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The Most Popular Vehicle in the Word Today is the Bicycle (Pic)
number27.org — "There are over 1.4 billion bicycles in service today, and only 400 million cars."
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- AwesomeMonster, on 10/11/2007, -4/+49I rode my bike today! I'm part of the movement! hooray!
- Rhapsodys, on 10/11/2007, -2/+56pshhh, bikes are for people with places to go.
- DesignEx, on 10/11/2007, -4/+86I bet 'feet' have a decided edge over bicycles as well.
- knightblade2oo4, on 10/11/2007, -37/+3"...only 400 million cars."
Correct me if I'm wrong but 4,000,000 is a ***** of car. - chrisbosh123, on 10/11/2007, -1/+19actully its 400,000,000 but anyhow, a billion of those bikes are in china (seirously) there are lanes for bikes on the road... everyone in china
- imikedaman, on 10/11/2007, -4/+32"Correct me if I'm wrong but 4,000,000 is a ***** of car."
I'll correct you, but not for the reason you're expecting: 400 million is 400,000,000. - PueSi, on 10/11/2007, -11/+5400 million is 400,000,000...
- airunder, on 10/11/2007, -7/+0at awesomemonster, I hate to rain on your parade, but according to this chart most people can say they are part of the movement.You would be in the minority if you didn't ride a bike.
- Hoogie7Dowser, on 10/11/2007, -5/+2Word?
- imsteve22, on 10/11/2007, -8/+4i think its stupid to think that the most popular vehicle is the bike just cause theres more of them out there. sure, quantity wise they may be ahead, but cars are built for more than 1 person.
- betterth, on 10/11/2007, -1/+12400 Million is way to low.
That picture says there are 785 cars per 1000 people in America, meaning that of our 300,000,000 there are 235,500,000 million cars in the US alone. Japan would make another 60m, Germany 40m, meaning that these three countries are responsible for 330/400m of the worlds cars? I think not. That number is way to low and totally out of line with their own statistics.
http://hypertextbook.com/facts/2001/MarinaStasenko.shtml This site says 600m in service. - upsilonh24, on 10/11/2007, -0/+3/////i think its stupid to think that the most popular vehicle is the bike just cause theres more of them out there. sure, quantity wise they may be ahead, but cars are built for more than 1 person./////
Karl Pilkington! Get out of this body! - PsychoticClown, on 10/11/2007, -3/+6The Ford F150 is more popular than the Bugatti Veyron.
"Popular" is just another word for "affordable". - ISIfunded911, on 10/11/2007, -6/+2600,000,000 are destroying the planet.
6,000,000,000 are not.
Maybe the 6,000,000,000 could get rid of the 600,000,000. Or at least force them to get rid of their cars. - CokeEatsYummy, on 10/11/2007, -1/+0There are 6.5 billion humans with a brain, but only a few use them.
It doesn't mean that everyone uses a bike more than their cars.
- Anrkist, on 10/11/2007, -33/+3"Every year more then 35,000 Chinese cyclists die from bike accidents" - Read: Car pwns bike riders.
- wonderchemist, on 10/11/2007, -2/+39An average of 42,000 Americans are killed in auto accidents each year.
- chingy1788, on 10/11/2007, -2/+5hmmm
1 Billion people from China, 500M Riders
and there are 35K deaths
Then you look at America, (I'm not sure on the figures since I don't live in America) there are about 400Million people?
ehh, 400Million cars around anyways (world Wide)
and there are 42K deaths
seems to me that the Bicycle is a safer way to get around
though not the best for traveling long distances, its good for close areas, places with many small roads as well - betterth, on 10/11/2007, -0/+2@chingy1788
Wha?! I think you're on to something!
A method of transportation that goes significantly slower is safer than one that goes significantly faster?! What a notion!
The point is, I can't ride my bike to work. It's fifteen miles away. I don't have that kind of time to waste in my day riding a bike down the interstate.
- chingy1788, on 10/11/2007, -11/+40If you consider the benefits of riding a bicycle...
- its cheap
- its easy to ride
- you don't need a license
- keeps you in shape
Then Bikes are a great choice
Just remember
- Always wear a helmet (if you don't you are a complete idiot who should be shot)
- Follow Road Rules if you rid on the road
- Don't Drink and Ride- disconnec, on 10/11/2007, -8/+40whatever, drinking & riding is awesome.
