Originally Posted by
downtube42
I think personal mobility devices will have a far bigger impact on automobile usage than bicycle usage. They already are, in many places. A lot of those kids running around on e-bikes aren't displaced cyclists, they are displaced passengers in their mom's SUV.
Absolutely true! Ebikes are great because they get people out of cars. That said, they are darned expensive and therefore will never displace bicycles. The only reason that the OP does not see kids or adults biking is that much of the US urban environment has been built solely for car traffic, to the exclusion of pedestrians of bicyclists. That said, there are many cities that are greatly improving bicycle infrastructure. I live in one...Berkeley California...but there are plenty of others. New York is another example, as is San Francisco. Of course, we are way behind so many other world cities such as Amsterdam, Paris, and London, but change is afoot. Cars are a horrible way to get around cities. Transit and bikes are really the only feasible and pleasant option.