"The automobile has not merely taken over the street, it has dissolved the living tissue of the city. Its appetite for space is absolutely insatiable; moving and parked, it devours urban land, leaving the buildings as mere islands of habitable space in a sea of dangerous and ugly traffic."--James Marston Fitch, New York Times, May 1, 1960
"Driving a
car versus riding a bike is on par with watching television rather than
living your own life."--Bruce MacAlister, Calgary cyclist
"Since the
bicycle makes little demand on material or energy resources,
contributes little to pollution, makes a positive contribution to
health and causes little death or injury, it can be regarded as the
most benevolent of machines."--Stuart S. Wilson, Oxford University
"This is the
basis of car culture, the idea that the world and all of the world's
people are merely in its way."-- Travis Hugh Culley
"The
bicycle, the bicycle surely, should always be the vehicle of novelists
and poets."--Christopher Morley, American writer and editor, 1890-1957
"Those who
wish to control their own lives and move beyond existence as mere
clients and consumers--those people ride a bike."-- Wolfgang Sachs. For Love of the Automobile (UC Press, 1992)
The most benevolent of machines might be a little extreme. But I do enjoy a good bicycle, though, I have a mediocre one. I'm happy I'm not the only person using one in this town.
Also, You recommend so many entries now! It's crazy. Not overwhelming, just noticeably different.
We may all be using one if the price of gas goes back up! LOL Good post!
It's too bad Americans haven't caught on to bicycle use. We'd probably be in a lot better shape, economically, physically and environmentally. However, bicycles are not conducive to long commutes, and since America is very spread out, it's hard to travel by bike unless you live in a metro area. That's probably why bikes are so popular in Europe—the countries are smaller and people don't seem to travel long distances very often.
Comments (5)
The most benevolent of machines might be a little extreme. But I do enjoy a good bicycle, though, I have a mediocre one. I'm happy I'm not the only person using one in this town.
Also, You recommend so many entries now! It's crazy. Not overwhelming, just noticeably different.
We may all be using one if the price of gas goes back up! LOL Good post!
It's too bad Americans haven't caught on to bicycle use. We'd probably be in a lot better shape, economically, physically and environmentally. However, bicycles are not conducive to long commutes, and since America is very spread out, it's hard to travel by bike unless you live in a metro area. That's probably why bikes are so popular in Europe—the countries are smaller and people don't seem to travel long distances very often.
Long commutes are a choice.