- tidu, on 10/11/2007, -4/+36I'm all for bikes, except for the fact that it could take you a few more hours to get to work...
- inmatarian, on 10/11/2007, -11/+1I'm pretty sure NYC has a few laws about licensing.
- hiPpymIck, on 10/11/2007, -9/+2if you cycle - use no battery LEDS..i checked this for myself a cppl of weeks ago (hence the detail)
http://www.thebikegeek.com/?p=211#comments
$34/£17 inc worldwide del - cheaper if you assemble it yourself (UK)
these ones you have to use the rear brake to keep them flashing when you stop
or
http://www.reelight.com/en/
~$54 /40 euros - inc. del? (Denmark)
these ones automatically keep flashing when youre stopped
...no buying / disposing of batteries ever - pogfreak, on 10/11/2007, -7/+38***** helmets - I'm a big boy and don't need you calling for my murder if I choose to not wear one!
- Renton, on 10/11/2007, -7/+34Don't forget the cons
-slower than a car
-you get real hot in the summer
-many city streets don't have bike lanes
-don't have a trunk to put heavy objects/bags in
-no passenger seats
-can't access the highway
-the seat isn't too friendly - ninja458, on 10/11/2007, -3/+24"Don't Drink and Ride"
Well it depends on what you are drinking, because with out water on a long ride you can get pretty thirsty and dehydrated! so remember kids Do Drink and Ride! - vornan19, on 10/11/2007, -8/+4@chingy1788
"- Always wear a helmet (if you don't you are a complete idiot who should be shot)"
O.K. Shoot me.
"- Follow Road Rules if you rid on the road"
Do you mean ride? Of course bike trails allow me "rid" myself of the road. - wheezl, on 10/11/2007, -6/+4@tidu
The only thing that could get me to work faster than my bike would be a helicopter. - OdinEye, on 10/11/2007, -0/+3@ Renton
I take most of your points, but there are multiple options for carrying things on a bike - backpacks, saddlebags, trailers. You won't be towing a boat, but you can certainly get a load of groceries home. - Comatose51, on 10/11/2007, -0/+6@renton: For short trips bikes are great. I commute to work most days of the week. It only adds 10 minutes to my commute each way and I burn an extra 700 calories. During the summer it is hot but you have to remember that you sweat and riding a bike generates a steady breeze. I used to live in Dallas and riding a bike in the summer is fine. You only have a problem when you go the distance and it's not the heat but hydration that becomes a problem as your body sweats.
The Dutch have really taken this form of transportation to a new level. My friends and I visited nearly every major city in North Holland on bikes. The Dutch regularly travel around on bikes for short trips. - arjie, on 10/11/2007, -0/+13One more advantage! No fuel bills.
- SouthKP, on 10/11/2007, -2/+1i got a ticket for RUI
- Flump5000, on 10/11/2007, -10/+2I didnt know words had bikes...
- jklyon, on 10/11/2007, -9/+3How am I supposed to buy groceries and then take them home on my bike? Until I can do that, then I will continue to use my car for my main transportation. Or until the gas in the world runs out. Or until Vons Delivery learns how to hire people who don't eat my fruit gushers on their delivery stops.
- isntreal, on 10/11/2007, -0/+7consider that one out of 15 (Necessary) trips you make is actually to the grocery store, and at that point you could spend just as much as you do on groceries on gas + insurance and speeding tickets.... as it turns out, you could be healthier while taking a cab while not being a fat ass. Plus exercise is a natural anti-depressant.
- vornan19, on 10/11/2007, -1/+3jklyon
Many people in the other countries than the US buy groceries daily. Like enough to put in one sack or backpack. This =fresh dinner! - HanSolo69, on 10/11/2007, -1/+2xl timbuk2 bag. that's how i do it.
- st3vo, on 10/11/2007, -7/+2..word
- ButterBuddha, on 10/11/2007, -7/+22I'm too fat to ride a friggin bike..last time I did, it felt like my balls were about to die from the lack of circulation...
- nymphetamine, on 10/11/2007, -2/+10Ride a Big Wheel instead.
