Originally Posted by
FBinNY
It's good news in a sense as far as it goes, but it's too early, or the data is inadequate to draw any serious inferences about major changes.
It could simply reflect some trendiness, or shifts in where people live, and the costs involved in owning/using a car. It might reflect delays in marriage. The bike is nice for singles living in cities, but let's see what folks do when they marry ans need to move families with infants around.
For now, I'll just be cautiously pessimistic (better because it's good to be wrong). I don't hope that folks give up driving, just that they treat it with more respect and drive less wastefully. I live in an area where people jump in the car and drive 3 blocks to pick up a quart of milk, and don't let their children walk anywhere.
That area would be called the United States.
J/K (sort of)
I remember when I realized the golden age of the bike had left the building in Davis back in the early '90s. It was when I watched one of my neighbors do a "The Gods Must Be Crazy" maneuver by driving down his driveway to get his mail. Another passed me in his car on the way to the grocery store; we lived eight houses from the store and I got home before he did.
Back on topic, it's refreshing to see that our youth seem to be doing things more sensibly than their elders. I hope it's not just because they can't afford to operate cars but because they don't want to waste their money owning one and thus see no reason to obtain a license. I guess we'll know more in a few years, but I believe this trend has been going on for a while.