The next revolution will be pedal powered
The country is falling apart, and bikes will rise and conquer
Posted: 12 September 2000
by Brant
This morning, bikes all over the country were being retrieved
from the backs of garages, dusted down, tyres inflated, and being used by people
to get to work. The petrol crisis is very real in several parts of the country, and
the peculiar British mentality makes people actually WANT to ride to work, instead
of sitting at home and just ringing in saying "I can't get to work".
Now that the petrol has run out at the petrol station 100yrds from the BBC in London,
the media coverage has really hotted up. We've seen this coming in the North West
for three or four days now, and were affected yesterday, but thanks to the London-centric
media focus, didn't get the coverage it deserved.
We've heard of trials star Chris Ratcliffe entertaining a queue at a petrol station
with a variety of backhops, jumps and other wierdy trials moves. Anyone else out
there heard, seen or done any daft things to promote car-driver rage? Email us.
We've said it before and we'll say it again - petrol tax realistically should be
FAR HIGHER than it is right now. Cars don't even begin to pay their way in terms
of environmental damage, and the tax that car drivers pay on petrol puts billions
into the government coffers which means the rest of us pay a reasonable level of
income tax, without having to subsidize others.
I say this as owner of a Land Rover which does 18mpg, a Yamaha MXer that drinks fuel
nicely. If I use those vehicles, I'm prepared to pay.
I've just got back from town on my bike, and feel a lot better for it. Some days
I would have walked, some days I would have cycled. Often I drive. I won't anymore.
If you're reading this website, you've got a bike. If you've got a bike you should
use it. The knock-on effect is going to kick in soon, with other infrastructure falling
down. How much petrol have the supermarkets got to keep food going in? Perhaps we'll
actually see a return to locally sustainable food and decent quality with it.
The next revolution will be pedal powered. Rave on...
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