Mine was $350, at current exchange rates (I'm in the UK)
And that's a reasonable price for probably a really nice bicycle. I was trying to look at the worst case scenario. I've had wonderful US$50 bikes (old Campy drivetrain and components beautiful double-butted Reynolds-531 frame) and ultra-modern carbon-fiber monocoque mtn.bikes and they've all been great.
Take your point on the threat that cycling is to profiteers. They won't ban it outright though: it happens in incremental stages as they try and convince us that it's too dangerous to cycle on the road as a vehicle and we have to ride in "bike lanes".
Very clear summary of some of the attendant costs of automobile culture. I'm always surprised by the amount of time and money that people are willing to spend upon sitting in a traffic jam. I can see the use of cars as being necessary in a rural area with too low a population density to justify public-transport infrastructure, but in a city it's madness! Anyway, you may be interested in contributing to http://www.cicle.org It's still very much in development.;-)
The article is interesting as is much of the related Segway/hybrid/SUV/bike discussion. I'd like to suggest that the bicycle really is the best solution.
Its cheap: even a really, really nice roadbike is going to be US$4000 (and that's ridiculous overkill for most people). Most of us can slum it with a beautiful US$1000 roadbike or mountainbike (look at Cannondales: one of the only frames completely made in the USA, lifelong warranty on their frames, US$900). There's no need to rip up roads, redesign much, it just integrates immediately into the present traffic structure.
It's clean.
It has the added benefit of adding much needed exercise into the life of the busy commuter. Why waste money joining a gym and spening an hour looking like a demented hamster in a cage when you can get more exercise commuting and spend the extra time doing something else?
Noise levels will be reduced.
Foreign oil wars become unnecessary. (I suppose we need to consider manufacture of plastics in this, though. Anyone know how much oil it would require just to produce our plastics?
Mental health of the population will be improved: aggressive people can peddle harder, go faster and burn out their stress. The rest of us will have a smooth, beautiful cruise.
The major cause of death to children in NY will be removed.
Anyway, here's a website that has some good links about how to ride safely in traffic, has reviews of commuting equipment etc. It's just starting to try and build community and encouraged bicycle use in major urban areas: http://www.cicle.org
Great points, obviously you are an experienced cyclist, especially demonstrated by your awareness of the sidewalk issue. 75% of collisions between bicycles and other vehicles occur at intersections and this the rate for bicycle/other-vehicle collisions is 14 times higher when the bicyle is on a sidewalk or poorly-engineered cycle track/lane.
Cyclists Inciting Change through Live Exchange
http://www.cicle.org
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Take your point on the threat that cycling is to profiteers. They won't ban it outright though: it happens in incremental stages as they try and convince us that it's too dangerous to cycle on the road as a vehicle and we have to ride in "bike lanes".
Very clear summary of some of the attendant costs of automobile culture. I'm always surprised by the amount of time and money that people are willing to spend upon sitting in a traffic jam. I can see the use of cars as being necessary in a rural area with too low a population density to justify public-transport infrastructure, but in a city it's madness! Anyway, you may be interested in contributing to http://www.cicle.org It's still very much in development. ;-)
The article is interesting as is much of the related Segway/hybrid/SUV/bike discussion. I'd like to suggest that the bicycle really is the best solution.
Anyway, here's a website that has some good links about how to ride safely in traffic, has reviews of commuting equipment etc. It's just starting to try and build community and encouraged bicycle use in major urban areas: http://www.cicle.org
Great points, obviously you are an experienced cyclist, especially demonstrated by your awareness of the sidewalk issue. 75% of collisions between bicycles and other vehicles occur at intersections and this the rate for bicycle/other-vehicle collisions is 14 times higher when the bicyle is on a sidewalk or poorly-engineered cycle track/lane.
Cyclists Inciting Change through Live Exchange http://www.cicle.org