I was rather bemused to see the title of this article topic... "scooters as an urban and environmental alternative to cars."

Whatever the heck happened to bicycles?

Riding a bicycle to work provides the rider with exercise, and gets rid of all the noxious fumes and pollution of a mechanical engine. Sure, a scooter does not have as much pollution as a car - indeed if it's battery operated I believe there is no pollution at all - except when you have to replace the battery, and the old one gets put into a landfill...

Of course depending on how far away from work a person works, the bicycle may not be a feasible means of transport - but a scooter surely doesn't go much faster than a bicycle!

And yes, you don't really want to be biking during heavy rain or snow, which makes it impractical if you live in a place that gets snow during the winter season...but then again if it's impractical to bike during snow surely it'd be unsafe to use a scooter as well...

The one major drawback to using a bicycle is that many cities are designed to discourage the use of bicycles, and indeed, even of pedestrians. It's up to the citizenry to insist that bike paths and bike lanes be constructed so that the bicyclist can be safe on the roads. (And no, if you have an accident while you are biking, *I* am not responsible for it! I'm just saying that if you can bike, you should bike. It's up to you to decide if there's a safe route to your work and back!)

Another drawback with biking is that bikes are vulnerable to being stolen. Even if you lock it up securely, would-be thieves sometimes resent this, and will destroy the bike if they can't steal it. There again, it's up to the citizenry to request that malls and other areas install bike storage areas that will keep the bike away from vandals.

Take the example of China. Up until a few decades ago, there were no cars, and everyone biked. Now that money is pouring into China, the status symbol is to get a car - just as it is to anyone in the Western world. And now the problem of pollution is as bad as, if not worse, than any Western city. Could China bring back the bike now that it's citizens have had a taste of the speed and exhilaration of a car? Probably not.

But we in the States should give it a try.

Learn more about this author, Barbara Peterson.
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