I live in the USA and I am 46 years old. I owned a car for a brief 3 year period when I moved away from NY to Dallas, TX. (The public transit there was abysmal, and the roads were way more dangerous for riding a bike than they were in NY.) The rest of the time it’s been nothing but bicycles.
In 2000 I bought a brand new bike, spent $1400 on it and had it for 23 years until it was stolen. At the time, when I bought it, I was making 26K a year. I paid cash; that was what was within my means to own something without having to pay extra for it through a loan. In 2023 I bought a new (electric) bike, paid $1000 cash, no loan. I make 55K now. That’s what was within my means to own something outright, without having to pay a middle man for the privilege of borrowing money. No car loan hanging over my head, no worries about gas prices, or paying insurance and registration for the privilege to drive. The most I spend on transit is $65 a month during the worst weather month, (Feb,) in the winter. Other months is usually $13-26 when I am mostly riding the bike everywhere.
As a 20 something year old growing up in NYC, cars were unaffordable in 2000, and they are even more unaffordable now in 2026 for me as a 46 year old. Between the insurance, registration, inspections, fluctuations in gas prices, a loan payment, along with being responsible for repairs if something goes wrong and be stranded to boot, I’d be living in my car because I wouldn’t be able to afford rent.
The entire automobile industry is death to us by 1000 cuts. Cities have been built around cars, instead of being built around the needs of people. I refuse to fucking participate in it. I’ll be cycling until the day I die.
I live in the USA and I am 46 years old. I owned a car for a brief 3 year period when I moved away from NY to Dallas, TX. (The public transit there was abysmal, and the roads were way more dangerous for riding a bike than they were in NY.) The rest of the time it’s been nothing but bicycles.
In 2000 I bought a brand new bike, spent $1400 on it and had it for 23 years until it was stolen. At the time, when I bought it, I was making 26K a year. I paid cash; that was what was within my means to own something without having to pay extra for it through a loan. In 2023 I bought a new (electric) bike, paid $1000 cash, no loan. I make 55K now. That’s what was within my means to own something outright, without having to pay a middle man for the privilege of borrowing money. No car loan hanging over my head, no worries about gas prices, or paying insurance and registration for the privilege to drive. The most I spend on transit is $65 a month during the worst weather month, (Feb,) in the winter. Other months is usually $13-26 when I am mostly riding the bike everywhere.
As a 20 something year old growing up in NYC, cars were unaffordable in 2000, and they are even more unaffordable now in 2026 for me as a 46 year old. Between the insurance, registration, inspections, fluctuations in gas prices, a loan payment, along with being responsible for repairs if something goes wrong and be stranded to boot, I’d be living in my car because I wouldn’t be able to afford rent.
The entire automobile industry is death to us by 1000 cuts. Cities have been built around cars, instead of being built around the needs of people. I refuse to fucking participate in it. I’ll be cycling until the day I die.