First of all, I don't drive. I can hear the cries the disbelief- what? No way? It is by choice. I took driver ed back when I was 17; I was never one of those who drove on their 16th birthday. I never kept it up or even got a license.
There is a precedent to this behavior-neither my father or mother drove. In his case, he did drive a tractor but I'm not sure that counts. My parents came from Latvia to the US in the '50's when public transport was widespread. And I spent ages living abroad where a car isn't essential.
That brings me to my bicycle. When I returned to the US, to Buffalo, NY, one of my first purchases was a bicycle. For a city with an interminable winter, it's a challenge to see how long into the cold I can ride it. I usually last until the first snowfall. This year I may break my own personal record. It's December 10th and my bike is still locked to a post (covered area) in the backyard waiting for the next ride.
My short story 'Midnight in Barcelona' is in Ride, collection of stories about bicycles!
It's true the bicycle it is something more romantic than cars. I don't drive either and I feel very good about it. My style of life I confess doesn't need the complexity of driving or the long waits in traffic jams. In fact I prefer to take the train instead when I have to travel short distances here in Barcelona to go to the countryside. I respect anyway the ones who really need a car, sometimes it is very necessary but sometimes it is not, and then I ask myself why people have to use it.
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