- Misogyny, on 10/11/2007, -0/+9I used to work in a bike shop. One of the most common upgrades we did to new bikes was exchanging the factory seat for ones with three times the surface area and massive springs, and or shock absorbing seat-posts. A few times we actually went to the hardware store for lawn-tractor seats if you can believe it... Most if these people had three or four DWIs and simply couldn't legally (or afford to) drive anymore. Biking was a last resort.
- Comatose51, on 10/11/2007, -0/+3Cycling will help you burn away those fats, if that's what you want. Professional cyclists have among the lowest percentage of fat of all athletes. IIRC, they average 6% body fat. It is also really good for your heart because it is highly aerobic and also non-impact.
Padded shorts and a better bike seat can help with the circulation problem. - ICSU, on 10/11/2007, -1/+10stop living like a pig
- Sneakernets, on 10/11/2007, -1/+10I can't ride a bike to where I go, because I live where bikes weren't needed, and all there was were small mining towns and railroads. so no bicycle-friendly roads. We won't ever get them, either. the county can't even fix a pothole in the road.
Car for me. :(- irie, on 10/11/2007, -3/+3Mountain bike my friend, you live in da kine place for it. MTB=FTW
- OdinEye, on 10/11/2007, -0/+3The road would have to be pretty frakkin' rough not to be "bike friendly". When I was younger we rode everywhere - gravel and dirt roads included, on bikes that were not specifically designed for "off-road" use.
One of the beauty parts of traveling on a bike is that it's pretty easy to avoid potholes - you can see them coming and have the time and handling responsiveness to avoid them. - Comatose51, on 10/11/2007, -0/+4I feel your pain man. It's not so much the road but driver attitude that poses as a hazard to cyclists. I used to live in Dallas and it wasn't the most cyclist friendly place in the world (even though that's where Lance Armstrong was originally from -- Plano to be exact). I moved to Silicon Valley partly because of that. There are bike lanes every where.
Cycling in the Netherlands takes the cake for sure. That country is so bike friendly. Seeing blonde Dutch girl fly by on a bicycle with her hair flying back is a sight to behold. It's a little more difficult to make happen here in the US simply because, like in your situation, everything is so spread out. Density is needed for cycling to be appealing as a form of transportation.
- captainzerocool, on 10/11/2007, -2/+4I live close to a highway that has minimum speed limits. If I could do 40mph up a mountain I would use a bicycle more often.
- wheezl, on 10/11/2007, -0/+17You'd also be very famous and wealthy.
- thomasprebble, on 10/11/2007, -2/+3"There are nine million bicycles in Beijing ,Thats a fact."
- waterboy1628, on 10/11/2007, -4/+2People from New Jersey must all be from Armenian descent...
- ATLien, on 10/11/2007, -0/+7I bike commute a good bit! I wish more people would. It makes the morning commute pretty peaceful, no traffic, and the wind in your face.
- highlyirritable, on 10/11/2007, -1/+7I love the bicycle, though I have allowed myself to become quite pudgy in recent years. I remember an article in bicycling magazine several years ago that spoke of bicycling in economic terms:
The human body is more efficient than a cheetah or a salmon
If one converts calories to gallons of fuel the human body gets about 3000 miles to the gallon
The list went on, but the problem, as I have stated in other posts, is that most of the US is not bicycle friendly. Many of our roads are marked with "Motor Vehicle Only" signs and if not many are far too dangerous to ride.
It took me almost 2 weeks to figure out a way to get from my home to my place of work at the time I was riding heavily, about 21 miles by car, without attempting to ride the white line of death. I also recall at that time a Dallas radio DJ recommending throwing D cell batteries at cyclists. Even on back roads when riding for ***** and giggles I was run off the road, spit on, had things thrown at me, frightened to the point of ***** myself when some clown would creep up on my wheel and blast their horn.
Not to mention a rash of towns pulling funding for cycling lanes when people sued because they ran over a plywood hole cover and it broke, they don't want the liability. Even in cities like NY and Chicago which have a metric ton of cyclists, you have motorists starting fights with them. I'm not going to let the cyclists off the hook either...
