Solution: It's called the old bicycle. There are millions of them out there and they fit the bill of cheap, reliable, easily maintained transportation. They can often be had for less that $100 (plenty of personal experience there) and are often a few consumable parts away from being just as good or better than new. Most nine-year-olds can be taught to replace a tire or a chain. Here is a good example. This type of bicycle is the most produced vehicle of any kind ever, and it does exactly what it was designed to do.
Other excellent options include the tons and tons of English three speeds sitting unused across the country, Chicago Schwinns, Free Spirits, etc.
We don't need new bikes. We need to use the ones we already made.