on average price.) And just imagine NOT owning a vehicle. Geez. That’s $15,000 on average back in your pocket. That sounds pretty good.
Let’s put the money aside for a minute and talk about other benefits of cycling. Improved mental and physical health, better fitness, reduced healthcare costs, reduced carbon footprint, it’s fun, one hell of a lot easier to park, and reduced noise, which is such an important part but something that often gets overlooked. And for you electric car proponents, remember, above 30mph, the noise from the tires surpasses the noise of the engine. (This new Slate truck looks interesting.) The benefits to mental health can’t be overstated because so many of us seem mired, paralyzed even, by the 24hr news cycle, and the self-destructive negativity loop provided by social media. (The more agitated you are, the more you buy.)
So, imagine if that number was $2,000, or better yet, what about $3,000? Now I can feel you shifting in your seat. I know, cycling isn’t THE solution, but it could be an essential PART of the solution. We know with one hundred percent certainty that fossil fuels will run out. We know with 100% certainty that burning fossil fuels is bad for us and the planet. And if you want to try to argue against this science, go back and read paragraph one about you being the mark. Ask yourself, is it the administration talking, or is it me?
Where is Rodney King when we need him? “Can’t we all just get along?” Great question, Rodney. Apparently not, but maybe we can at a later date, when we most likely will not have a choice. Just give bikes a chance. Other countries have, and we see the success. Are these places perfect? Nope. Are they on the right track? Sure seems that way. Is there anything intelligent about doubling down on fossil fuels? No. Are we going to do it anyway? Probably. Is it due to corruption and greed? Yes. Will those in power pay the price? Probably not.
In the background, the bike sits quietly. Waiting for some love.
PS: For the haters, know my carbon footprint looks like Sasquatch. I fly and drive a lot. I’m as guilty as the next person, but I also use my bike a lot more than most. And where I live, it isn’t easy. At some point, my goal will be to be car-free and live with a bike and public transit. One interesting note: the vast majority of bike- or cycling-infrastructure haters are, in general, really pissed off people. They seem to be angry about everything and not just bikes.
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I love bikes. I even commute in the winter, in Gatineau, Quebec (studded tires, warm clothes, and a good dose of patience all help). The best thing I have ever read about the heaps of benefits that come from embracing cycling at individual and societal levels is “Bikenomics: How Bicycling Can Save The Economy” by Elly Blue. She’s a great writer, and researched and cited this book like it was an academic thesis. I have so many stickies and notes in my copy, and have bought copies for others.
The one thing is that often facts don’t persuade… But maybe a ride to the ice cream shop or beer garden might. In the words of Tyler the Creator, “Get a bunch of bikes and ride them around with your friends… It’s the shit.”
Author
Oh, cool. I don’t know this book. Thanks for the note. And yes, riding around at night to get a beer or ice cream is awesome. Regardless of age.
Don’t hold back. Tell us how you REALLY feel!
Last night I happened to do the math comparing an EV to my car (a Honda Fit). Over several years it takes 6.1 L of gas to go 100 K, and right now gas is stupidly expensive. My last fillup was $1.64/L. So it costs almost exactly $10 for the fuel to drive 100 Km. Yes, there’s maintenance and insurance, ect. Research says on average an EV car needs 17 KwH to go 100 K, so for fun lets say it’s 20, and electricity at my house costs 8.79 cents per KwH. (No solar panels on my roof.) Or about $1.75 to travel the same 100 K. Of course, the EV still needs insurance, and some maintenance albeit not as much as a ICE car. But I also need to consider all the other charges on my electricity bill. The actual energy charge is only a third (AN EFFING THIRD!!!) of the bill, what with all sorts of other fees added in that sound like a total scam. They even charge a fee to send the paper bill. But add them in anyways and assume it takes that same 3X (which isn’t true because those costs are not related to the amount of energy used) to travel the 100 K, so now I’m up to $5.25. There are incentives to buy one just now, and I almost want to go do it. More research needed.
But you are totally right about bikes. Calgary has been trying to move the needle on making it safer for cyclists on the street, and holy doodle. You’d think it was end times for the, what did you call them, tailpipe suckers. Even just trying to talk about getting around by anything other than a car, and when I say car in Calgary that means a big ass pickup truck, is viewed as an existential threat. Plus in Calgary there is winter. I think we’re up to 6th winter now since Christmas, if you count snow events separated by sun tanning weather as separate winters. Yes, there are hardy souls out riding their bikes in minus WTF temperatures complete with flying snow, but that’s not the usual bike crowd, and certainly not the car crowd.
