An 80 year old crashed her
car into an office building the other day. News of an automobile accident is always
disturbing, but even more so when it involves a senior. I worry that it makes us all look bad, but I
also worry about what is ahead for me.
What am I going to do when it is time for me to hang up my keys? Scooters and bicycles have always appealed to my sense of adventure. I read everything
I can find about them, and when one pulls up beside me at a stoplight, the
wheels in my head start turning.
Oprah, always on top of
things, had a little blurb in her latest magazine (December 2012) about an e-bike.
It was included in the section on Christmas present suggestions. I might not have noticed except the picture
was of a pink e-bike and it seemed to call my name. There are thousands of models on the market
these days but this one (Jetsonbike.com) was quoted as getting 40 miles to one
battery charge.
Bicycles are everywhere and
a few people are even using them for transportation. There are dun buggies, three-wheelers, mountain
bikes, standard models and even foldable bikes. America has been way behind other
countries in adopting energy efficient modes of transportation, but I think the
day is coming. Electric
bicycles are not motorcycles. They
have pedals and they are designed to assist your efforts. I suppose you can tool along relying on
battery power alone, but you don’t really want to nix the idea of getting exercise while you are at it, do you? Some electric bike users can’t drive for
medical or other reasons and are thrilled to have increased mobility. Others are just pleased with the ease and economy, and the thought that
they are doing something good for the environment.
Electric bikes are perfect
for seniors who thought they were
past their bike riding days. Wouldn’t it
be nice if we all used electric bicycles for short trips? We would be using less gas, reducing
pollution, whittling traffic congestion and actually making the streets
safer. You might think that 15-30 miles
an hour is too slow, but most residential streets and roadways don’t allow you
to go faster than that anyway. We American’s are funny. We will use our car to drive 4 blocks to the
store. We will drive around the parking
lot at the fitness center six times in order to find a parking space at the
front door. It’s time for a change,
don’t you think? If you are going
somewhere less than 5 miles away, doesn’t it make good sense to ride a bike?
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