luderart

As you might have guessed, I don't own a car. I have never owned one. But I am wondering what I might be losing of its advantages. I can't go everywhere by bicycle. I can't transport larger things by bicycle. And I can't transport people by bicycle. But I wonder what other advantages and disadvantages a car would have, as well as what advantages/disadvantages a bicycle has. Can you provide some of your ideas from your experience with cars and bicycles?

travelmama

While it is true that you can't go everywhere by bicycle, you can transport larger items and people, depending on which type of bike you have. I several bikes, one of which is a Kona Ute. I have been able to haul cargo that probably would not have been able to fit in my car. I have also transported a friend close to 20 miles on it. I have a car, minivan and a motor scooter. My van has been away for nearly 9 weeks and my car is parked in the garage. In the last nine weeks, I have driven only 4 times because my friend needed my help (she doesn't cycle). I don't miss driving because I am able to get around without a car. In fact, I dread getting into a car these days because I enjoy being on the bike. If I decide to go to somewhere far, I try to hitch a ride,take the bus or train
The only advantages of car owning for me are being able to go anywhere I want, when I want, being able to haul things very long distances and transporting people. I tend to work around all three by planning out how things will work. If something is urgent, I jump on the scooter to handle my business which really isn't that far.
For me, the bicycle is a 100% positive with no disadvantages.

nancy sv

Sometimes it is very convenient to have a car over just the bike. If you have work situations where to have to move quickly from a meeting in one location to another in a short time, for example. Also, it is nice to be able to drive a few hundred miles to visit family or friends for a long weekend - and the bike would take too long to get there.

That being said, I enjoy doing everyday stuff on the bike too! What I most enjoy about biking is touring. I just wrote up an article this morning about touring on bike versus traveling on buses. You can read it here.

jgedwa

Under some conditions, a car buys time.

Under most conditions, a bike buys you everything you need.

jim

wahoonc

Bikes can do an amazing number of things with a properly motivated rider. Are they a complete replacement for an ICE (internal combustion vehicle)? No. I lived car free for several years, but still depended on buses, taxis and the occasional UPS delivery. Cars do have a few advantages, but IMHO have many more disadvantages. You have to strike a balance. In many cases a car is an improperly used tool. Kind of like using a 20# sledge hammer to put nails in to hang pictures with, you can do it, but it isn't exactly the best tool for the job.

Aaron

gerv 

That's a good metaphor for the environmental damage inflicted by the automobile...

cyclezealot

It's there for me on the rare days, I'd rather not use the bike...
../.. An Example. I can carry a couple gallons of milk on the bike.. But, Sort of hard to carry a big screen TV.

sykerocker 

Cars (more inclusively, say ICE-powered vehicles) have three huge advantages: Speed, distance and load hauling capacity. There are going to be times when the object you need to haul is just too bloody big or heavy for a bicycle. Or a trip is too long for the amount of time available to complete it.

To some, these trips that are going to be outside the practical zone of a bicycle mean only needing to rent the necessary vehicle, and return it when the job is done. To others, rental is impractical (for example, I'd have to bicycle 23 miles to the local car rental place, pick up my vehicle, run the errands, return it, then bicycle the 23 miles back home - aka, shooting a complete day for a couple of hours worth of work accomplished), so you own a car that's kept in the background until it's needed.

You make your choices, based on your daily needs. And the bottom line is that neither the bicycle, scooter, motorcycle, car or truck is the perfect one-size-fits-all vehicle for all occasions.

sykerocker 

The first statement, I agree with completely. The second? Eh, a bicycle is a worthwhile tool, but it ain't THAT perfect.

DX-MAN

Advantage CAR:

Faster
Can carry more (passengers, cargo, etc.)
More protection from other cars
Can use drive-thru ANYWHERE

Advantage BIKE:

Cleaner, more eco
Healthier
More fun
Can go places cars can't
LOTS cheaper to operate
Allows road rage to work off instead of build up
Don't need operator's license/registration/plates/insurance
Don't need to be ASE certified to fix

UnsafeAlpine

I transported my gf to the doctor's office in 12 degree F weather by car. I would not have let her ride a bike, nor would I have transported her by bike.

scattered73

Protection from the elements are a bonus for a car some days

n8tron

Rather than name advantages and disadvantages based on what the later does or doesn't have/do I'll just name my specific thoughts without concern to the other.