And yeah, Trump. The one good thing about Trump is that he scuppered Pierre Poilievre from becoming Prime Minister of Canada. Not that that matters to most Americans.
Author
I love that you did some math. Again, I find this entertaining more than anything else. We love our giant trucks here too. I drive a van. I’m thinking solar yurt is in my future. Small, middle of nowhere. Perimeter laser defense with 155 mortar as backup.
In London, my city, rental bikes are everywhere. It is quite tricky negotiating buses and trucks on such narrow roads, but you’ll always arrive before the bus. Unlike Amsterdam or Copenhagen, we have the lycra crowd racing along, and all too often there’s a car/bike confrontation. It’s probably because London is comparatively much bigger and distances greater that some folk race along, head own, regardless of others, including pedestrians. Eventually, I expect cars and all vehicles will be banned after 8am in the city, I’m sure it will benefit the majority.
Author
How amazing would that be. Like Ed Abbey saying we should ban cars in national parks. We should.
If you haven’t already read it, you might like the books “Life After Cars” by Sarah Goodyear and Doug Gordon. Lots of good takes on those same topics.
Author
On it.
We have built civilizations on a finite polluting resource. We are sort of at that change or die as a species inflection point but instead are cheering on a return to 1950s thinking and in the US rapturously applauding the death of a democracy that would have been the last option for meaningful change. Perhaps though the bike will be the instrument of our insurrection.
Author
Well, it’s so profitable for the select few. And unless the public demands more, probably never going to change.
I was just this minute looking at used folding bikes online, and then thought I’d check in here.
Not a coincidence, me thinks.
Author
I love folders. Have had one now for at least fifteen years.
We need safer roads and systems that give bikes at least a fighting chance. I had a route to my work that made me ride 4 miles out of my way to avoid some dangerous roads. But it made me fitter. My business moved onto one of those terrible roads and now it’s unreasonably dangerous to get their on a bike. Two lanes, no shoulder 50mph speed limit, distracted drivers exiting the nearby parkway. In NY cars rule the road and there’s no sign of that changing anytime soon. Manhattan might be the exception because of CitiBikes and couriers. Nevertheless, I ride when I can but it’s usually for leisure or a random local errand.
Author
Yep, agree. Nearly impossible here in the US. Oil and gas lobby is so powerful, and the insurance companies don’t help. And the public is apathetic, even while paying $4.00 and complaining.
” We need a new and better system. That’s all. ” “haters are, in general, really pissed off people. “
Author
Yep. And to me, this is interesting, cool, challenging. But it’s not political.
I don’t agree with the use of the word « genocide » for describing what is essentially war casualties (look closer at the stats and you’ll see Hamas, sorry, the « Palestinian authority », recently announced 50000 widows of fighters out of 60000 total deaths in the whole war… also, 60000 out of 2000000 is .3%, hardly a genocide, and hamas calls a child anybody below 18, so you can be a child casualty and die with a gun in your hands – propaganda at its finest) . I’ll never be happy about people dying, but this specific word is being used to nazify a whole country and people that, at the core, just defend themselves. Rockets, October 7, hostages, etc. Everybody seems to forget the details that begun the war… so is it bad? Yes, but I will never agree with extreme-ificatition of the situation, especially when it is so one sided.
Bikes and electricity? I’m all in. I am even more furious that France gave in to Germany and closed nuclear facilities that gave us an edge that would be so important in the current situation. We had cheap and mostly clean energy (cleaner than the alternatives anyway), and we gave that up for political bullshit. We could be far ahead in electric cars and bikes and cheap energy, and decide we don’t have to deal with that shit anymore, but no, let’s not make that easy.
I don’t like the world as I see it now, but I also see the other side: the left is no better than the right, and they feed each other into going further in stupidity each time. Social networks are evil. Just connected to Facebook after a whole year and a half off, I’m already angry. I’ll leave it for good this time. The world is in bad shape, there’s not much we can do about it.
