So bicyclists get too much support, do they? How about considering the costs to society that the automobile actually is responsible for? Over 40,000 people die in car crashes each year in the US - how many are killed by bicyclists? Cars are responsible for a great portion of air pollution and its associated medical costs - how much air pollution is caused by the bicycle? And what about noise pollution, sprawl, inactivity, especially among youth (the US Surgeon General estimates that costs associated with obesity will eclipse EVERY other cost in the US within a few years), drunk driving, speeding, road rage, congestion and its costs to society in lost productivity and increased freight costs (and what about oil, war, power). Does gas really only cost society a few dollars a gallon? I don't think so! Let's get real, folks, you can pretend that your auto doesn't affect the rest of us, and that you are a fantastic driver, even after a couple beers, but the facts say otherwise. More bikes means less cars. Less cars on the street means less cost to society - end of discussion.
re: Bicycle Expenditures with Some Context
So bicyclists get too much support, do they? How about considering the costs to society that the automobile actually is responsible for? Over 40,000 people die in car crashes each year in the US - how many are killed by bicyclists? Cars are responsible for a great portion of air pollution and its associated medical costs - how much air pollution is caused by the bicycle? And what about noise pollution, sprawl, inactivity, especially among youth (the US Surgeon General estimates that costs associated with obesity will eclipse EVERY other cost in the US within a few years), drunk driving, speeding, road rage, congestion and its costs to society in lost productivity and increased freight costs (and what about oil, war, power). Does gas really only cost society a few dollars a gallon? I don't think so! Let's get real, folks, you can pretend that your auto doesn't affect the rest of us, and that you are a fantastic driver, even after a couple beers, but the facts say otherwise. More bikes means less cars. Less cars on the street means less cost to society - end of discussion.