If I were to ask you what is the most commonly used transport in China, you would be justified to tell “The Bicycle.” During my childhood, we would see masses of folk crowding the streets on their bicycles whenever China was discussed in the classroom. Just as China’s food is nothing like Chinese food, the transport system is also no longer jammed with bicycles.
The gain from China’s expanding economy generates enormous wealth, and a vehicle’s price is no longer beyond the ordinary urban citizen’s plan. Nonetheless, in a few short months, their insatiable desire for CO2 generating fuel has deposed the US, and they are now the world’s largest polluters.
As the Live Earth of Al Gore comes to an end, it is clear that many Americans are willing to shoulder the responsibility for much of the decline and are not just pledging money to the cause and taking steps to reduce their own pollution.
Growing up in the UK, we used fewer carbon-based energy per citizen than our American counterparts was common knowledge. It was a common belief that an American would rather get into his motor vehicle than walk to the nearest shop the short distance. It is always dangerous to generalize, and I must confess that, at least in the UK, this seems to have become a general practice.
This century’s growing health situation includes obesity and poor health due to lack of exercise. Hearing Al Gore, a fairly good US diplomat, urging us to abandon our motor vehicle for the sake of {{our} bike is fun. What a weird world we live in.
It’s just as strange to watch China’s transition. Consider the average Chinese person in your mind, not the local Chinese, but the people you see on television who live in China right now. See someone who is obese and overweight or someone who appears healthy and clean? You’re going to see the above. Is this likely to change as they cast off their bicycles in favor of the sun family?
I avoided my bike for a long time. The roads are for motor vehicles, and taking bicycles on them is too dangerous (plus cyclists in the United Kingdom do not need insurance, do not pay tax, and there is no requirement to wear safety gear).
Increasing numbers of special cycling paths have emerged in new towns that lead directly to the center of town from the outer skirts. You can use these to save time and money to keep you healthy.
I park outside the city with a collapsible wheelchair in my car trunk. Not only does this save cash on parking fees, but it also removes the hassle of searching a free parking space or trying to face a fine or rim lock.
I’d rather take a lift and sit. I’m taking the bike on the bus, scooting around town, and then driving back, or if the bad weather is using the bus to get back.
This is the only way biking is healthy, and if the United Kingdom, the United States, and eventually China really want to reduce their emissions, they will have to try hard to convince the profit public.
America may not lead the coal war, but that doesn’t mean people don’t take it seriously. Twenty years ago, I went to Eugene, Oregon on a holiday, and it was transformed into the heaven of a commuter by the local government. They spent money trying to persuade local people to leave their cars at home. Cycle paths have been carefully maintained and although motor vehicles have not been prosecuted, they have been strongly promoted by mot and on a sunny Sunday morning, more people are on their bikes than in their automobiles.
If the environment is troubling you or you stay in a place where you would like not to go on a bike, head down to your local sports authority to try one of the many new home workout items. In the backroom, I have a Trojan endurance in front of a Pc. Half an hour a day in my own home’s convenience, paying less than $200, much less than the typical bike’s price.
Whatever your aim is to achieve better nutrition, the noble bike is the best choice for a better planet, not only do you boost your wellbeing, not only eliminate fossil fuel consumption, but you also get there.
