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I actually went out and bought a bike last spring because of the rising gas prices. Driving a car like mine is not at all practical around my town, which is rather compact--very much city driving, which we all know lowers mpgs. I save a lot of money riding my bike; it's already paid for itself in savings.
I don't ride it all the time though. I confess to having driven my car to campus a couple of times this week, because it's been freeezing cold out. But I also rode the bus once, and rode my bike the majority of the time.
I've been meaning to take some pictures of my usual bike commute, especially on a day when it's dumping rain. I have a rain suit just for those days, and I look really ridiculous in it, but it's absolutely worth it to stay dry.I'm waiting for it to warm up and dry out so I can really ride my bike again.
I like my town because it has a lot of quality bike paths; most major roads have a bike lane. The town has also not spread out like most, given that it's a) a college town, and b) it's largely run by progressive former hippies who have clearly outlined the city's zero-growth policy (encouraging infill development and mixed-use development). Oregon has a lot of cool land-use planning laws that keep urban sprawl in check (thank you, Tom McCall). It's not that we don't want growth here; we just want it to be smart. Furthermore, public transport is fairly central to life here; regardless of where you live, it's available in one form or another (even if it's Dial-A-Ride). While Oregon has yet to catch up to Washington in terms of support for passenger train service, we beat the pants off of our northern neighbor when it comes to urban areas with practical public transport design (Portland is a public transport mecca for a reason). I know that if I am forced to relocate to the suburbs as an adult, at least they will be the suburbs of Portland, with access to Tri-Met (busses, MAX, streetcar, and tram), which connects me with anywhere I need to go.
Other people in this country are not as fortunate as I am. Not everyone lives in a state where people opened their eyes about our future a long time ago, and started planning accordingly.
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If I am not better, at least I am different. --Jean-Jacques Rousseau
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