On 8/16/2017 9:12 PM, Tim McNamara wrote:
On Tue, 15 Aug 2017 12:20:39 -0400, Frank Krygowski
wrote:
On 8/15/2017 1:20 AM, Tim McNamara wrote:

Bicycling is already an economical alternative to driving by at least
an order of magnitude when comparing a mid-range bike with a
mid-range car. Operating costs of a bike are a tiny fraction of the
operating costs of a car, even when factoring the stupidly high
prices of consumables like bike tires...

What's the average bike sold to consumers cost- about $500 or so
(I've been out of the normal new bike market for decades, so I really
don't know)? Versus the average car costing about $25,000?
Economics are not really the carrot one might hope for. People do
not make choices in an economically coherent fashion.

I think you're using too restrictive a definition of "economic." Yours
seems to be counting only dollars. But at least in some discussions
"economics" is used to describe human behavior in response to benefits
and detriments in general, not just when counting dollars. (The
_Freakonomics_ series of books goes into this idea in detail.)

OK, you make a good point. I was thinking strictly dollars. But a 20
minute drive to work versus an hour bike ride or a 1 1/2 hour bus ride
has definite value that influences decisions. Or being able to bring
home a week's work of groceries in one's car versus maybe a day or two
by bike.

More on that aspect of benefits & detriments: It occurs to me that I
view bicycling (at least over moderate distances) far differently than
the typical American.

Before retirement, I thought "I get to ride my bike to work." I liked it
because I liked pretty much all bicycling (well, except in the rain),
and because it kept me in shape for more bicycling. It also put me in a
better mood all day. Similarly, I ride my bike to the grocery store
because it's fun for me and my wife, and we go the "long" way both to
enjoy a pleasant route and to get a few more miles.

So for me, riding is a benefit. I "get" to do it. For most Americans,
riding would be a detriment if they "had" to do it.


--
- Frank Krygowski