What person in America wasn’t thrilled to get their first bike! It was a highpoint of my life. It gave me freedom and distance and joy. Then, I grew up and got a car. It is interesting to watch China pull away from bicycles as a major mode of travel and opt for the auto while other countries are encouraging bicycling as a reasonable way to travel, and commute. People are tired of traffic gridlock. A bicyclist in cities like Portland, San Francisco, New York, Boston, Cleveland, etc. can get to work faster on their bikes than a car or train. That’s something to think about.
Bicycles have been engineered to be an entirely different experience then the Schwinn from my childhood. Bicycles are made for speed, comfort and great ease of mobility in mind. Essya Nabbali, one of the women who survived a severe bike accident last year, sent me an interesting email about two women who have invented an invisible bike helmet. Sound impossible? Click on the link below to a video about this marvelous invention. It is made like an automobile airbag. It instantly explodes open to protect the biker in an accident.
It also helps to have municipalities plan cities, or even retrofit cities to make bicycling more attractive with more than simple bicycle lanes. How about a bicycle only freeway that can serve commuters? Check out the following link to see Denmarks Bicycle Interstate. Then look for the 25 Jul 2012 issue at gas2.org. Fantastic.
My daughter commuted for a couple of years on her bike. It made me nervous but with an interstate like Copenhagen’s, and bike friendly cities opening up to encouraging bike travel, things could change for all of us. For the better, I might add. Its good exercise and fun.
Like us, RVers everywhere we go are seen with their bikes. Jim and I enjoyed biking the canals of Yuma in 2009.
Que Sera, Sera... Whatever Will Be, Will Be... 
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if this country were bike friendly. While there are some towns that are I am reasonably certain that nothing much will change in what is left of my lifetime.
Unless, of course, gas prices skyrocket even then it would be difficult to get America off it’s collective butt.
Right now gas prices in Europe are about $9 a gallon. Wait and see if that doesn’t motivate people to bicycle. It might even get me out of my Prius. (Chuckle)