Regarding BBC: Why Is Cycling So Popular In The Netherlands?
Streets pre-date cars. But for many Americans, it is impossible to imagine a city that was not made FOR cars. Our laws and customs drive us to pay any price at all so we can go even short distances on a car. As a result, our bicyclists live a sort of chance, outlaw existence. But different societies are possible. If there is another fuel crisis, the Dutch are going to be laughing at us.
Elite transportation is muscle – your muscle. For too long we’ve let our cars dictate where we live, what we wear, where we shop, how we handle traffic, even what income we need to have. We think that being owned by machines is something from science fiction, but if you can’t go up two flights of stairs on your own power without getting out of breath, what else would you call it? So break loose, already.
“Mach-S, the speed at which stress can’t keep up, is simply forward motion. But it has to be self- propelled. Note that people in cars are still stressed.”
— Jef Mallett, author and artist of comic strip Frazz
(Reposted from my old blog, my photos, and from Facebook)
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