The douche bags who sued over the plywood hole covering should be shot along with the bitch who decided her crotch was the perfect cup holder for a boiling hot beverage. Riding on the wrong side of the road (always with traffic) riding in the wrong direction on one way streets, blowing stop signs and red lights... the list of transgressions goes on and on.- Comatose51, on 10/11/2007, -0/+2Yeah there're some cyclists who make the rest of us look bad. I don't think it's intentional because a lot of those people aren't serious cyclists but simply people who have bikes and know how to ride one. Most cyclists are very good about traffic laws because that's about the only thing that keeps us safe on the road. It would be nice if:
1. Training and education about bicycle safety was made more common.
2. Drivers are taught how to be more bike friendly.
It can be done but it will take determination and effort. Even in a city as bike friendly as Palo Alto, I end up in situations that are difficult for bikes to navigate simply because there's only one bike lane and more than one direction you can turn so I end up with disjoint bike lanes. To be fair, the drivers here are very accommodating and they are more cautious around cyclists than they would be around other cars. Simply having drivers with that kind of attitude makes a lot of difference in bicycle safety.
- Comatose51, on 10/11/2007, -0/+2Yeah there're some cyclists who make the rest of us look bad. I don't think it's intentional because a lot of those people aren't serious cyclists but simply people who have bikes and know how to ride one. Most cyclists are very good about traffic laws because that's about the only thing that keeps us safe on the road. It would be nice if:
- swordphish, on 10/11/2007, -1/+4We should harness the power of the bicycle by using them to generate electricity somehow.
- DeFex, on 10/11/2007, -1/+9yes get sheeple to come in to your gym and charge them to make power for you.
- DarkPenguin, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1ATM, power generation by that method only results in about 80 watts/person.
For a gym however, that is actually a good idea...
- DeFex, on 10/11/2007, -0/+2probably the most efficient machine ever made.
imagine if they made a bicycle for cheetahs!- Mapeki, on 10/11/2007, -0/+9It would be horribly awkward and they probably wouldn't ever be able to steer it. I'm done imagining.
- crashflow, on 10/11/2007, -0/+5it would also sell poorly because cheetahs don't have disposable incomes. Plus the savannah doesn't have bike lanes. and trust me, you don't want to get behind a bull elephant in musk on the way to work. It'll stink for days.
- dmclone, on 10/11/2007, -2/+6Don't think for a minute that these people in places like China are riding bikes to save the planet, make a statement, stay healthy, etc
If they had cheap gas prices, 50K miles of Highways, disposable income, parking, etc....they would be driving cars too. If you notice, people that come to the U.S. from other countries tend to also drive cars.- edebolt, on 10/11/2007, -0/+5I live in Thailand and visit China, Vietnam, Malaysia frequently and the bicycle is declining rapidly. If a person has no money then they ride a bicycle. If they have any money at all then they buy a motorbike and if they can afford a car then the buy it even if it means just sitting in traffic.
Owning a car has a lot of benefits for them.
1) Huge increase in their status. Appearances are far more important in Asia as western countries.
2) Protection from rain, sun, pollution, petty theft, minor accidents.
3) They are able to haul their family and all sorts of things at once.
I am a major bicycle proponent but cannot see them growing at all. I think its better to focus on something like electric scooters and efficient cars for growth.
- edebolt, on 10/11/2007, -0/+5I live in Thailand and visit China, Vietnam, Malaysia frequently and the bicycle is declining rapidly. If a person has no money then they ride a bicycle. If they have any money at all then they buy a motorbike and if they can afford a car then the buy it even if it means just sitting in traffic.
- yokel, on 10/11/2007, -1/+3A part of that statistic shows largest bus fleet owned is by Andhra Pradesh State Road corporation, India. I am proud to be from that place. When I first arrived in US, I was surprised by the lack of public transportation as I was quite used to riding a bus wherever I wanted to go--close or far!!
- psychohistorian, on 10/11/2007, -0/+310 years ago I visited China (Shenzhen) and it was like how they described: everywhere full of bicycles. I revisited Shenzhen again last month and bicycles have been replaced by cars and trucks, and highway/flyovers are everywhere.