Author
There are no innocents in these wars. Ever seen an aerial photo of Gaza? Look closely, could be Dresden, Grozny, Aleppo. This isn’t just defense. The Israelis’ aren’t even saying that. Listen to the IDF soldiers, Bibi, defense minister. It’s not good. And by classic war crime definition, I see six or seven that are impossible to deny. However, war crimes are so common now, I’m not sure it’s even a “thing” anymore. No one seems to get punished or held accountable. Also, be careful about lumping all of one side together. Left is just as bad as the right. No, not really. Not at the moment. Is the left asleep at the wheel? Yep. Do they seem to have a plan? No. But look at the difference in candidate. You can’t tell me that Harris is Trump.
And yet it is still not a genocide. Not 0.3% of the population, 80% of which are fighters by their own admission. Genocide= erasing a population. Nazis got 50% of the Jews in the world. That’s a real genocide. Turkey got 70%of the Armenians. Real genocide. Israel killed 0.3% of the population in Gaza, mostly terrorists during fights. Even if it had been only civilians, which it was not, saying Genocide there is nothing but marketing. Yes, Gaza is in ruins. So is Nir Oz which got 30% of its population wiped in one night, including babies (is 30% enough to be considered genocide?). So are all the Kibbutz around it. One was very intentional, the other is the result.
When you say « genocide », it is a lie designed to shortcut criticism because it leave no room for a discussion other than “do you want to be in the corner of good?” (“well sure Bernie, i want to be a nice guy, and genocide sure is a bad thing”). Then you leave me no choice but to push back hard, which in turn makes you push back harder, etc. Words matter. Maybe you see other things, but if you look at data, there is no way you can say “genocide” against Israel in good faith. Plus the other side has done things that get cancelled by that wording. It is nothing but f…ing marketing!
It is, literally, a swing, and the more force you put on one side, the more force it has coming back. Trump is the result of Obama being black, and has already lead to AOC and Mamdani, which will lead to Trump Junior, etc. Kamala didn’t stand a chance there, I’m surprised anybody even noticed her. The only solution is to stop pushing so hard, and you start doing that by using the right words. Genocide is NOT the right word.
Have you read Eli Sharabi’s book “Hostage”? He tells his year in the tunnels of Gaza, very interesting read from someone who lost everything, but remains surprisingly measured. He talks all book long with his captors, and you sure can’t make peace with people like that.
Author
No idea where your stats are coming from, but they are way off from what I’m looking at. 80% of the population are fighters? Huh? Genocide is the deliberate, systematic destruction—in whole or in part—of a national, ethnic, racial, or religious group, recognized as a crime under international law. IDF’s own database claims around 9,000 fighters killed and 53,000 civilians. To call this marketing is horrendously insulting to all involved.
My stats come from (drum roll)… hamas’ social media, where they claimed around 60.000 killed during the war, then later claimed there were 50000 grieving widows from said war. Straight from the horse’s mouth… but even with your numbers, you still can’t say genocide.
If that isn’t proof that this whole thing is nothing but cynical marketing from Hamas, what is?
Author
Hamas is your source? I don’t get that at all. That’s like listening to us talking about not blowing up a girls school in Iran. Donny and Pete aren’t reliable sources.
This is from the US State Department, historically very cozy with Israel. And this is a partial list. But take your pick of independent sources, there are dozens. Yesterday’s attack on downtown Beirut is another example. War crime? Yep. Anyone care? Doesn’t feel like it.
Significant human rights issues included credible reports of: arbitrary or unlawful killings, including extrajudicial killings; enforced disappearance; torture or cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment by government officials; harsh and life-threatening prison conditions; arbitrary arrest or detention; political prisoners or detainees; arbitrary or unlawful interference with privacy; punishment of family members for alleged offenses by a relative; serious abuses in a conflict by Hamas and Israel, including unlawful or widespread civilian deaths and harm, enforced disappearances or abductions, torture, physical abuses, and conflict-related sexual violence or punishment; serious restrictions on freedom of expression and media freedom, including violence or threats against journalists, unjustified arrests or prosecution of journalists, and censorship; substantial interference with the freedom of peaceful assembly and freedom of association; restrictions on freedom of movement and residence; serious government restrictions on or harassment of domestic and international human rights organizations; and crimes involving violence or threats of violence targeting members of national, racial, or ethnic minority groups.
Author
And yes, Hamas…bad. Hezbollah…bad. Do they commit war crimes? Yep. Was attacking Israel a massive, delusional, horrific blunder? Yep. Do these orgs deserve punishment? Yep. Does it mean you wipe out a population? Nope. You can, and they are trying, but you won’t escape the labels.
