The Utilitarian Motorcyclist
Right on, brother! I couldn't agree with Gabe more, but I really don't see the current situation changing.
Here in South Florida you can ride to work all year round. The sad thing is that I work in a building full of healthy, smart people, yet out of about 500 people, exactly 3 of us regularly commute to work on our bikes. It used to be 4, but one guy had a kid and so he sold his bike - go figure!.
I really think the biggest problem is one of perception. Let's face it, the vast majority of Americans think you have to be nuts or borderline criminal to ride. The media, as usual, plays this drum constantly and thus we only see negative portrayals of people who ride (i.e., recent crap like Torque or Biker Boys). With all due respect, I also believe the media's recent fixation with Choppers also plays to this negative stereotype.
Honestly, I don't see this changing anytime soon, which means that politicians, corporations, and others that decide transportation policy issues are going to continue ignoring all of the valid points made in Gabe's Manifesto.
Of course, I really hope I'm wrong about this. Perhaps the combination of big gas price increases and the steadily increasing frustration among commuters will cause people to consider motorcycles as a viable transportation alternative. But again, I don't think so.
Instead, I've come to accept my minority within a minority status. I'm just a utilitarian motorcyclist. 99% of Americans will never understand my reasons for riding to work, which in the end is fine with me.