Originally Posted by
caloso
The most effective way to save money on a commodity, including gasoline, is to buy less of it. The thing is that many people (most Americans?) are unable or unwilling to make the choices that would make that possible.
I think most people are unwilling to inconvenience themselves to cut back on gasoline. I acknowledge that there are times when you really need an automobile (like when I need to transport my kids in winter time when it's -20 F, I wouldn't take the risk of putting them in a bike trailer and my wife is pregnant so hauling two kids around with a bike plus one inside her isn't going to work too well), but for people that just need to go to work and back a bicycle makes perfect sense. Unless, of course, you live dozens of miles away from work. That is where America is very different from Europe and Asia. Biking is easier in Europe and Asia because things aren't so spread out. I work with people who drive 90 miles one way to work every day, and then do that again on their way home. That kind of lifestyle is pretty much non-existent in Europe and most of Asia.