I’m using hamas (nicknamed « Gaza health ministry » or something like that on social) data to prove a point: they are supposedly the worst data possible for Israel (and are reported as is by French media), and even with that it doesn’t add up. I’m not that dumb, and have read a few books myself, including ones that mostly deny Israel’s right to exist.
Yet, even with the worst data possible, it still does not qualify as genocide. There is no intent and no numbers to go there.
So I don’t get how you come to the conclusion that Israel is trying to wipe the gazans out, when all the data you share proves otherwise. If they wanted to wipe out all of Gaza, it would take less than two days. Yet 2.000.000 of them are still there… where is the genocide if 99.7% of the population is still there after two years of all out war ?
Are there some bad people in the military that use this as an excuse to do bad shit? Certainly.
Is war bad? Yes.
Do people get killed? Sure. That seems to be the point.
But most kids sent behind the lines are 18 and shitting themselves (I know a few of them), and just wanted to get the hostages back and go home. There has never been an order to wipe civilians out and those same kids would not have followed it had they received it. It’s just war and nothing good comes from it, so of course wherever you look you see bad stuff and dead people.
But still, your data also shows 0.3% of the total population so it still isn’t a genocide. And given the scale of the war on a very small surface, it is either a miracle or Israel being very cautious that there aren’t more casualties.
Let me rephrase it: how in the world would the world’s best military, while pounding a shit ton of bombs on a 45 square kilometer territory, with the intent of killing everybody, manage to miss 99.7% of the target?
Sounds ridiculous, no?
Author
Let’s say somewhere in the neighborhood of 50,000-80,000 civilians dead. No idea what percentage that is. But you are correct, it’s war and it’s ugly and awful, and it’s been raging in that part of the world since long before me. I ask myself, would the Israeli’s like it if these people didn’t exist? And why do we hear genocidal talk, lectures and preaching from the Israeli leadership? “There are no non-combatants in Gaza.” That’s not defensive. That’s everyone is fair game. Maybe it comes down to a combination of war crimes vs genocide? The “G” word comes with heavy lifting and action, which is why leaders are so reluctant to use that term.
80.000 = 0.4%.
My best guess is you’re referring to Smotrich or Ben Gvir, which are a byproduct of the way democracy works in Israel: it is purely proportional, and to make a government, you have to get a majority by making deals. Bibi managed to be the only one in position of forming an alliance by accepting those two a**holes in the government, or there would be no government. So they talk shit with an official stamp, but it is not the sanctioned policy of the country. What you shared is nice compared to other stuff they said. Still, not Israel official policy, just bad people trying to exist.
The Genocide accusation has no reality other than terrorists, politicians trying to get the “Muslim” vote, and corrupt UN-UNRWA (the human rights chair is occupied by Saudi Arabia for example of impartiality) talking, and the funny thing about that debate is there is actually no middle ground in genocide: you do, or you don’t. In our case, they didn’t (remember 0.3%), it is just bullshit talk to end the debate by a “be on the good side” argument that most people won’t bother to reply to because it is too big to debate, which is the reason I NEVER let it go. It has been the same sh*t talk for most of my almost 50 years, and there are more than double “Palestinians” (another word misused) than when I was born. As I said before, either Israelis are very bad at genocide, or it is just bullshit.
Israelis have no problem with a Palestinian state, have offered deals many times that were always rejected by the PA, and even left Gaza unilaterally some 15 years ago. You can see the result. By the way, most of the people killed on october 7th were pro-peace, the kibbutz were at the gaza border for a reason. One old man that died in the tunnels spent his life taking sick Gazan children to Israeli hospitals. I wonder what he thought before dying…
Oh and that 50000-8000 civilians dead, don’t forget that they include fighters in that number, but in Gaza everybody is considered a civilian (and gets a posthumous journalism degree after dying if they posted shit on TikTok). Same with dead children, you are considered a child until 18, even with a gun in hand. And, strangely, there have also been a few hundred women named Mohamed in the lists also.
And then there’s UNRWA, which is the primary employer of hamas operatives in the strip. All the hostages told there were tons of unrwa branded boxes in the tunnels, so most of the aid was intercepted by hamas. Some people holding the hostages wore UNRWA clothes for work…
I hate the « it’s a complicated matter » answer I get when talking to people who don’t want to bother. It’s very simple: when there’s a war and people trying to confuse the debate, ask yourself: who would shoot me on sight? That’s who you want to lose.
