"The bicycle is the slow death of the planet"

[babylonsister]

"The bicycle is the slow death of the planet."

I hope he did say this, but don't know. Sounds about right.


General Director of Euro Exim Bank Ltd. got economists thinking when he said:

"A cyclist is a disaster for the country's economy: he does not buy cars and does not borrow money to buy. He does not pay for insurance policies. He does not buy fuel, does not pay for the necessary maintenance and repairs. He does not use paid parking. He does not cause serious accidents. He does not require multi-lane highways. He does not get fat.

Healthy people are neither needed nor useful for the economy. They don't buy medicine. They do not go to hospitals or doctors. Nothing is added to the country's GDP (gross domestic product).

On the contrary, every new McDonald's restaurant creates at least 30 jobs: 10 cardiologists, 10 dentists, 10 dietary experts and nutritionists, and obviously, people who work at the restaurant itself."

Choose carefully: cyclist or McDonald's? It is worth considering.

P.S. Walking is even worse. Pedestrians don't even buy bicycles.

Thank you for this Megan Doreen 🙏❤️

[underpants]

1. I had a boss who once said to me "Damn bicycles, don't pay tax for roads"

He said this as I was riding in his car. I liked him and usually he was much more intelligent than this.

I asked if he meant gas tax.
He said he did.
Real smart assed like I paused and said “Bikes don’t use gas”

He started laughing. At himself.

[ItsjustMe]

2. The Bicycle is the slow death of the Planet

[hunter]

3. Damn, what next? People quit eating factory farm meat?

Entire anaerobic ecosystems will collapse if there's no cheap bacon!

[WhiskeyGrinder]

4. This is glurge.

Also, fat people bike, and people who bike regularly sometimes stay fat.

[Mopar151]

5. For the cyclists I know

The more they ride, the more cars they own!

[bhikkhu]

33. I have 5 bicycles and one car

So hopefully I am providing some balance.

[Gaugamela]

6. The bicycle isn't the death of the planet, by this argument. But it's one nail in the coffin

of the status quo planet killing political-economy, i.e. fossil fuels and its obsolescent infrastructure.

[Spider Jerusalem]

7. Here in California, and probably elsewhere in these great United States...

many (or possibly even most?) people who own bicycles transport them by car to the point from which they intend to begin their two-wheeled journey, which is almost invariably of a recreational or fitness-related nature. Utility cyclists, who ride a bike for any distance that doesn't absolutely require a car, are rare in the USA; Americans view bikes as either toys for children, or sporting equipment, but not as actual transportation. (And I live in what is supposed to be one of the more cycling-friendly areas of the US.)

[Lonestarblue]

30. Actually, here in Austin a lot of people commute via bike.

The city is quite bike friendly, and many streets have bike lanes.

[ProfessorGAC]

31. That Seems Fair

I only use mine to go to the supermarket on our side of the river, or to the pharmacy.
If I can't easily put stuff in a modest backpack, I'm not biking there.
I could ride to the other supermarket or pharmacy, but I don't think I ever have.
But I don't use it, for instance, to travel the 18 miles to a doctor appointment, or 10 miles to substitute in another town. (I do ride it to the HS here in town. For the Jr Hi, I walk as it's only 4 blocks.)
I know nobody who uses it as regular transportation, such as going back & forth to work.

[Spider Jerusalem]

35. Having a rack and panniers and fenders makes a huge difference

I have a Dutch "trekking bike" that came supplied with all of the above plus a dynamo hub and lights; having panniers means the bike can carry the load instead of me doing it, fenders mean I don't get a wet stripe of filthy water up my back if it rains, and a chainguard means I can ride it in jeans or khakis without having to stuff my trouser cuff into a sock or use trouser clips (also no chain tattoo on my leg). It's pretty much ideal for the sort of riding I mostly do, which is generally within a 5 mile radius with occasional excursions out to about 15 miles (this is in coastal Santa Barbara County, which is relatively bike-friendly as the US goes; lots of on-street bike lanes, a few separated bike paths, plenty of spaces in town to lock up, etc).

[ProfessorGAC]

41. Advantages Here

I live in the older part of a town of 6,000. There's lots of uncongested side street routes, at least on this side of the river.
I agree on the chain guard. As to fenders, if it's raining I either take the car, or I pull the retired guy trick of deciding to not go anywhere! LOL!

