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Comment by muti | Hacker News Reader

Most trips are over a short distance (less than three miles!) and are easily covered by bike or other non-car method [1]

I don't have stats but would wager that an even larger proportion of trips are not carrying more cargo than could fit in a backpack either.

1. https://www.energy.gov/eere/vehicles/articles/fotw-1230-marc...

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Sure, we'll just throw the toddler, child and his hockey gear, backpacks, the dog and the wife on a bike and drive the 3 miles to drop off the child at hockey camp, then another 2 in another direction to go to the playground (it has to be this particular playground because the one by the house is boring now) and walk the dog in the park while pushing the toddler in the stroller that we somehow transported on our bikes. And then when we stop at Home Depot to pick up a bulky and heavy items, we'll just tie that onto the bike before picking up the kid from hockey.

No, a bike is rarely a suitable solution to this problem. People want cars because they solve a lot of problems like freedom of movement at any time to any place with anyone and anything. If this was any way to live then people would actually be doing it. There's a reason MANY people move out the city when the kids start coming because subways and bikes are not very nice to manage these things.

This site is full of single dudes who live in urban areas and that's their world view. People with families do not fit into that lifestyle.

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