Do any of you bike to work?

[Laika]

If more people worked at home it would accomplish the same thing. These days a huge portion of the work force sits around all day using a computer and talking on the phone, two devices which they all have at home. The only reason they have to "go to work" is that their managers are too incompetent to rate their performance on the basis of what they accomplish, so they just base it on the number of hours they're sitting at their desks looking busy. And they schedule meetings which are nothing but a colossal waste of time, to justify their own existence.

One-fourth of America's petroleum consumption goes directly into communting. And that doesn't count the second-order effects of fast food joints for people who don't have time to eat at home, and gardeners, cleaning ladies and baby sitters driving all over town to do things we could do for ourselves better if we were at home.

This isn't China, you'll never get a significant number of Americans willing to ride bicycles to work. If you're really worried about congestion and pollution, support the telecommuting revolution. Does your boss let you telecommute? If not, why not? Unless your job is something like a psychiatrist, diplomat, plumber or bulldozer operator, you should be able to do your work at home.

That's a valid point and I wouldn't disagree (though I can't help but think that you're generalising a bit too enthusiastically with your comment about managers). But my post was about the effect of pollution on potential and actual cyclists. I was noting the dilemma of the situation in which potential cyclists are deterred by a problem that greater numbers of cyclists would help to negate.

I don't care too much about how many Americans are willing to ride bikes to work since I'm not American. But then, I don't much care about how many Britons do, either. I also don't care very much about congestion; I just cycle through it.

Technically, my job could be done from home. But even setting aside the professional advantage of being able to speak spontaneously with colleagues, I personally would not want to work from home. I appreciate the division between my professional and personal lives that is created by the act of travelling to a different location. I also appreciate the social interaction that I enjoy when I'm there. I understand the benefits to the environment that would accrue if internet connections were to replace cars as the means for commuting to work, but personally I'm happier to cycle.