Originally Posted by
pacificaslim
Yes. But I'm not asking the rest of the world to make any changes on my behalf.
I'm wondering if that's even possible. I mean, the only phrase that comes to mind is, "No man is an island."
Whether we ride for recreation or transportation the world is constantly changing around us. Our simple presence alters the landscape in some way and the world, whether we intend it to or not, will alter around us. I think that trickles down to politics, urban planning and road design. If there are a large number of recreational riders on a road eventually their needs will become more dominant. When, inevitably, the road needs resurfacing some consideration will more than likely include their use.
Originally Posted by
pacificaslim
The status quo is fine to me.
Great. A lot of that depends on where you live and where you ride. It also seems to imply that time simply stands still. Here in New England every winter causes enormous damage to our highways and bridges and they need constant repair- status quo doesn't last all that long before it crumbles away for some of us.
Originally Posted by
pacificaslim
I'm in my 40s now and do not view cars as evil. They are freakin' brilliant. Yes, the fuel we've chosen to power them with has become problematic, various safety aspects could be improved, and so on, but the idea of a powered, comfortable, personal transportation vehicle is perfect for the North American continent. My car (old italian convertible) totally expands the land that is possible for me to see and interact with.
I doubt many of us see it quite so simplistic terms as "cars are evil". I own a car and occasionally use it and, yes, it expands my horizons exponentially. In terms of it's technology much of it is absolutely brilliant. However, I disagree that it is "perfect" and it most certainly depends where you are in the North American continent. As I ride my bike into Boston every morning and look over at the long line of traffic going the same place and taking longer to make the trip it doesn't look all that perfect to me and my bike makes a lot more sense.
Originally Posted by
pacificaslim
This is why saying stuff like "tell it to the Dutch," is so irrelevant. Their country compared to the usa is apples to oranges. Population density, geography, transportation history...everything is different.
I'm sorry but this is absolutely inaccurate. The United States is so large and diverse in terms of population densities, geography and transportation infrastructures to render your comment moot.
The city of New York is not only very Dutch in terms of it's history (it was originally called New Amsterdam) but the layout of Manhattan is ideal for a far less autocentric environment. Now perhaps the roughly 9 million people who live and work in Manhattan every day don't matter much to you as you ride your bike in your insulated world in California content with the status quo but they do matter to people like me- especially given I often live and work there.