From: strobl@gmd.de (Wolfgang Strobl)
Subject: Re: Cars and suburbs
Organization: GMD, Sankt Augustin, Germany
Distribution: na
Date: Mon, 25 Jan 1993 14:23:47 GMT

In <1993Jan22.181151.6670@mnemosyne.cs.du.edu> rcanders@nyx.cs.du.edu (Rod Anderson) writes:

>In article <1993Jan22.083941.13852@truffula.sj.ca.us> cls@truffula.sj.ca.us (Cameron L. Spitzer) writes:
>>
>>In article <21JAN199323271566@pearl.tufts.edu> ddeocamp@pearl.tufts.edu (DANIEL M. DEOCAMPO) writes:
>>>Are there no realistic ideas for a mode of transportation which caters to the
>>>individual while avoiding serious environmental harm?
>>
>>Many commuters could get to work by bicycle most days.  Bicycling is good
>>for you, clears the head in the morning, and creates approximately zero
>>environmental harm.  It's also a lot less dangerous than most people think.
>>
>>Cameron

>ONLY if you live were it is warm year round.  If the streets are snow
>packed and slippery it is difficult to ride.  And what about those who are
>over 60. Not all of them are  comfortable rideing bicycles.  Bicyclig is a
>option only for those who are healthy and active.  Bicycling on ice is only
>for the young and foolish.

I use my bicycle to get to work during summer and winter. Riding on snow
can be a bit difficult, but driving a car on snow isn't fun, either. 

Each winter, after the first snowfall, the newspapers are full of
reports of traffic breakdowns because of car accidents, here in
Germany. It's a common excuse: "I'm sorry to be two hours late - 
traffic jam caused by snowfall, you know!" during winter. I never had
to use that excuse with my bicycle, although the maintenance of 
bicycle facilities is much worse than the maintenance of streets
dedicated to cars - they use tons of salt to get the streets snow 
and ice free, and move the snow from the street to the bicycle path
alongside the street, usually. Well, I use it as an excuse to avoid
the bike path and to use the street, which is more comfortable anyway.

Many people over 60 use a bicycle as their main transportation aid,
here. This is because it needs less energy to bicycle than to
walk, especially if one has to convey something. 

Bicycling is an option for most, if not all people who are healthy
enough to drive a car. There are of course people who cannot 
use a bicycle, but I wouldn't like to see them drive a car, either,
because that is more dangerous to them and to other people.

In addition, people become more healthy when they ride more and
drive less.

If bicycling on ice is only for the young and foolish, I would
conclude that driving on ice is something for the old and foolish.

>Just because bicycling works for you does not mean that it is the solution
>for all of the country.

Just because bicycling doesn't work for you does not mean that it can't
work for others. Judging from German traffic statistics, most cars
are used under conditions which seem to be ideal for bicycle use,
most of the time. This may be different in the US.

--
      o      (     Wolfgang Strobl    Wolfgang.Strobl@gmd.de (+49 2241) 14-2394
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