Discussion Topic - Bicycles
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Discussion Topic - Bicycles.
Part 1: Introduction & Interview
Q. 1. How popular are bicycles in your hometown? [Why?]
Answer: Well, unfortunately, bicycles are not exactly that popular in my hometown mainly because there is not enough space or separate lanes on the streets to ride a bicycle. Besides, there are a number of other types of transportations available in my town which actually limit the use of bicycles. People are after speed and that's why they prefer motorised vehicles rather than eco-friendly bicycles.
Q. 2. How often do you ride a bicycle? [Why/Why not?]
Answer: If I remember it correctly, it was about five years ago when I rode a bicycle for the last time. So, I guess, it is fair to assume that I don’t really ride a bicycle often.
Q. 3. Do you think that bicycles are suitable for all ages? [Why/Why not?]
Answer: Yes, I do think that bicycles are suitable for all ages because they are not that difficult at all to ride, and also they can be used for travelling a short distance without causing any traffic congestion.
Q. 4. What are the advantages of a bicycle compared to a car? [Why?]
Answer: There are several advantages to riding a bicycle compared to driving a car. The first advantage is that they don’t cause any serious traffic congestion because they don’t take much space on the roads. Secondly, riding a bicycle helps us keep healthy and fit as it involves extensive physical labour. Finally, riding a bicycle doesn’t cause any environmental pollution at all as it doesn’t release any smoke or carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
Q. 5. Do more people in your hometown used to ride a bicycle in the past? [Why/why not?]
Answer: Yes, people in my hometown, if my memory serves me well, used to ride a bicycle in not-so-distant past because there weren’t simply enough transportations. But as road infrastructure developed and other means of transportations became easily available, people slowly and slowly started to give up on bicycles.
Part 3: Details Discussion
Q. 1. Should people in a city use bicycles more often? Why/Why not?
Answer: Well, it depends on what we are exactly trying to achieve by using a bicycle in a city. For example, if the purpose is to reduce traffic congestion as well as air and environmental pollution in the city, then using bicycles to move around the city could certainly help. Besides, it is not really easy to ride a bicycle in a city if it is busy and crowded. On the other hands, if people are living in a big city, and they want to take care of their works and business quickly and effectively by moving freely in and around the city, then using bicycles may not be the best option.
Q. 2. Why do so many people like to use private cars in cities?
Answer: People like to use private cars in cities for several reasons. The main reason, of course, is that it allows a certain level of personal control, freedom to move at will, and status. Besides, there are some scarcely populated areas, where public transportation opportunity for long-distance travelling may not always be possible. And, should that be case, people would need to rely on their private cars/vehicle in order to commute to different places, even if they don’t like it. Finally, many commuters combine their trips in order to take care of a number of tasks without wasting any time, and using a private car in such cases can be really helpful.
Q. 3. The number of people who use bicycles is fewer than that of the past? Why is so?
Answer: No, I don’t really think that the number of bicycle riders is fewer than that of the past. In fact, it is quite the opposite. For example, the number of bicycle riders in the USA, Germany and other European and Scandinavian countries are rising because people in these countries are becoming more and more health-conscious. Besides, they are also increasingly becoming aware of the environmental benefits of riding bicycles as the practice doesn’t result in carbon emission overload. The number of bicycle users is increasing also in my country because more and more people nowadays are considering it as a viable method of commuting between different places.
Q. 4. What can the government do to encourage people to ride bicycles more often?
Answer: The government can do several things to encourage people to ride bicycles more often. For example, it can build more and more bike lanes in all kinds of roads and streets so that the bicycle riders can feel very safe and secured while riding their bicycles. The government can also announce different types of incentives and awards in order to encourage people to accept bicycle as a primary mode of transportation in designated areas and cities. Besides, it can also announce some kind of tax deduction for employers who would encourage their employees to use their bicycles to commute to and from work.
Q. 5. Should city planners include separate lanes for bicycle users? Why/ Why not?
Answer: Yes, city planners should absolutely include separate lanes for bicycle users because it would create a huge sense of safety and security in the minds of the existing bicycle riders. Besides, creating such separate lanes on the roads and streets would also encourage other people to start riding bicycles instead of driving private vehicles. Finally, the research has also shown that bike lanes add “extra space” to the turning radius at driveways and intersections and thus help in reducing the risk of rear-end crashes.
Q. 6. How bicycles are better than cars when it comes to eco-friendly transports?
Answer: Bicycles are better than cars when it comes to eco-friendly transports in several aspects. First, they don’t use any fossil fuels to run, and as such, don’t cause any carbon emission to pollute the air and environment. Secondly, manufacturing bicycle takes much fewer resources and materials than that of making cars, and as a result, puts much less stress on our environment. Finally, it takes large areas and space to build roads and highways for cars to be able to run, which certainly puts a lot of stress on our resource and environment, but with bicycles, we don’t have the same kind of situation to deal with.
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