Image transcript:
Calvin (from Calvin & Hobbes) sitting at a lemonade stand, smiling, with a sign that reads, “Trains and micromobility are inevitably the future of urban transportation, whether society wants it or not. CHANGE MY MIND.”
Ooh well in fact millions of people do ride bicycles for transportation every single day.
In Japan, like many other countries, women ride bikes for everyday transportation. They are so ubiquitous they are called “mamacharis” which loosely translates to ‘Mom-chariots.’
Every train station, shopping center and school in Japan has hundreds of not thousands of bicycle parking racks, similar to what you would find in the Netherlands.
https://www.tokyobybike.com/2009/06/introducing-mamachari.html
https://guidable.co/living/ride-smart-in-japan/
https://youtu.be/AymDGEfJzCc?si=unIgkRkNBSgvQHxl
https://youtu.be/uiQIpvQtO34?si=s98wNEKXsfZT-Rss
https://youtu.be/uiQIpvQtO34?si=Jf_EiuTvm9Izstk0
My wife bought a bike in Japan for $400 and rode everyday, even in the countryside you see riding everyday. It’s totally normal. You see it all over in Asia. So people do ride, even when it’s hot and humid. Often with 1-2 kids on top of groceries, which weigh upwards of 50+ pounds of weight.