If the Israeli government allowed journalists in ( real journalists) we’d all be a little bit wiser to what the truth is. Aerial shots show utter devastation, that’s as much truth we get, and it looks horrible.
Author
Yes, and this applies to so many other stories. Look at what Pete Hegseth has tried to do with the media. It’s just so stupid. These guys don’t seem to get it. Try to box out the media and they will go above and beyond to bury you, which in Pete’s case, isn’t that difficult. What they should do is say, “We are an open book, report what you want.”
I don’t think this video should be taken literally. I get the point, but I also think your article shifts attention towards a false choice—bicycles are for everyone and a substitute for cars. No, they are not. What about hospital appointments, disabled people, seniors, children, distance, weather, safety—the guy in the video is doing how many miles per hour? I think those make that obvious enough.
I also checked the trip-distance figures you provided and found some info on the League of American Bicyclists website. The statement that 60% of all vehicle trips in the US are under 5 miles appears a bit misleading. It looks like the 63% figure refers to all trips up to 5 miles, not just vehicle trips. Also, 28% of all trips are 1 mile or less, across all modes, and 60% of those very short trips only are made by private vehicles.
A clean environment does matter, more than many of us realise. But we shouldn’t pretend EVs and batteries are simply clean because the dirty part happens elsewhere. We push the environmental damage, waste, and human cost, including child labour, into other countries. We are not solving the problem, we are simply relocating it.
And finally -if your main argument for a cleaner future is money, I’d say the problem runs much deeper than just “bike haters”.
Author
I think you totally misunderstood this post. I never said bikes will replace cars. Totally unrealistic. Bikes are a potential partial solution to an existing series of problems. Nor will they replace semi-trucks, delivery vehicles, etc. Whether you use my statistics or yours, the truth remains a significant portion of trips in the US are short trips that with the proper support system, could be impacted by bike use as opposed to car use. I will use my time in SoCal as an example. The primary destinations of my neighbors were gym, school, work, grocery, movies, airport. All within 2-3 miles of their homes. Our community was flat and had bike lanes. None used their bike for any of these stops. This could be due to laziness, entitlement, wealth, perceived time limits, dislike of bikes, or a host of other reasons. Doesn’t change the distance of their trips. Also, my argument for a cleaner future wasn’t money. Not sure how you came to that conclusion. I said American’s primary concern is money, much more than the environment. You can’t tell people,”Hey, ride a bike, it’s better for the environment.” Americans overall aren’t that interested. But tell them they can make or save “X” amount of money by using a bike, and in my experience, you will at least get them to listen. In my experience, the environmental movement is taken more seriously in Europe.
Apologies for the misunderstanding.
As for the stats – -totally agree. Whatever can be walked, run, or ridden probably shouldn’t be driven.
“Mmoney” argument – I think I may have phrased it badly. You wrote above “I said Americans’ primary concern is money,..” and that was exactly my point. I don’t think you can make valuable, long-run changes based only on the financial aspect of it. People need to understand why it matters. The ‘downside’ of that approach is time. As an educator, you know the learning curve is a loooong process. You yourself find it difficult to get people out to shoot instead of watching YT and arguing about gear, and here we are talking about environmental issues and changing peoples habits.
People need to be educated for that change to happen.
And I do appreciate you taking the time to respond to my comment, Dan. Thank you.
Author
I think we both are, most likely, after the same thing here, and thanks for clarifying. I’m sure I could have stated it better. Yes, short trips, via bike, makes a ton of sense, at least for more than what we have now. And as for the money, I’ve been doing an informal survey since I lived in California. When people ask me about my bike, I casually toss in ideas about the environment, health, but I also toss in “I just bought “X” from the savings I had from riding my bike. The X is always fictional, but the response is 100%…….”Wait, what?” “Tell me that again.” Imagine wife poking overweight husband, “Ride your bike, you can buy me that X.” This is what it feels like to me is the most driving factor with Americans. My Euro colleagues are very different. They don’t greenwash, and they don’t mess around when it comes to this stuff. It feels different to me, more passionate and more effective. Not perfect by any means, but a good path for us to potentially follow.