Car Advantages
-carry large/heavy objects and people
-travel long distances over a short period of time
-require nearly no physical work
-shielded from the elements
-can be fun to drive

Car Disadvantages
-expensive (plus usage costs ie: gas/parking etc.)
-bad for the environment


Bike Advantages
-cheap, near zero $ maintenance.
-fun
-gives a workout/keeps you healthy
-zero emission

Bike Disadvantages
-long distances take a long time
-requires physical activity
-cumbersome when carrying large objects (or impossible)
-no protection from the elements

Cosmoline

The car, to probably misquote Jose Ortega y Gasset, kills space and strangles time. It gets you across more territory faster, but the act is a violent one. The bicycle requires more energy from you, but the miles you cover are earned by the sweat of your own brow. The car also allows you to live life with far less planning. On a bike, esp. up here, you have to plan your shopping runs and other ventures ahead of time. And you have to work with the environment. The car lets you defy the elements. Ignore them, in fact. You don't feel wind on skin or the blast of arctic air. You live in an artificial cocoon.

wheel

I think one disadvantage would be unwilling to take different modes of transportation.

On a bike I have no problems taking a bus, train, walking, or plane.

In a car they could be seen as slow.



I don't own a car, and really don't believe the car holds many advantages in a city. Simply because those advantages are preceded by many consequences.

mickey85

This seems a highly personal thread. It seems that it depends on two things: location and personal needs.

Location: if you live in a city, it's probably easier to use a bike/public transportation. If you live in the country and have to drive distances, a car might be better (case in point - it takes me 10 minutes to drive to work if I"m slow, but 30 on a bike if I'm really cooking). If you live where it's bloody freezing (7* right now outside), a car with a heater sure feels nice, but if you live in some state south of Tennessee, it'd be a whole lot easier to conceive. It also depends on the city in which you live. For instance, when I was living in Broad Ripple in Indianapolis, I could bike downtown to work, or I could drive. I couldn't take public transportation. Because of this, and the fact that I could either take the MUP (which goes through some dangerous locales), or the main roads (which go through some dangerous locales), it's safer to be in a car.

Personal needs: My uncle is a partial paraplegic (his legs don't have nerve control, but they aren't paralyzed). It's hard for him to walk, much less ride a bike; however, he can drive using hand controls. Farmers cannot bale hay and throw it on the back of a Big Dummy. Mothers with 2+ kids might find it hard to use a bike. Sick/elderly/young people would not fare well on a bike when it's nearly 0*F as it is here, and has been for a week.

It also seems to be a thing based on country as well. In a country such as England or France, you can get most anything you need in your home town. It would be feasible to live in a town such as Stratford on Avon (which I had the pleasure of staying for a couple months) and never need to leave the town. Here, my nearest plumber is 8 miles away, and my nearest home store (home depot, lowes, etc) is 40 miles away. And no, there are no mom-and-pop hardware stores. If I wanted to go to the dentist, I'd have to go 30 miles, and if I wanted an eye doctor, I'd either have to go to Wal Mart or travel 25 miles. While these distances aren't necessarily that long, it's a pretty big hassle to take at least 2 hours commute time (both ways!) any time I need to get my teeth cleaned or get my glasses prescription updated.

I think that we need to address the issues that affect all, not just some.

hshearer

I agree with jgedwa: a bike can buy you everything you'd ever need. For the money you save by usually using a bike and not owning a car you could probably have a limo service take you on your ‘car required’ errands!

