In recent years, it has been less ubiquitous for people to use bicycles as a mode of transport despite its positive impacts on wellness and the environment. This essay attempts to shed light on the rationales behind this phenomenon before outlining some viable solutions that should be adopted to tackle it.
The present generation has a different focus compared to the previous one, resulting in a change in their mode of transport choices. While analyzing two major subjects, adults and children to explore the profound underlying reasons for this tendency, technological advancements are explored to be the main influence on this transformation. Regarding the former subject, the significant development of technologies, especially artificial intelligence (AI) has a great influence on the expectations for individuals’ performance. A study has shown that the competitive rate of the job market has increased by over 200 percent in 2023 compared to the previous year. This influence puts a stronger force on an individual to strengthen their abilities, leading them to prioritize work or study. This translates into more choices for faster and more convenient modes of transport such as automobiles for less time-consuming. Explorating the latter subjects, children, who are not allowed to use higher means of transport, still have less cycling habits. This could be explained by their parents’ choices. Due to the lack of a bike lane in the city road design, it is considered to be unsafe for children to use bicycles. Another reason is that much content on the Internet would be appealing to them. Without their parents’ supervision, the dependents are likely to devour into the colorful world provided by the Internet, such as cartoons and games, provided by the Internet, avoiding outside activities. Therefore, people’s change of focus results in disregard for cycling, which is an alarming concern.
However, I firmly believe some initiatives which are undertaken by the authorities can mitigate this situation. The first step is to launch campaigns to raise awareness among the people about the great benefits of using bicycles. Another way is to provide cycling facilities for the local citizens such as public bicycles. This model is adopted in many urban areas in Japan, which significantly improves the residents’ health and a greener environment. The second approach is that the governance bodies could invest in constructing more infrastructure for bike lanes, providing safer space for the bicycle user without affecting the intersection.
In conclusion, while there are several factors affecting people to use bicycles less, this issue can be resolved by adopting appropriate initiatives that are held by the government.