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

8. Oh, dear lord.

[brush]

22. You just have to avoid getting hit by cars. A Jets coach just got killed...

riding his bike a couple of days ago. And former NBA center Mark Eaton suffered the same fate a few months ago.

[Captain Zero]

25. Sanjay Thakrar of Vandalay Industries ?

nt

[Celerity]

26. no and I actually did find this bloke (not saying he wrote the info btw)

he is not a CEO at all

he is a Trade Finance Specialist at Euro Exim Bank, NOT the Exim Bank of India

that fact check fucked up and looked at the wrong bank (idiots!)

They looked at the giant Indian state-run Exim

https://www.eximbankindia.in/

About

Export-Import Bank of India (Exim Bank) was set up in 1982 by an Act of Parliament for financing, facilitating and promoting India’s foreign trade.

The Bank provides financial as well as value-added services to Indian exporters. Assistance is given to export-oriented units (EOUs) by way of term loans in Indian rupees or foreign currencies for setting up new production facilities, expansion/modernization or upgradation of existing facilities and for acquisition of production equipment or technology. The Bank lays special emphasis on extension of Lines of Credit to overseas entities, national governments, regional financial institutions and commercial banks. The Bank extends Buyers’ credit and Suppliers’ credit to finance and promote India’s exports and also has a programme called the Buyer’s Credit under National Export Insurance Account (NEIA) to facilitate medium and long term exports from India.


Euro Exim is small private bank

https://www.euroeximbank.com/index.php



https://twitter.com/sanjaythakrar12



https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-sanjay-thakrar-717689b6/



he posts quasi inspirational stuff on his FB too

https://www.facebook.com/sanjay.thakrar1/about

I even found a 2016 PDF that has him in it (that fact check site should pay me!)





I think what happened was someone saw his post of this (that maybe was similar to the social media posts) and concocted a tale that he was the CEO and told that to a board meeting or something

who knows

[I_UndergroundPanther]

10. I walk everywhere

Not all that healthy. But I walk. Can't afford a car insurance tags etc.
Don't know how to drive. I cannot wait for the end of car culture

[IronLionZion]

11. They buy tight shorts, bikes, protein shakes, etc.

[ret5hd]

15. Stupid sexy Flanders!

[ret5hd]

16. Stupid sexy Flanders!

[enid602]

12. "Pedestrians don't even buy bicycles."

But they do buy expensive athletic shoes, Dr Scholls Orthotics, Ben Gay, Salon Pas pads, special socks for plantar fasciitis and Achilles tendon and visits to the podiatrist. Trust me, I know. I've logged 2450 miles since 3/17/20.

[meadowlander]

20. The hardcore MAMILs I work with seem to use the hospital system quite a bit as well.

[House of Roberts]

13. From the sound of this, cyclists have more disposable income.

They could contribute more to their 401k, and help juice the markets. That's always welcome to the Wall Street crowd, and results in the only kind of inflation they like.

[Old Crank]

14. This

Has been around for a while. Pretty funny.
I once showed a coworker that he could save money and buy a new commuting bike once a year while working at Stanford. Just ride in two times per week and sell the bike every year. There would be essentially no maintenance costs and the Cost of his car operation per the IRS along with Stanford percs.

[NullTuples]

17. False quote but there's no reason not to re-engineer it into a true one.

There's enough truth in it that it can and should be reworked so that it cannot simply be dismissed as a false quote.

[greenjar_01]

18. Me waiting

For the disability activists to chime in on the idea of biking and walking being universally preferable to motor vehicles.

Me waiting for the materials experts to let us know the true environmental costs of biking and walking.

[Crunchy Frog]

19. It certainly spells the end of the current economic paradigm.

Which needs to die anyway.

We need to move past the consumer based economy, which is based on making, buying, and discarding more and more stuff.

Endless growth on a finite planet is an impossibility, and trying to maintain it will lead to catastrophe.

[Ron Green]

39. Yours is the correct response to the article cited.

Most of the responses here (and the limited grasp of most Americans) are based in a car-centric world that’s all they’ve ever known. The assertion is true, in that “the planet” runs on money.

[JI7]

21. Not in the US . In the US they are more likely to buy overpriced organic and other foods considered

healthy . They are more likely to travel for vacations so they would use a vehicle in that case including cars, and planes .

