Yay biking. I dug my old mountain bike out of my parent's garage last month, and spent two weeks learning how to clean and adjust it. Now I bike everywhere in town, and in less than a month am in better shape than any time since high school.

Of course, my shiny new Swift that's coming tomorrow is blowing a hole in the "saving money" angle this year. But parking it under my desk at work so I can ride at lunch will be lovely, and it'll only take about 100 local trips or commutes to "pay" for it in saved car food & maintenance, which is a tiny fraction of a bike's lifespan.

Always looking to shove cycling up into the public eye in a good way.
The more people are aware, the better it is for all concerned.

Public transport, no matter how evolved, can't be all things to all people. The infrastructure is just too massive in some places. Cars, even Smarte Cars take up a lot of room and have one of those little smog generators powering them.
There will always (I know you shouldn't say always and never but for now I will) be a need for a car some way (family emergency, hauling something heavy in the rain, covering long distances in a timely manner (I do find it hard to do a 20-30 mile trip in the rain or snow).

With all that being said, the more people are aware of the cycling crowd (in a good way) the better and safer it will be for all concerned and the benefits will snowball... getting more people out on their bikes.

Andy, you and Lloyd have a lot of good bike articles here. Thanks.

vsk

I just moved from a year living in the car capital (aka LA) and have been on the same tank of gas for 3 months, all thanks to my awesome bike.

What i used to think of as a long ride is now something i look forward to; a time for me time to reflect on my day and enjoy the place i live.

The thing i notice the most, (aside from my newly shaped thighs & backside), is that my attitude on the bike is 100% happy 100% of the time. I take pride in my ride, avoiding the freeway with a big smile. What a happier & healthier society we would have if we all biked as much as we could.

Live to ride, ride to live!

I believe we need to look at solutions to our transportation issues in the same way we need to look at solutions to our energy needs: there is not one single solution. There are many solutions, and it looks like we're going to need ALL of them.

Cycling is suitable (for most people) for relatively short distances on relatively flat terrain in relatively good weather. If you've ever been to (or seen photos of) Amsterdam, you'll see how large a piece of the puzzle cycling can be in the right situation. Urban commuting is the perfect application for cycling.

But cycling is just too slow for longer distances, and doesn't have the carrying capacity for many jobs (hmm, a network of rental bike trailers, anyone?). Public transit with bike carriers can address the speed/distance issue, but not the capacity issue. But even public transit fails in The Land That the Automobile Built, Suburbia. Street layouts and distances there are not conducive to adequate public transit.

So, there's still a role for the automobile, unless we're going to abandon Suburbia and build massive urban hives. Perhaps this role can be filled by Zipcar-like rental systems, but anybody who can afford it is still going to want their own car. It's the most convenient solution.

I agree with Bill W. Cycling is a nice idea, but it's simply not realistic as a solution unless you're living in the land of plenty of free time and excellent weather.

Bill W, I think Posner was saying exactly what you posted when he said, "I am not saying that we shouldn't be emphasizing efficient cars and renewable energy".

I just passed the halfway mark on my goal this year of 3000 automobile miles displaced on my bike. Every one of 'em enjoyable. I'm a 56-year old cycle commuter and the oldest guy in my office (software is mostly a young-person's field). I've gotten several of the younger guys excited about cycling in to the office, but most of 'em can't keep up with me :) Yet!

I'm recalled to the Trek ad that played often during the OLN, er, Versus broadcasts of the TdF: "We believe in simple solutions to complex problems" where it showed the urban cycle commuter who WASN'T EQUIPPED WITH A HEADLIGHT at twilight in traffic. Duh. Sometimes I wonder about marketing types.

The unique thing about cycling is how it integrates exercise, needful transit, and a remarkable sense of well-being. However, DDK's experience notwithstanding, serious commuting is not as simple as "digging the bike out of the basement" and tuning it up. There are some serious techniques to learn. Find out more at:

http://www.bikeleague.org
or
http://www.johnforester.com

and be safe!

