Bike commuters lead the way

One of my reasons for starting to ride my bike to work instead of driving was to reduce the use of oil. I would hear the comment that one person can't make a difference, with the implication, I suppose, that therefore it is pointless to try. But the question remains, does it make a difference?

Well, one person riding a bike doesn't make much difference in national oil use, but it makes a difference in something else. I arrived home at my driveway one day just as a neighbor walking her dog intersected my path. She commented that she sees me pass her house every morning. I take the same route to work every day, and so must others, and so others must see me also. Many may curse, some may applaud, but everyone is seeing a guy using a bicycle for everyday transportation.

In other countries, that is no big deal, but in the USA it is rare. However, the state of affairs of every individual using his own personal motorized transportation appliance to go everywhere he has to go is starting to break down. The fuel for those appliances is getting expensive, the economy is slowing, the streets are getting crowded. It isn't sustainable. It is possible that at some point people will start to think that there might be a better way. If they start thinking of bicycles, that is where today's bicycle commuters have made their difference. When, at some future time, more people start moving around by bicycle, it won't seem so strange to future motorists because they will have seen us doing it for years already. Motorists in the future will be more understanding of future cyclists because they have been trained to be more understanding of the present ones, just be seeing them on the streets every day.