The Cyclist's Manifesto: The Case for Riding on Two Wheels Instead of Four - Brossura

Robert Hurst

Brossura

ISBN 10: 0762751282 ISBN 13: 9780762751280

Casa editrice: Globe Pequot Press, 2009

Riassunto

The basic thesis of the manifesto is as follows: The American aversion to bicycling for transportation is a unique historical-cultural absurdity that is based largely on false assumptions and bad information. As the nation's acute energy predicament intensifies, the most simple and elegant remedy available is the one that almost never gets mentioned. The avoidance of the bicycle in recent public discourse has been conspicuous, ridiculous, and downright strange. While bicycling, for a variety of reasons, will not be the best choice for everybody, it is realistic to think that we in the US could grow the mode share of the bicycle to around 5%. (This would represent a huge increase in the number of cyclists currently on the road, but would still be far below levels currently seen in many European countries.) Boosting the mode share of bicycling to this seemingly modest level would produce rather intense, far-reaching positive effects (and a few negative ones), at an extremely low cost. The latter half of the manifesto will be devoted to painting the undeniably tantalizing picture of just what those effects might be -- for instance, the health care savings would be astronomical -- and the different ways that individuals and governments can go about wresting back control over their energy destiny. The author's recommendations are surprising. It'll be easier than we think. It will even be fun. The roads are already bikeable, and there's an old bike waiting in the garage behind the wetvac.

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Informazioni sull'autore

Robert Hurst, a veteran bicycle messenger and all-around cyclist, is the author of several Falcon Guides, including The Bicycle Commuter's Pocket Guide (also June 2009) and The Art of Cycling. He lives in Denver, Colorado.

Dalla quarta di copertina

Why we're entering a different phase in the history of energy, why we can't afford to ignore it—
and why the bicycle provides a uniquely empowering way of dealing with it

The Cyclist's Manifesto makes the most powerful case to date for a simple fact: America can no longer afford to ignore the bicycle as a tool for serious transportation. Robert Hurst takes off his gloves to lay out the case in favor of the bicycle as today's superior mode of transport—and to voice a resounding call to action for people to use it.

Hurst visits a surprising variety of places and historical moments in search of an explanation for America's dysfunctional love-hate relationship with the most efficient vehicle ever invented. He argues that the American aversion to bicycling for transportation is a unique historical-cultural absurdity based largely on false assumptions and bad information.

Written with wit and more than a little exasperation, The Cyclist's Manifesto paints a tantalizing picture of the potential benefits of an increasingly self-propelled America, and beckons the frustrated driver, transit user, or pedestrian into the streets for a healthier, happier life on two wheels.

Dettagli dell'edizione

• Editore: Globe Pequot Press
• Data di pubblicazione: 2009
• Lingua: Inglese
• ISBN 10: 0762751282
• ISBN 13: 9780762751280
• Rilegatura: Copertina flessibile
• Numero edizione: 1
• Numero di pagine: 224
• Contatto del produttore: non disponibile
• Persona responsabile: Simon and Schuster Netherlands BV; info@simonandschuster.nl; ; Herculesplein 96; Utrecht; 3584 AA; Paesi Bassi