I will tell you the same thing I have told everybody else I have come across that somehow has in in their mind that bicycles are an answer to anything. Only a small minority of the population really enjoys riding a #bicycle on a regular basis. Beyond that small percentage, the people who ride bikes do so because they feel they have no other better options, or they only do it during the nice summer/fall days for recreation. The problems with #bikes are they do not shield you from the elements, they limit the range you can comfortably travel, it is nearly impossible to bring home a couple bags of groceries or any significant purchase from a bricks-and-mortar store on a bike, and they offer virtually no protection if you are in a collision with a larger vehicle.
But more to the point, when Americans feel threatened with the idea that they might be forced to use a bicycle for basic transportation, they blame the "damn liberals" (even though a lot of people who are liberal on most other issues hate the idea of using anything other than a car to get around with every fiber of their being, though they will not say that to their liberal friends). So if and when Americans get it in their heads that "the libs" are going to try to force them to give up their car and ride a bike, they will vote for the worst Republican running, because they know that one thing Republicans will NEVER do is try to take people out of their cars, they are too beholden to big oil. Nobody ever wants to talk about it this way, but I will bet that close elections have been lost because a certain percentage of voters sees the Democrats as the party that wants to take their car away, and they might even be right to feel that way about some of the far-left elements in the party. Viewed that way, it's not a win/win, it's a lose/lose because it helps elect people who will never expand #BikePaths and who will continue to support the fossil fuel industry, and who are just terrible people in general.
@Lunatech It does not matter what people enjoy and it does not matter if they want to drive. Ten billion people cant all drive - it just is not possible. The more we try to make that happen the more people will die painfully. There is no need to sell anyone anything or market bikes. Eventually driving will become so painful and so self destructive that they will beg for a bicycles.
@eastbaynian You are out of your mind if you think that most Americans would ever beg for bicycles. I say this will all seriousness, I would rather be dead (and probably will be) before I'd stoop to that level of existance. But here is the thing, you apparently just can't envision that first of all something could happen to reduce the population (like, say, Covid + a bunch of stupid people who think that vaccinations and masks are evil), or else that we will develop some new form of energy that really will make it possible for everyone to have powered transportation. Just a couple hundred years ago no one could envision the widespread use of electricity or instantaneous worldwide communications, yet here we are.
However you are making my original point for me. When you say something so obnoxious as what you just wrote to me, that is exactly the sort of rhetoric that causes some percentage of voters to vote for Republicans. There's a lot of ways that Republicans would probably like to kill me, since they have no regard for human life other than their own, but it least it won't be freezing to death on a fucking bicycle while trying to get to work or school. I don't know how I can make this more plain but when you talk that way you are just minting new Republican voters. And I guarantee you they are not the least bit interested in building bike paths for you, to them you are just another form of liberal vermin that deserves te run over by a big gas-guzzling SUV.
@eastbaynian @Lunatech actually this happened long time ago, but many didn't pay attention and now remain stuck in traffic for good 4hrs a day
@mapto @eastbaynian Well there is a way out of that, don't live or work in a big city! A lot of people manage to do that. I have never in my life been stuck in traffic for more than about an hour, and that hour time was in Chicago and I haven't gone back to Chicago since. But I suppose if you insist on living in a big city a bike would might look more attractive than sitting in traffic jams, but only in good weather. If it's raining or snowing then you may be in a car for four hours but at least they will be four dry hours with heat (unless you run out of gas, then no heat).
@Lunatech @mapto @eastbaynian There's no such thing as bad weather, only unsuitable clothing. #NotMadeOutOfSugar
@darrylxxx @mapto @eastbaynian Bullshit. You only tell yourself that to justify all the extra effort it takes to put on that protective clothing, which still doesn't fully protect all your body parts (well at least not without making you look like a total dork).
But with a car you just have to throw on a winter coat or a raincoat (at most) and maybe a pair of boots and you are good to go, and once the car warms up you are toasty warm and protected from the snow and wind and rain. And also you can go at a reasonable speed to get stuff done, particularly if you don't live in the middle of a big city. And if you buy more than one bag of groceries while you are out, you just throw them in the car trunk, no problem and no fuss.
Don't get me wrong, cars have their disadvantages, but there is no power on this earth that will force most Americans onto a fucking bicycle for their day-to-day transportation needs, particularly once winter sets in (in the states that have winter, which is pretty much everyplace but southern Florida and Hawaii and a few island territories). Maybe if someone would design a type or aerodynamic bicycle with a fully enclosed cab, a place to carry items, and an electric motor with decent range (and an electric heater!) you might stand a chance but then I suspect most bicycle enthusiasts would say that is not really a bicycle.
For recreation and maybe even short trips to work or school on nice days, sure, a small percentage of Americans will go for bikes for that. But almost nobody wants to spend ten minutes putting on expensive and dorky looking protective clothing just so they can feel like they are doing something for the planet, while millionaires and corporate executives are still riding around in their expensive private jets that in one trip negate all the environmental goodness of millions of bicycle trips. Stop trying to make the little people suffer, and focus on the fat cats that are really doing the damage to the planet (and also doing the most to block your bike paths!).
@darrylxxx @mapto @eastbaynian Also forgot to mention that your protective clothing won't do you much good if someone steals your bike, and that happens a lot in the US if you leave it anyplace that's visible from a public place. Cars can be stolen too, but it's a lot more difficult so it is unlikely to happen more than once to the same person.
@Lunatech I suggest you check out the #carryshitolympics tag for inspiration as to what can be transported by bike.
The scare campaign just needs a simple reframe: people volunteering not to use cars are people volunteering to give you their share of space on the road and parking. If you love driving they’re your allies.