Originally Posted by sbhikes

I drove today. It was raining and very windy. I haven't driven a car to work in a very very long time. I either ride my Vespa or my bike.

People always say they prefer to drive than to take public transporation or ride a bike because they like the independence and freedom to go wherever they like whenever they like. That hardly seems true in a car when you really think about it since you end up in so much stop-and-go traffic. I couldn't help but wonder what aliens would think if they were watching this mad march toward clogged freeways of people who take up about 3 square feet of space, wrapped in 2000lbs of pollution belching steel that takes up about 100 square feet of space. What would they think of this? How would anthropologists describe this? Some kind of Western rugged individualism run amok?

It seems that it's done better in the 3rd world, where the traffic is a total nightmare of knots and clogs of rickshaws, bikes, tuk-tuks, motorcycles, and taxis. When I was in a 3rd world country, if you wanted to go somewhere all you had to do was walk outside and there was a taxi all ready to go. Even the locals hitch a ride on a tuk-tuk or a motorcycle.

It was better being warm and dry than cold and wet, but did it ever seem stupid all these people cramming into the freeways, blocking traffic in the intersections and coming to a screetching halt! How do they put up with that day after day after day?

Yeah yeah, preaching to the choir, but don't you get a rush of self-righteousness from stuff like this?