Should we give up our cars and just use horses and bikes?

Question

Should we give up our cars and just use horses and bikes?

Answer 1

No way!!We can't just give up our reliance on cars and motor powered transportation!It's just nonsense!Sure,all of us could shrink our carbon footprint JUST A LITTLE!But hey,even I would feel odd stepping into a horse-drawn carriage,and I love horses!I know we could ride a bike to a place a small distance away,but riding a bike or horse to your own work,briefcase in hand,you'll be wondering,"OMG!Where the heck is the manual to this horse deal?!?"So of course not.

Answer 2

Definitely!  We should give up all types of cars and at the very most keep public transportation for people who have relatives that live far a way.  This would be a great way to reduce everyone’s carbon footprint and for the overweight/obese people of America to get somewhat into shape and live healthier lives.  You have to think… “Should I be lazy and destroy the only home that humans have?  Or should I put in jut a little more effort and be more conscientious about saving our Earth for future generations?” (A little extreme, but true!!)

Answer 3

I don't think that would be practicle, too many people live too far away from where they work. I do think we could pollute less and have better fuel efficiency as well as improve public transportation which would decongest the roads a bit.

Answer 4

That is what the neoconservatives seem to be advocating!

Seriously.  Look at what the two political sides are saying. On the conservative side, there is a continuous demand for reliance on old or existing technology, and an active hostility to any modern alternatives to technology like coal and oil--which originated in the 1800s.  Despite the fact that, politics or no politics, we simply can't keep relying on those for energy for much longer.  Follow that path, and we will indeed be back to buggies and bikes--because there won't be any alternative.

Now look at what the liberal side is advocating.  Develop new technology as alternatives to oil and coal.  Promote research and development, the expansion and creation of new industries.  Putting in place, starting now, more efficient (and hence more cost-effective) technology we already have. Expanding our technological capabilities so we can build and use electric and hydrogen vehicles.  All the kind of effort that, with any new technology, has brought new jobs and economic growth ever since the Industrial Revolution.

Stop and think about it. Which makes more sense?  Embracing new technology that can give us safer, cleaner, and cheaper electric and hydrogen cars and electricity--and all the economic benefits that derive from the growth of new and modern industries and technology?  Or  insisting on clinging to the past and a fossil fuel technology that was great in its day but has outlived its usefulness?

Answer 5

My cars run on natural gas (methane), so no, I wouldn't give them up for horses or bikes. It's cheap to fill them up ($10), and cleaner for the environment, too. I love 'em!

Answer 6

I can see it now instead of parking lots and cart pushers at Wal-Mart we'll have tethers and pooper scoopers! Not quite Sam's vision. I think its a great idea....but lets face it like 60 percent of our population is obese. I don't think Big Bertha and her cousin Bubba are going to start pedaling to work anytime soon!  

Answer 7

NO! though it would be better for the enviroment, no.

Answer 8

why not. it will not only help the environment but you'll be in better shape and there will be less traffic.

I say go for it

Answer 9

More people seem to use bicycle more these days, for practical purposes, not just entertainment.  The Amish use horses anyway.  

A sudden and complete stop of car use would leave little to find retirement for workers of the "Big Three" (automakers) and impact the economy of several oil producing nations.    

Answer 10

You should walk and bike more.  A person who never moves his body around will soon become a blob of unhealthy blubber.

Having a car isnt a sin.

Answer 11

not nesesarealy you can take a walk if it is 15 to 25 min   distance

or if it`s long joreny take public transpot

buy a eletric vehicle..  

Answer 12

Horses, not so much. Bikes, yes!

Horses need food and create waste...lots of it

Answer 13

As someone who has owned horses for over 30 years I say (resoundingly) NO!

Most people cannot even give their own human children the time and care they need.  How do you thing horses would fair in such a world?  

There's also the slight problem of having to grow, and transport food for all of those horses.  Not to mention the 8-10 tons of manure produced by each and every horse, every year.  Draft horses produce more manure.  Manure is no big deal, if you have a proper amount of pasture for your horses.  However most people wouldn't have anything approaching proper.  The manure removal, and disposal would be a titanic undertaking in cities (50 pounds of manure, every day, from every horse on average).

I do not have the slightest problem with the idea of people who live in cities riding bikes.  In cities, you can reasonably get from place to place.  However many people still live in the country.  For me, it would be 8 miles just to hit the edge of town.  12 miles to hit the nearest store.  16 miles to get to my bank.  22 miles to go to the library.  Those are just one way trips....then I'd have to ride home the equal distance back!

What about my husband's job?  40 miles (one way) from our home, and he climbs over 2000 feet in elevation to get there.  

Cars are needed in our modern world.  However people really need to think about how much they need to actually drive.  I go to town once or twice a month.  I don't put even 100 miles a month on our car.

Employers also need to get their act together.  We are moving our farm from one state to another.  My husband just drove nearly one THOUSAND miles to get to a job interview this holiday weekend.  Only to be told when he arrived at the appointed time that he'd been sent the wrong paperwork.....the interview is not for another two weeks.  So he now has to drive home, another thousand miles.  Major companies really need to NOT make assinine mistakes like that.

~Garnet

Permaculture homesteading/farming over 20 years

Who rides horses to town, and also drives a horse cart.

Is training two goats to also pull a smaller cart (the moped's of the animal world)  

Answer 14

Might as well just use bikes, before long they will start saying that horses give off methane gas and want to ban them also.

But eventually the will find a way to blame Global warming on bicycles,

Who know riding a bicycle might cause the rider to give off excess methane gases.

Right now they want your to stop eating meat because cattle give of methane gas, and stop drinking milk for the same reason, you should only eat vegetables, beans and legume, of course you know how much methane gas that causes you to give off.

Personally I would rather have smelly cows out in the country, that have smelly people in the cities.