Here's a few more ideas on the question at hand that haven't been mentioned yet:

Car disadvantage:
-How many people (and animals) have been killed by cars? That's my #1 reason for disliking cars, and it's a weight of resposibility I feel every time I'm behind the wheel. People who drive like they're sitting in their living room easy chair (talking on the phone, eating, maybe even reading something) horrify me. Roads aren't dangerous, cars are dangerous, compounded by bad driving.
-exhaust smells bad
-gets blistering hot sitting in the sun, and you freeze waiting for it to warm up in winter
-need to scrape the windows in winter and clear the driveway before going anywhere. You can't TOTALLY ignore the weather when you drive, and this unpleasant chore can take quite a while and make you late.
-you don't experience your environment as well; too busy paying attention to the road (at least I hope so).
-stressful; being in the car is a mission to get somewhere fast, and everyone is in your way. Being on a bike is a pleasure, and it doesn't matter if it takes a little longer to get there. There's also rarely such a thing as a traffic jam when you're on a bike.
-Can't be fixed on the spot if it breaks down
-Needs a tow if it gets stuck
-The interior always gets messy, somehow

Bike disadvantage:
-not easily secured when parked, and stripping off all the accessories is a pain.
-that's actually all I can think of... for me, even the other potential downsides aren't really an issue.

UnsafeAlpine

What do you do when you're crazy sick?

hshearer

If I can walk, I can bike. Just take it slow. I'd ride my bike (slowly and carefully) at times when I would never consider driving. I've ridden my bike shortly after some fairly major surgery, for example. Same when recovering from being sick, but no longer contagious, or when having neck spasms or a distracting stomach ache.

If I'm 'crazy-sick', I don't go out. Period. I'm a germophobe, and despair to think that I could be making other people sick. I hate it when a cold ruins my plans (for social occasaions, deadlines at work, travel, fitness training). However, ruin them it does. I stay at home. Risking other people's health just so that you can do what you think you need to/want to is pretty rude and selfish in my books. Plus, if I'm so sick I can't ride my bike, it's probably not such a hot idea to be in control of a potentially lethal car, right?

Roody

I will agree that there are advantages to a car, but most of those advantages would disappear if we had efficient public transit and complete streets. If we went 10 years spending transportation budgets on public transit instead of the highways, a combination of bikes and transit would satisfy nearly everybody.

daven1986

One BIG advantage I find with bikes is that no matter what the weather / traffic / time of day / road works etc. I can accurately say that it will take me no longer than 31 minutes to get to university. This is a HUGE plus in the mornings or when trying to get somewhere on time. Also compared to public transport you aren't delayed by 20 mins if you miss your train by 1 second! If you leave 1 second later on your bike, then you get to your destination 1 second later!

For a car the advantages are carrying things and long distances. Also less likely to get stolen!

For me, living in a city, a car is useless at the moment. I will eventually get a cheap one for when I need it, but that will be in a few years. I am happy with just using a bike and at a stretch public transport.

HauntedMyst

Bicycle disadvantages cinematically

• French Connection chase scene under the L would have sucked on a bicycle
• If the movie Carrie featured a bicycle, then the deaths would have taken much longer and been a lot more boring.
• The Bat Mobile would have to become the Bat Bicycle. Greener sure but much less likely to have cool weapons.
• James Bond couldn't get laid on a bicycle. Well, maybe Sean Connerys Bond could, but it would be really uncomfortable.
• Scooby an the Gang would never had been able to invite hitch hikers into the The Mystery Bicycle. Jinkies!
• Dumb and Dumber.....never mind, that movie would have been just as hysterical with a dog shaped bicycle instead of a car!

Car disadvantage cinematically

• Um....ET would have crapped himself being strapped to the hood of a car and soaring in front of the moon...

gerv 

I would have enjoyed immensely if the bikes were some of those fine Italian road bikes from that era. Especially in that many of them featured full sized pumps right on the frame. Imagine as Gene Hackman closes in on a fiend and beats him mercilessly. (Although Gene Hackman might be too much of a Fred... come to think of it... the part would have gone to Patrick McGoohan)

Platy

Cars are great transportation machines. However, they require an enormous infrastructure of roads, bridges, manufacturing, maintenance, parking facilities, finance, fuel supply, law enforcement, government regulation, and ultimately disposal. Cars also seem to imply specific ways of organizing how we work and live, as well as the physical layout of our cities and communities. Almost everything about our lives has been optimized for compatibility with cars. All alternative ways of doing anything are marginalized. The problem I have with cars is that to obtain the transportation advantages, we have to accept the totality of car culture. It's a package deal.

To borrow software guru Joe Armstrong's analogy, it's like wanting a banana, but instead getting a gorilla holding a banana, and the whole jungle too.

Roody

Fantastic post!