I am 51 years old. I did not own a car from age 20-49. I either walked, biked, carpooled or road mass transit for that entire time. I don't think I came anywhere near saving the world. I did save a lot of money, but I also missed out on many opportunities to make money. Biking only really works in flat areas, like Silicon Valley and Florida, both of which I have lived and biked for transportation. Biking will not save the planet, but it may save your health. It also adds extra wear and tear to the knees over time. Personally, I cannot bike uphill anymore due to bad knees. And none of this speaks to extreme weather. In Florida, I had to wear swim trunks and sandals in the summer, while going to the restroom to dry off and dress myself for work. In Silicon Valley, the winters are cold and wet. I much prefer hot and wet summer of Florida. And I cannot even imagine what it would be like in middle of the country, with both hot summers and super cold winters. Anyway, anyone that thinks that we can all just switch to bikes has never lived it for more than a few years. Eventually, your body cannot keep up. And for the most part you have to keep to a 3-5 mile radius or it just does not make sense. You end up spending an hour to get where you are going, and then you still need to get back home. I am happy to have lived like I did, but I don't pretend that most people will make the sacrifice to live that way. And part of why it worked for me is because I did not have children until 50 years old. To think that a soccer mom is going to shuttle her kids to activities or shop for 4 is just unrealistic in most areas. And most office workers are not going to go freshen up in the bathroom before work, and change clothes for the ride home after. I agree with JasonT below, "Ride for fun, the planet is fine."
I'm guessing that I put my phat-as* on my bicycle and pedal to the grocery store then pedal home with the goods will make me breathe much harder, faster, deeper, and longer, and spew much more CO2 into the atmosphere than if I drive. Additionally, you don't want to see me in biking shorts.
I know - knew four guys who were hit by cars and killed while riding bikes. Four fatherless families with little kids. I got hit by a car while on a bike and I can tell you it hurts a lot for a very long time. No way will I ever ride a bike anywhere there is a chance of encountering a car. They win
Raising awareness of climate change. Really? Half of teenagers are so scared of climate change that they have serious mental health issues. We are substantially aware.
Great article. Shows the amazing ability of activists to co-opt stupidity to their own agenda.
It’s hard to get a weeks worth of groceries home on a bike.
I’m sorry to hear about your four friends and of your crash.
To your second point, ironically, a lot of teenagers are scared of the world, just in general. The thesis of “The Coddling of the American Mind” and “iGen” point out such. The idea they’re going to hop on bikes like the older generations did is laughable.
And ditto on the point of carrying any substantial amount of groceries. Admittedly I’ve done it living alone with a bike equipped with panniers. There are trailers and special cargo bikes too but all seem out of desire for most and still don’t beat the utility of a car.
Aug 7, 2023·edited Aug 7, 2023Liked by Green Leap Forward
My wife and I did it for 11 years in Silicon Valley, but there is no way that we could buy enough for a family of 4 and make it in less than 2-3 trips per week. The only reason that we were able to make it work is because of all the money we saved by not having a car, but now that we have a kid we would not even consider doing it, not unless we lived 1 mile from the store. Then we could make it work, as long as the area was flat. If there are hills, forget it. And the families that we know that bike and have kids have their groceries delivered. Biking is not sustainable on a global scale, unless we live more minimally overall. Everyone would have to give up at least half of their luxuries, in order to afford to bike. Biking limits how far you can go to work and what kinds of clothes you wear. There are all kinds of sacrifices that come with biking, and financial income is usually one of them. It only makes sense if you are already poor and do not aspire to become rich, or if you can hire folks to do everything that needs a car/truck.
Ride for fun, the planet is fine.
I am 51 years old. I did not own a car from age 20-49. I either walked, biked, carpooled or road mass transit for that entire time. I don't think I came anywhere near saving the world. I did save a lot of money, but I also missed out on many opportunities to make money. Biking only really works in flat areas, like Silicon Valley and Florida, both of which I have lived and biked for transportation. Biking will not save the planet, but it may save your health. It also adds extra wear and tear to the knees over time. Personally, I cannot bike uphill anymore due to bad knees. And none of this speaks to extreme weather. In Florida, I had to wear swim trunks and sandals in the summer, while going to the restroom to dry off and dress myself for work. In Silicon Valley, the winters are cold and wet. I much prefer hot and wet summer of Florida. And I cannot even imagine what it would be like in middle of the country, with both hot summers and super cold winters. Anyway, anyone that thinks that we can all just switch to bikes has never lived it for more than a few years. Eventually, your body cannot keep up. And for the most part you have to keep to a 3-5 mile radius or it just does not make sense. You end up spending an hour to get where you are going, and then you still need to get back home. I am happy to have lived like I did, but I don't pretend that most people will make the sacrifice to live that way. And part of why it worked for me is because I did not have children until 50 years old. To think that a soccer mom is going to shuttle her kids to activities or shop for 4 is just unrealistic in most areas. And most office workers are not going to go freshen up in the bathroom before work, and change clothes for the ride home after. I agree with JasonT below, "Ride for fun, the planet is fine."
I don't know........
I'm guessing that I put my phat-as* on my bicycle and pedal to the grocery store then pedal home with the goods will make me breathe much harder, faster, deeper, and longer, and spew much more CO2 into the atmosphere than if I drive. Additionally, you don't want to see me in biking shorts.
I know - knew four guys who were hit by cars and killed while riding bikes. Four fatherless families with little kids. I got hit by a car while on a bike and I can tell you it hurts a lot for a very long time. No way will I ever ride a bike anywhere there is a chance of encountering a car. They win
Raising awareness of climate change. Really? Half of teenagers are so scared of climate change that they have serious mental health issues. We are substantially aware.
Great article. Shows the amazing ability of activists to co-opt stupidity to their own agenda.
It’s hard to get a weeks worth of groceries home on a bike.
I’m sorry to hear about your four friends and of your crash.
To your second point, ironically, a lot of teenagers are scared of the world, just in general. The thesis of “The Coddling of the American Mind” and “iGen” point out such. The idea they’re going to hop on bikes like the older generations did is laughable.
And ditto on the point of carrying any substantial amount of groceries. Admittedly I’ve done it living alone with a bike equipped with panniers. There are trailers and special cargo bikes too but all seem out of desire for most and still don’t beat the utility of a car.
My wife and I did it for 11 years in Silicon Valley, but there is no way that we could buy enough for a family of 4 and make it in less than 2-3 trips per week. The only reason that we were able to make it work is because of all the money we saved by not having a car, but now that we have a kid we would not even consider doing it, not unless we lived 1 mile from the store. Then we could make it work, as long as the area was flat. If there are hills, forget it. And the families that we know that bike and have kids have their groceries delivered. Biking is not sustainable on a global scale, unless we live more minimally overall. Everyone would have to give up at least half of their luxuries, in order to afford to bike. Biking limits how far you can go to work and what kinds of clothes you wear. There are all kinds of sacrifices that come with biking, and financial income is usually one of them. It only makes sense if you are already poor and do not aspire to become rich, or if you can hire folks to do everything that needs a car/truck.