Maybe a trifle, but it's important that we consider in what category our energy spending is going to... what percentage of that spending is "mandatory" - minimal home heating and lighting, shipping our goods around the country and overseas, etc?

What we'd really want to know is what percentage of our energy is wasted on frivolous things (to keep things uber-simple, personal driving and non-essential transit trips)

"what percentage of that spending is "mandatory" - minimal home heating and lighting, shipping our goods around the country and overseas, etc?"

That is a very interesting question, and it depends upon your definition of "mandatory." I've got a bicycle trailer that will hold 300 lbs, and I regularly go 5-10 miles with it, buy something large, (lumber, beer keg, furniture, carpet cleaning equipment, etc) and then drag it home. So I personally would say that 90% of the gasoline used in less than 5 mile trips is optional, (ambulances trips or concrete trucks trips, for instance, can not really be replaced with bicycles.) But there are plenty of people that would disagree with me, they'd complaining about "rain" and stuff like that, and say that most driving was mandatory.

Where are the calculations for this thing?

It seems an arbitarily created number, I'd love to see what they're actually counting and would could and could NOT be cut out.

:)

Madatory Driving == Weakness

Where are the calculations for this thing?

It seems an arbitarily created number, I'd love to see what they're actually counting and would could and could NOT be cut out.

:)

Madatory Driving == Weakness

I just double posted because the server kept reporting that there was a "server error". Then I navigated back to this page and two of them appear automagically.

Matthew,

I would love to be able to bicycle to most destinations I need to get to during the day. In fact, had my roadbike not been stolen I would have enjoyed biking during summer months to my present place of employment in NW Portland, since it is only about six miles one way. These, however, are the obstacles I have to deal with now that make it nearly impossible:

1. Our job starts at 6:15 am. (Construction guys like to start early--I guess so they can have more time at the tavern.) That would mean getting started no later than 5:30 after I have probably not had a good night's sleep because the students upstairs from me often come in at 2 am and wake me up.

2. Fall is flu season and I know that such a ride in cold, rainy, windy weather would make me a prime candidate, especially working around people who are careless about spreading germs.

3. There are slippery patches of leaves everywhere, even on the trail I would take, and skidding or sliding out at 5am on a dark morning isn't appealing. If I did I might also get run over by someone.

4. This project will be wrapped up in a month so, next, I might have to go to work in another county. Who knows?

5. My left knee gets bursitis from too much pedalling. (I might try an ultralight bicycle)There is really nothing that can be done about it. Besides I get plenty of exercise when I work.

Other people would have different reasons why bicycling around would not be feasible, although I would agree that more people should try it, using proper safety precautions, of course.

So we are not in bicycle nirvana yet. Keep trying.