It amazes me that bicycle riders should be so scorned in this day and age. We are using the least energy of all modes of transportation. Drivers should only honk at us to say "yes, thank you for doing that...I wish I could...maybe someday..."

I spend a lot of time talking with policy wonks from many countries. Whenever the topic of ways to deal with "the transport problem" comes up, and I or somebody else mention bicycles, that suggestion is typically met with a snort of derision and a shake of the head -- as if the person making the suggestion is some sort of green loony with his or her head in the clouds.

Yet one can point to numerous countries and cities wherein bicycles have made a real difference -- The Netherlands, Copenhagen, Geneva, Zurich, Bogota and Portland, for a start. Even though the potential for reducing fuel consumption through greater urban bicycle use is real and tangible, it gets far less attention than biofuels.

Good, therefore, to see a major Presidential contender acknowledging the potential offered by that simple, yet elegant technology.

These are only my personal opinions.

..........courageously, within a framework of intellectual honesty.

Perhaps human beings could more effectively address the emergent and convergent global challenges we see looming ominously before the family of humanity on the far horizon if so many of our leaders did not abuse human intelligence and ingenuity by choosing to adamantly idolatrize the endless growth of the global political economy.

Science, reasoning and common sense are being twisted and subordinated to conform to whatever thinking serves our leadership's intentions to promote the politically convenient and the economically expedient, in the course of its worship of soon to become, unsustainable economic growth.

Steven Earl Salmony
AWAREness Campaign on The Human Population,  established 2001

in short: the perception - and reality - of purist bike culture.

I live in a hilly area and without my electric-assist bike I would never bike to shopping or to work; but the local bike shop refuses to carry these bikes because they're powered.

In other words, in their view, bicycling is for athletes.

Until old people and fat people and people in business suits can get around easily by bike, bicyling isn't an option - at least not a realistic mass-market one.

In my area - where bus ridership is up 10% since last year and projected to go up another 10% - our public servants in govt are looking at cutting back on bus service "because gas is costing us more".

As an American university student living and working in Germany for the summer, I am loving being able to ride my bike everywhere.  Not only do I not need to worry about paying all of the expenses associated with a car, it is also a little guaranteed exercise every day.  3 minute ride to the grocery store, 5 minutes to the downtown in the town I live in, 15 minutes to work, its great.  

If you need to go to a bigger city, ride the bike to the train station and hop on the train (you can even bring your bike on the train if you want and it doesn't cost anything extra).  3 weeks ago I hit up Leipzig, yesterday was Dresden which was just 10 Euros total (15ish dollars) for a 1.5 hr train ride each way.  Wish life was so simple in the US.