A reader writes:
As a transportation-focused environmental advocate, it pains me to see all the fawning over electric cars and their buyers, while ignoring scores of innovations that make bicycling a viable choice for more trips: cargo bikes, folding bikes, bike sharing, workplace showers, secure bicycle parking, and so on. I suppose it's a good thing to make a car that doesn't require any oil, but energy use is only one of the problems with cars, especially in a "livable" urban environment. Show me a car that doesn't require a parking space, then I might be interested.
Another writes:
In the bike mecca of Portland, OR, many of us bike with kids a lot - even in the rain
(there are good rain covers for the kids). My neighbor has a tandem bike that he frequently uses to take his nine-year-old son to school. Then he bikes to work (not too far from the school) alone on the tandem.
Here's a picture of my then-11 month old in a bike trailer with my wife pulling. Admittedly, the biking with kids is mostly a weekend affair - to the store (throw the groceries in the trailer with the baby and/or in the bike bags if you've got two kids), to friends, etc. It's a little heavier, but not too bad. And we generally take the slower route on the less-traveled streets.
(Top photo via Sean Bonner)