Americans realize they can save money by riding bikes
My coworkers and I at Ordinary Bike Shop have been talking about how busy the shop has been this past month, which is normally when business slows down in the hot Tucson summer. Lately there are more and more articles like this one about how much the bicycling industry is growing. It is becoming apparent that gas prices have now hit some sort of threshold that has compelled people to actually consider alternatives. Erik says people have begun to realize that the gas price situation is not temporary…it is here to stay and it’s only going to get worse.
Nevermind that it’s better for the environment, it is safer and healthier, in a big city it is faster, and it can improve your quality of life…when it comes down to it, riding bikes can save you money. As money seems to be the biggest motivator in our society, it seems fitting that saving money is what it’s going to take to get people to get out of their cars and actually start riding. I imagine though, that once people start riding they will realize the other aspects of bicycling that make it the superior mode of transportation. They will understand why “those crazy bike people” really aren’t so crazy after all. Whatever it takes to get more people on bikes, I’m glad to see that it’s really happening.
-lauren
June 16th, 2008 at 2:47 pm
It’s hard to imagine motorheads
feeling happy about not having
enough money to feed their habit
and being forced onto the hot, noisy and confusing roads. I have
very mixed feelings about adding
riders to the mix who are going to
ride their bikes in the same manner
that they drive their car. Some may see the light, but most will
view it as a major backslide in
their standard of living. Mindsets
just don’t change as fast as the
price of gas.
June 16th, 2008 at 3:20 pm
Truly ironic that people are just NOW coming to the realization that riding a bike is cheaper than a car, considering the otherwise fantastic weather in the southwest (barring the worst of summer days).
June 16th, 2008 at 4:34 pm
Bikes rule. When I do drive, I drive my old veggie powered benz. You can check it out on austinchu.wordpress.com
June 17th, 2008 at 9:39 am
People who are driven to bike because of gas prices will never get it.
It’s simply more fun to pedal. Spread the word.
June 17th, 2008 at 2:50 pm
Hey peter, Three years ago or so when my car broke down, I started riding a bicycle. It took awhile for it to take, but one day I realized–this is fun and it really feels good. My car still sits.
June 17th, 2008 at 4:53 pm
Hey, DMG, my car still sits, too! The only time I drive it is to take my bike to be fixed.
There’s just something about being on two wheels, slaloming on smooth pavement, filtering to the front of a long traffic line, getting to your destination under your own power.
Exhilarating, satisfying, whatever you want to call it. Once you get over the hump (best route, clothing, preparation, ignoring the weather and motorists trying to get under your skin), it’s over. You’ll never drive daily again.
June 17th, 2008 at 4:55 pm
dmg- my affinity for the bicycle developed out of a similar situation…i lost the expensive laser cut key to my vw and was forced to commute to a job that was about 15 miles away….then i soon realized that the commute was actually the highlight of my day…it didn’t take long before i decided i was never going to drive to work again. now i live much closer to my workplaces and still ride of course….
peter- i have enough faith in the bicycle to believe that there is hope for carheads to convert even if initially they are somewhat forced onto the bike. oftentimes i think that people are afraid of what seems uncomfortable or unknown…i think once people realize how accessible the world can be by bike they will understand why it’s so much better.
August 18th, 2008 at 11:09 am
The lack of empathy exhibited by assumed motorheads
illustrates the separation between the two groups-
cyclists and drivers.
They don’t particularly want to see the ghost bikes…
They don’t acknowledge responsibilty in bicycle-car
crashes…
They essentially fear having to become ‘us’.
Their deep-rooted perspectives are being challenged
by bicycle advocates.
The world-wide example equates affluence with motorized
mobility as evidenced by India and China and they really
don’t understand why we have to step back toward a third-
world mode.
This is not the attitude of just those behind the wheel.
Any dealings with city ‘leaders’ reveals that their head
is not interested in committing to the view.
The recent downtown links alignment controversy shows
that cars still win, and by a wide margin.
These are not pessimistic ramblings, rather a realistic
overview of the battle.
My view is that we bicyclists are not pressing hard
enough. Trying to persuade by example is not going to be effective with this situation.