Bicycle vs. Car

Submitted by Jeff P. on March 18, 2008 - 2:18pm.

tags:

Bikes

This forum is for providing examples/articles/videos etc. of how bicycles and cars interact - and examples of how bicycles are better than cars in so many ways...

try out "Dothetest" to start off this forum.

Average:

Average: 5 (3 votes)

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Ignorance. I was

Submitted by Laura W. on March 21, 2008 - 8:17pm.

Ignorance.

I was riding my bike down Richmond today, and some eco-terrorists in a GIANT pick-up truck yelled at me: "Hey, Nice tricycle!"

What I find ironic about the whole situation was that sometimes we, (the people who are even marginally mindful of our environment), tend to forget that there are those out there who just dont care. There are people who will continue their practices and ridicule those who have chosen a new lifestyle. It's not until punishment looms that a response seems likely- what will that punishment be? Looks like gas prices just aren't high enough yet.

Best,
Laura

When the power of love overcomes the love of power the world will know peace- Jimi Hendrix.

I agree. Some people are

Submitted by Jeff P. on March 25, 2008 - 8:21am.

I agree. Some people are just not capable of thinking for themselves/critically at this point in history. Some people will only change their ways once it serves their interest to do so. yup, you are right the gas prices don't seem to be making a dent in peoples' driving practices. The only people I've witnessed actually trying to alter their ways are folks who were already very conscious about their driving habits but now can no longer afford to drive. The increase in fuel cost will slowly pick away at poor folks, but a large portion of the 'car driving culture' will continue doing what they're doing. So, increasing the cost of their actions seems like a good plan to me. How that may take form, I'm not sure.

ps- love the eco-terrorists comment. using the term appropriately, as you have, is important.

"Participatory democracy postulates low energy technology. Only participatory democracy creates the conditions for rational technology." Ivan Illich

http://radicalblogs.org/lpps

I did the test, and I don't

Submitted by Jeremy McNaughton on March 18, 2008 - 4:35pm.

I did the test, and I don't know how fair it is. That wasn't a real bear. It was a pretty clever way of making its point (I don't want to spoil it for anyone).

Cars are necessary for some people.. There's nothing wrong in my books with using a car if you need it to get around because of a physical limitation you have. Hopefully if that's the case you're able to use green fuels, but access to those is limited.

Driving seems like a habit that's tough to break. My advice is to stop immediately. Exactly how selfish are you, thinking you can destory the planet for a little personal convenience?

If you read the stuff from Illich that Jeff posted, you'd realize that cars are actually less efficient than bikes. You waste a lot of time with a car. Trips are shorter, but the cost means so many extra hours worked that your actual speed is much slower.

For those of you who need to commute long distances, I hear you. Sure.. drive those long distances everyday, but only until you can move closer to work or get a different job closer to home. Try to think of the cumulative effect of driving those long distances every working day for years. How is it justifiable? I don't think it is. I know it's not always as simple as this, but I think it's often much simpler than commuters make it out to be.

What are you going to tell your grandchildren when they ask through their face masks "Why didn't you stop driving?" Saying you didn't know will be a lie.

i'm with you, jer. move

Submitted by tom gashgarian on March 21, 2008 - 7:11am.

i'm with you, jer. move closer to work, or find other employment. as for the excuse of hauling. anybody who lnows me and my trailers knows that pulling weight on a bicycle is a lot easier than everyone thinks. okay, okay i pull extreme weight, but that is just to prove that it can be done. if you get a well-built trailer, or one of the many load displacing knapsacks, panniers, what-have-you, 100-150 pounds shouldn't be at all difficult for the cyclist commuter. if anybody wants to fund me i'll prove it.;)>

eattolive.livetoride.ridetowork.

Has anyone read Carbusters

Submitted by Becky E on March 18, 2008 - 3:10pm.

Has anyone read Carbusters magazine? It is really a good anti-car/car culture magazine published out of the Czech Republic but international in scope. Locally it is available at the London Food Co-op and it comes out every three months.

Here is the website www.carbusters.org

Enjoy!

Busting Our Car Culture

Submitted by Greg Fowler on March 20, 2008 - 7:06am.

Are you one of the mysterious growing number of people who read my blog (see sig below)? I bust the car culture quite frequently, and certainly a whole lot more than just once every 3 months ;) But to answer your question, yes I do periodically read Carbusters. And I'd enjoy discussing any of it's articles (or articles of a similar nature found elsewhere) with you.

Greg.

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From My Bottom Step
personal opinion from the perspective of a London, Ontario community activist