Economics of biking

http://www.grist.org/biking/2011-02-28-how-bicycling-will-save-the-...

I also view cars as investments that require sustained incoming cash flows yet give a consistent negative return because they lose value immediately upon leaving the dealers lot. Would any other investment by any financially reasonable person do this? Nope. Cars, financially make zero cents. Period.

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Permalink Reply by Kevin C Dormant on April 13, 2011 at 10:32pm

Children are overrated.

H3N3 said:

Anyway a car is not a "bad" thing inherently

Cars are the leading killer of children in our country. That doesn't seem bad to you?

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Permalink Reply by Dan Korn on April 14, 2011 at 12:19am

Allow me to sound extra smug for not spending any money at all to procure my bike. The trash bin provideth. I do, of course, spend a little bit of money on inner tubes, lights, and a few other ancillary things, but the main investment with a DIY freak bike is time. And welding core. FBFL!

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Permalink Reply by cutifly on April 14, 2011 at 1:23am

Hey Dan, I did not know you were a car hater. I can say the car I now have had for the past 4 weeks has not cost me a cent. My dad gave it to me, It still has 3/4 of a tank of gas still, all the plates and insurance are paid until the end of September and I never get tickets and Technically live in Northfield so I never need a city sticker. I won't park in a meter zone either unless my date is going to pay. I will say it is going to come in handy for my trip to Michigan Peace fest smoke out. There is no train and I think it would take the weekend to ride all that way. I would miss the event as it only lasts 2 days. As for the freakbike time, I did patch up my green tall rider using the welder next door at Marathon. It still does not ride quite the same, I was hoping to get it going for spring without having to chop a new one but I don't see that now. It's like riding a horse with a wooden leg after an accident and long recovery. Can I pass you a couple of hundred and you can chop me one similar to one I have now with an extended angle iron rear and 700c wheels. I like to still carry around a lot of stuff. You could call yourself an professional artist as I have never heard you mention you were one before. I look forward to the wrath coming my way. Cuti

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Permalink Reply by Bob Matter on April 14, 2011 at 5:24am

The fatal flaw in Elly Blue's article is that she fails to recognize that all benefits of a society accrue to the landowners. Adam Smith wrote about this in the conclusion of book one of "The Wealth of Nations", and Henry George amplified and expanded on it in "Progress and Poverty" and other writings. For example if a neighborhood's compactness and proximity to transit offers its residents the ability to save $300 per month because they can walk, ride a bike, or take transit instead of driving, the rents in that neighborhood will simply be $300 a month higher. The landlords pocket the benefit. If one buys instead of rents, the future $300 per month savings (or premium that can be charged for rent) are figured into the selling price of the land.

-Bob Matter

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Permalink Reply by Michael Perz on April 14, 2011 at 8:45am

Cars are inanimate objects. Besides, even if cars were sentient killers whatever figures you used to arrive at that conclusion are wildly inaccurate.

H3N3 said:

Cars are the leading killer of children in our country. That doesn't seem bad to you?

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Permalink Reply by Bob Matter on April 14, 2011 at 9:38am

Sorry Mr. Perz, H3N3 is [mostly] correct. See http://www.cdc.gov/injury/wisqars/pdf/Unintentional_2007_BW-a.pdf. MV accidents are the leading cause of death for all child age groups except 1-4 year olds where drowning narrowly beat car accidents for the #1 spot by 30 deaths. The 2007 data seems to be the latest available.

-Bob Matter

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Permalink Reply by h' Zerocats on April 14, 2011 at 12:24pm

Thanks for the correction. Seems like we were stuck on 2002 data for eons.
Bob Matter said:

Sorry Mr. Perz, H3N3 is [mostly] correct. See http://www.cdc.gov/injury/wisqars/pdf/Unintentional_2007_BW-a.pdf. MV accidents are the leading cause of death for all child age groups except 1-4 year olds where drowning narrowly beat car accidents for the #1 spot by 30 deaths. The 2007 data seems to be the latest available.

-Bob Matter

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Permalink Reply by cutifly on April 14, 2011 at 1:27pm

That video is so sick, nice ...

Michael Perz said:

Cars are inanimate objects. Besides, even if cars were sentient killers whatever figures you used to arrive at that conclusion are wildly inaccurate.

H3N3 said:

Cars are the leading killer of children in our country. That doesn't seem bad to you?