- chesbomb, on 10/11/2007, -4/+1oh worrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrddddd
- AnotherCanadian, on 10/11/2007, -1/+1my dirtbike is old. i'm guessing the c02 emissions are far worse than that of my japanese cars. when i move on up to the city i'll probably keep a bike handy, but long commutes are hard in winter/hot summers
- MDrake, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1Just unfortunate that most US cities are not bicycle friendly :(
- edebolt, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1yes but not hard to move to one that is...
Boulder, Denver and Fort Collins Colorado, Davis California, San Francisco. Portland, Seattle. Washington DC suburbs, Ashland Oregon are rated some of the best and tons of smaller towns where cycling is safe and easy.
- edebolt, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1yes but not hard to move to one that is...
- palmdoc, on 10/11/2007, -1/+1I'm a weenie. Gimme a solar powered electric bicycle please.....
- tmyprod, on 10/11/2007, -0/+3I'm proud to be one of the 1.4 billion. Go moderately bicycle friendly Seattle.
- SeaOverflowing, on 10/11/2007, -0/+4Riding bicycle in summer weekends is fun...
- fastfood15, on 10/11/2007, -3/+1only 400 million cars? ***** there are atleast that many in the US alone. although i can see there being more bikes.
- 2Deluxe, on 10/11/2007, -1/+4*cough*. Retard alert.
- arjie, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1Andhra Pradesh, not Andre. They may have the largest fleet, but they aren't very comfortable. (It's the neighbouring state, I've been there often)
- dirtkahuna, on 10/11/2007, -1/+2@ Comatose51:
I work as an I.T. manager. I ride my bike over 100 miles each week from April to November. Your point is proven.
- dirtkahuna, on 10/11/2007, -1/+2@ Comatose51:
- Comatose51, on 10/11/2007, -3/+4You know what I've observed: there's a correlation between cycling and nerds. At least a very sizable number of cyclists I know are computer nerds. I think cycling just suits our personality because you can quantify just about everything in cycling. Weight, revolutions per minute, speed, distance, and even calories burned can all be tracked and plotted. I can see myself make progress every time I ride. It can also be very solitary in nature but at times you want to ride with a group to take advantage of drafting so it can also be social if you want it to be. Both the Palo Alto/Silicon Valley and Austin, TX were voted most cyclist friendly cities in America and they're both major tech hubs in this country.
Go nerds! - antifolkhero, on 10/11/2007, -0/+2Really? In the whole wide word?
- ChubbsPeterson, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1Man, I love the little tidbit about the Armenians being bad drivers. If anyone else has been to Glendale, you know what I mean.
- Liliumm, on 10/11/2007, -0/+0lol very interesting... :)
- nevie, on 10/11/2007, -0/+0Here in Holland we've got bike lanes on every street too, it's even fun tot ride a bike in Amsterdam :)
- edebolt, on 10/11/2007, -0/+0except for getting your bike stolen but one of the cities endless supply of drug addicts
- edebolt, on 10/11/2007, -0/+0except for getting your bike stolen but one of the cities endless supply of drug addicts
- SebHughes, on 10/11/2007, -1/+1Image Mirror:
http://mirror.vanillamints.com/digg/transportation/ - dirtkahuna, on 10/11/2007, -0/+4I get a a buzz riding my bike. Call it "runners high" or whatever, but you can't buy drugs that make you feel as good.
- XGh0stX, on 10/11/2007, -0/+0I'm just gonna say go with a motorcycle here.
- anarchytv, on 10/11/2007, -0/+0I'm surprised more people don't ride motorcycles. Mine, an old 1983 Honda Rebel, gets 66 mpg. They are easy to work on, easy to maintain, cheap, and fast, and fun to ride, as long as its not cold or raining. Seems like people have made solutions to both those problems with canopies and enclosures, etc, throughout history, and with a more modern bike, you could get double that gas mileage.
- wileydavis, on 10/11/2007, -0/+0@renton (again): How about cross-country skis by bicycle (in the snow)?
http://practicalpedal.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/04/img_7623.JPG
Or of you really want to carry stuff, get an xtracycle and a trailer. The problem is most bikes in the U.S. are sold as recreation/sport itmes. So it's like saying cars are no good for hauling stuff because you've only been looking at sports cars. More and more shops are carrying utility cycles with baskets, trailers, etc. - JesseJack, on 07/09/2008, -0/+0Ha, take that Segways!
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