Originally Posted by MarkS

Its disheartening that so many people even in the biking forum can't imagine a world without cars.

Hey, somehow the human race got along without them entirely for a few million years!

The 3 main objections to bikes: Cargo, weather, and distance can be addressed with imagination.

* Distance: We created "urban sprawl" in our hasty rush to separate the haves from the have-nots in only about 30 years. We can ondo this damage in another 30. People WILL move -- they do it all the time!

* Cargo: Plenty of options for extending bike cargo capacity. Also think in terms of multiple people-powered vehicles or "bike-pools". Some motorized "van" bikes could be used for large-scale deliveries.

* Weather: Cars would be totally impractical without the billions of dollars that we have spent on smooth, asphalted roads. A covered bike route could be made for a fraction of the price of even a basic road.

I'm not thinking of a bike-only world, but of a bike-centric world. One in which there may be a mix of powered vehicles (bulldozers, construction machines-- possibly with Stirling technology), animal powered vehicles (genetically enhanced, extra muscles and/or limbs) and/or lightweight transportation devices (dunebuggy-like vechicles for the rich).

Here's the thing: WE WILL RUN OUT OF OIL! Maybe in 200 years. Maybe in 50. Personally I think in 20, since older models assumed 3rd world countries coming online slowly rather than explosively as we see happening. We can attempt to address this problem with war, poverty, and dissolution, or we can address it with imagination.

Alas, human nature being what it is, I fear that it will be the former and not the latter.