They are more likely to pay for nutritionists and fitness trainers .

The ones that regularly go to mcdonalds tend to be poorer and out of shape and less likely to seek medical care until things get so bad it can be too late.

So you can have a sustainable and CLEAN economy and environment .

[ExciteBike66]

23. Oh boy...

"On the contrary, every new McDonald's restaurant creates at least 30 jobs: ... Choose carefully: cyclist or McDonald's? It is worth considering."

Until you saturate the market, then a new McDonalds would just start cannibalizing sales from the established ones (and other similar restaurants).

[Roisin Ni Fiachra]

24. Love my bicycle. Everytime I ride it to the grocery store, the library, the PO,

the Doctor's office, the hardware store, a hiking trail, etc, I smile, thinking about how I'm not polluting the world by driving a car, and getting healthy exercise at the same time. It's quiet and clean, requires very little maintenance, and I don't need to pay any fees to use it.

I live in a valley outside of a one horse town that is relatively flat, and is a perfect place to use a bike for transportation. I have a large basket on the front of my bike and saddlebags on the back for hauling groceries and other items. During this pandemic more and more people are walking and/or riding their bikes for exercise and going to places of commerce here.

[Yavin4]

27. Car-dependent communities are unhealthy for humans.

Both mentally and physically. It's been a disaster of epic proportions.

[bucolic_frolic]

28. Well ... shoes and tires, maintenance and replacement parts.

It ain't much but it's not nothing. Plus there are bicycle accidents, and lots of clothing.

[Prichards115]

29. death of the planet

dipshits like this are the death of the planet

[Woodwizard]

32. I used to bike to work on occasion.

It took planning it was 20 miles and over a mountain I did it for the challenge it was really fun on night shift, I also drove so I paid road taxes. I still bike a lot but it is for exercise my workshop is 100 feet from the house now.

[reACTIONary]

34. I have a feeling that this is....

... something of "a modest proposal".

[Roy Rolling]

36. He's right

It’s all in the context. His planet is a candy store of resources to exploit for the enrichment of a few. In reality, resources are finite, they belong to us all, and exploitation is wrong. He lives in a dream world.

That dream world—the American dream—is unsustainable for everyone on the whole planet to participate. The whole world cannot be as wasteful and exploitive like American capitalists. That America will die without more bicyclists.

And with more bicyclists, new technologies for bicycle paths will be an economic thing, and other things related to a lifestyle of non-exploitation. The times, they are a-changin’.

[jimlup]

37. Currently recovering from a serious bicycle accident - this is ironic.

I broke my femur in a horrific bike accident on June 29th. I've accumulated thousands in hospital bills. Who says cyclists don't contribute to the economy!

FYI - I'm doing OK but not great. I hope that I'll be walking almost normally in a month or so.

[smirkymonkey]

40. I'm so sorry to hear about your accident!

How awful! I hope you aren't in too much pain. Bone breaks are so incredibly painful - I know from experience. Are you getting physical therapy? It really helps with regaining mobility. I needed someone else to push me through the pain, it was too hard to do it alone.

I hope you feel better soon and have a speedy and complete recovery!

[jimlup]

42. Thanks

Yes, I'm getting PT. I had a complication. I had a PVC blood clot in my leg which my PT caught. She saw me and realized things weren't right so she sent me to get an ultrasound. The ultrasound found the clots and I spent the day in the ER but got discharged late in the afternoon with a new program of blood thinners. I'm going to see my PT again on Monday and thank her for her great diagnostic.

[smirkymonkey]

44. Good, I am glad she caught it and I hope you continue to improve!

Best of luck with everything!

[jimlup]

45. Feeling much better!

I'm walking today without my cane around the house and I think the symptoms of the clots have dissipated so yah!

Love your avatar! Makes me think I'm going to adopt when I get ready in a couple of weeks.

[smirkymonkey]

46. Oh good! I am glad you are feeling better!

And also glad you are thinking of adopting. Goldens are the sweetest most loving dogs in the world (IMHO).

It's funny, but my old avatar used to be your current one!

[onenote]

38. Fake. Google it.

[KentuckyWoman]

43. False argument.

Very few people in the west bike instead of drive. Nearly everyone with a bike owns a vehicle with a bike rack.

Consumerism wise, they are buying MORE than people who do not bike.