"Slaves," observes Rousseau, "become so debased by their chains as to lose even the desire of breaking from them; they love their servitude." Likewise many Americans love their cars. But even if they didn't, few would seek emancipation from them, because their slavery has so thoroughly debased them that without their masters they would be helpless and probably would starve. Yet for a long time legs sufficed.

    And they still might, for opportunities to transport ourselves still exist. One is the bike. Bike travel is not only possible, it is common throughout most of the world. Moreover, bicycles are silent and clean.
Internal combustion automobiles, by contrast, are dedicated pollution machines. Their engines churn out carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide and various hydrocarbons which are responsible for a host of unpleasant effects, including global warming, ozone pollution, and acid rain. The fluids in the radiator, transmission, windshield washer reservoir, braking system and oil sump all contain toxins that may find their way into the soil—or they may wind up in the streams, rivers, or groundwater from which we drink.
    Brake linings contain asbestos; each time the brakes are applied, they release a tiny shower of asbestos onto the road (or the garage floor). Over time this asbestos accumulates in street dust which both children and adults occasionally stir up and inhale. Asbestos dust causes at least three fairly nasty forms of lung disease. Children are thought to be especially vulnerable.
    Bicycles have none of these effects.
    I have so far mentioned only the car's output of pollution, but pollution also occurs on the input side. The car runs on gasoline. Gasoline is made from oil. Since we have already consumed most of this country's domestic supply, the our gas comes largely from the Middle East. It is shipped across the sea in huge tankers, which sometimes leak or break up, polluting expanses of ocean and beach, and whose exhaust pollutes the air. The tankers off-load the oil at refineries which contaminate air, soil and water. Then the refined oil is transported by pipelines to storage depots, where spills and leaky pipes add more pollution to soil and ground water. From there, smoke-billowing trucks, which pollute in all the ways that cars do, distribute the gasoline to gas stations. Then, as the gas is pumped into our cars, vapor escapes and we breathe it. This vapor is carcinogenic.

    The harm drivers do is not confined to pollution; there are some problems even solar cars would not help solve. Burgeoning traffic clogs streets, highways and parking lots, increasing the demand for new roads and parking facilities. But these only attract more congestion.

    Driven badly, cars maim or kill. Because people drive instead of walking or riding a bike, they get flabby; so they either stay that way or go to a sports club or aerobics class to work it off. To get to these places, they drive a car.

    Cars are expensive to buy, expensive to finance, expensive to insure, expensive to park, expensive to repair and expensive to run. Bikes are cheap to buy (so cheap you don't need financing) and cheap to fix. They don't require insurance and you can park them for free almost anywhere. They burn calories instead of gas.
    If you live reasonably close to where you work, shop, or go to school, are not handicapped and don't have to take others with you, bike travel has only three major drawbacks: (1) it may be uncomfortable when the weather is cold or hot or wet; (2) it takes more time than driving; and (3) drivers of cars will kill you if you're not both careful and lucky.
    Drawback (1) concerns comfort. Comfort is a state of mind. If you dress properly and approach the experience with good cheer, biking is invigorating in any weather short of a blizzard or violent downpour.
    The second drawback, speed, is offset by the fact that biking combines two activities, transportation and exercise, into one. At a distance of ten miles, you might lose half an hour biking rather than driving, but the compensation is some excellent aerobic exercise.
    It must be conceded, though, that biking in traffic is dangerous. What makes it dangerous, however, are the drivers of cars.