It's not that we hate bikes in the US, it's just that the distances we travel are much further. In the Netherlands, I could take my bike and ride to most anyplace I need on a weekly basis (grocery store, dinner, whatever). Worst case, I could take the bike to the bus or train station and go anywhere from there.
In the US, we absolutely do not have that infrastructure, and won't have it anytime in the next 50 years, if ever. Taking my bike to work is not an option, as it's 20 miles for me. To boot, I'm in sales, so taking a bike trip to GA every other week isn't an option, nor is a bus or a train.
So what are my options?
I drive an SUV. I often travel long distances with my boat and do numerous regattas (more than most on here). Furthermore, I double-stack with various other boats as much as possible. Do you think your car will handle a double-stack N20 rig on I95? Keep dreaming.
At 23 years old, having multiple cars isn't too much of an option due to insurance costs and the other associated costs of vehicle ownership.
So, what do I do? Give it all up, move to a city, and never venture out? Almost every one of you is great at pointing out problems and symptoms, but never at offering a reasonable solution (which always included some sort of compromise).
It's always the same. Arguments always break out and then everything becomes polarized. Stupid comments are made by both sides (see recent argument between Tad and Pete-pgp), and then we move on to another thread and it's all repeated.
