> > > In this entire thread I don't think anyone has said 'why not get a
> > > bike?', be it motor, bicycle, or electric.
> >
> > Winter in pittsburgh..  Look at a topo map.
>
>
> Ok, you're excused.  Now the OP said they only did short trips...

That I did.  The car is less for me, and less for us, than it is for my
fiancee.  She drives about five-six miles to work, through town.

We live in Minneapolis; she works in Saint Paul.  She does run
errands and such for work, so she "needs" a car (as much as
anyone truly needs one).  Her 20-30 minute commute jumps to
70 minutes on the bus, which is somewhat unpalatable if it can
be avoided.  All in all, the standard excuses about not biking apply,
especially the one about living in Minneapolis.

I wore snowpants on the bus this morning, and home again in
the evening.  Otherwise the cold would be crippling- I can't imagine
it on any kind of unprotected vehicle.

I would say, however, that we're ideal candidates for a small
electric car.  If it had an 8-hour recharge time and a 90-100 mile
range it would completely cover 99% of our trips, and we could
rent a car for the other 1%.

Mike H.
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