Bicycling to work is a very good alternative, I've been bicycle commuting for years, it's a hilly area (Raleigh North Craolina) and we don't always have great weather, but it's very do-able. Sitting in a car in rush hour traffic is one of the least enjoyable things I can think of, and bicycle commuting is great for you and the environment and the trade balance and even for fighting terrorism. American flags on the back of 12 MPG SUV's is pretty funny.

I've been living out in a rural part of New York all summer with only a bike as transportation and it's been pretty great. It's really hilly up here and there have been some storms, but I've only gotten caught once or twice. The excercise and the fresh air have been a really welcome change after my first year of living in LA, where school was a 30 mile commute and work was about 18 miles away.

So I've made the decision to move within biking distance of school, even though it means living in suburbia (very Stepford Wives sorta place). Even though my rent will be a little more, I'm still going to be saving money because gas prices are so out of control and I was filling up nearly twice a week.

When I lived in NYC I biked everywhere for awhile and really loved it... I mean, it's basically free! And a great way to see the city. And I also lost a bunch of weight just by going where I needed to go every day.

Now, as for biking through other parts of LA, I really don't feel like it's safe. LA drivers are scary! And they're not accustomed to seeing cyclists or pedestrians. I know a few brave souls who do it, but they've all been in at least one accident.

It's impractical to bike everywhere, all the time - but it really is a great way to get drive less - and there are more and more reasons for that every day, it seems.

Short distances and good weather?

Well, the Dutch seem to bicycle year round. Although their weather IS mild compared to most places in the USA. It seldom gets really hot and it seldom gets frigid. And it sure is flat.

And they DO mostly bike short distances. The cities are compact so they can do most of their local trips by bikes. For longer trips they have a pretty good train system.

Most of the USA has more extreme weather, more hills, more distance. Maybe the hybrid bicycle is the way to go here. I'm using an electric assist on my bicycle and think nothing of bicycling 30+ miles a day to work and to off-sites and errands. And I'm no athlete. All pretty sweat-free in our midAtlantic summer. And a lot more fun than doing it by automobile.

And it's easy to turn your bike into a mini SUB ( sport utility bicycle) with racks and some panniers. For real loads, something like an xtracycle with an assist add-on would probably handle 80% of the needs of 80% of the population and supply us all with a lot of fun and exercise.

I recently saw an ad for "Towel-Matic" - an automatic paper towel dispenser for the kitchen [not the kind commonly found in public restrooms]. If people have become so lazy and uncoordinated that they cannot manage a pre-perforated roll of paper towels then the likelihood that they can get somewhere on their own power seems beyond comprehension. I think this is a clear sign that America's lust for convenience in the form of shiny objects has spiraled out of control. Consumption has become the knee-jerk way to solve any problem that arises. Clothes dryer using too much power? Buy a new, super energy efficient dryer! How about a clothes line??

Most Americans associate simple solutions with appearing low-class, and will, ironically, spend spend spend to appear affluent. The end result is growing debt and a likewise growing waistline. Who, exactly, are they trying to impress with that? The even bigger twist is that all that stuff doesn't make us happy - it enslaves us. Gotta work hard to pay off the credit card, gotta buy stuff to reward all that hard work... it's an evil cycle. The American Dream seems more like a cruel joke than ever.

Thankfully there is a growing movement of people, like those at Treehugger who are dedicated to making a change, and better still, are freely sharing their ideas on living simply, eliminating debt, and being happy. The reality is the simplest changes often have the largest impact... like biking to work, instead of driving. While it's true that biking may not always be the "easiest" way to get to work [change can be difficult for some], in many urban areas it actually is faster than sitting in traffic and looking for parking. Not to mention you can skip the hour at the gym on the stationary bicycle. In the end you can save time, lose weight, feel better, look great, and save money. Now that's impressive.