On my way to class today, I passed a big accident on the freeway. Some Chevy Suburban had demolished two other cars and was being towed away even as it leaked fluids all over the place. Then I passed a Toyota Echo and saw my first Scion xA (which strongly resembles the Cooper Mini).

These observations sum up one of the many battles in America today: the Echo and Scion xA versus the Suburban and Jeep Grand Cherokee.

This got me to muse on how cars have changed in my lifetime.

One change is the sense of speed and the concept of (needed) power. I recently found out that our Jetta diesel can get 50 mpg if you never drive faster than 60 mph. My wife revealed her relationship with Sammy Hagar when she scoffed at that idea. There is no way she could drive 55...

When i was a kid, 55 mph seemed really fast. Cars were noisy and didn't handle well. There was no air conditioning so on a hot day, all the windows were rolled down. The whole experience was uncomfortable. After college i owned a Mazda pickup truck because trucks were really cheap (back then). 70 mph in that truck was warp 9! The truck would start to shake, the wind noise was really loud, and i could tell that the vehicle was going as fast as it ought to. In our 2004 Jetta or my in-laws Audi, 70 might as well be 90. The car is quiet and handles like a dream. Contrast that with a Grand Cherokee, which has so much power and so much sound proofing, it is hard not to go faster than one ought to. These SUV's are deceptively insulated from driving conditions and handle so poorly, one doesn't realize the trouble they are in until it's too late.

This gets me back to one of my favorite "things would be better if" scenarios. As a motorcycle rider, I have long felt that the world would be better if everyone rode a motorcylce. After a few months of this change, all the morons would have culled themselves from the herd in fantastic accidents which would leave the roads safer for the rest of us. Of course, this type of mental exercise, while entertaining is not to be confused with any kind of real solution.

Motorcycle riders (who live) are much more aware of the road conditions and how to drive safely. Without all that metal and leather insulation of a car, a cyclist has a much greater sense of the environment and their own vulnerability. It gives one a different perspective on "driving". Motorcycles also have some benefits to society in that they take up very little room on the road or parking, are extremely maneuverable, and get great gas mileage. And forget about the careless drivers talking on the cell phone or eating food in the car; cyclists focus on driving.

The again, riding a cycle is uncomfortable. The actual experience of riding is a huge thrill like no other vehicle but the process of putting on gear and riding through the elements is a huge inconvenience. But perhaps that inconvenience is a good thing.

Discomfort gets one to thinking about how things could be different.

Recently the price of gas has been making people uncomfortable. I would argue though that people dont really care about the price of gasoline, they care about transportation. People care about getting from point A to point B. If that transportation process is uncomfortable, people start to think about moving A and B closer together. If A and B get close enough, driving a car or cycle is actually less convenient than walking or taking mass transit. Up to now, we have built all modern cities by making A and B convenient for cars to travel but that construction is our choice.

Granted, I cannot explain gridlock. We seem to have a huge ability to tolerate traffic jams. We get road rage and waste our lives sitting in a car without making any signficant changes but maybe that is because cars are too comfortable. Food, drinks and now cell phones and TV help create a home on wheels and mask the discomfort of our transportation solutions. None of this would happen in a cycle of course; driving a cycle in stop-and-go traffic is a true hand-clutch nightmare.

Maybe making everyone ride a cycle isn't such a crazy idea after all.