Canada

Not OP - their smugness didn't help and you can use whatever means of transport you prefer. But to be fair, I do know people who have kids and use a cargo bike to do everything. This is a viable option for many city-dwellers. Sadly, we are still very car dependant in Canada for longer trips since rail between cities has been underinvested in and suburban sprawl is out of control.

I take my kid to daycare every day on my ebike. It's only 5km one way, but I used to do 14km pedal power when I lived in Montréal.

I don't do it to be a smug prick, I do it because it's faster than driving.

Frankly, the infrastructure choices in my city (Kingston) make driving on average slower than 30kph. If bicycles weren't also stuck in traffic lights (same thing that slows all the cars) cycling would be faster than driving is now, and driving would be faster than it is now. Basically our problem is traffic lights.

Almost every trip inside cities, between cities, and even to some rural places could be done with alternatives to cars.

I know it can be hard to imagine a world where cars get minimized to filling a small niche role in a broader transportation system, especially when today most people in Canada and the US think cars are synonymous with mobility. Other countries have shown that car lite/free lifestyles are not only be possible with today’s technology, but desirable.

The alternatives are more space efficient - meaning less traffic congestion, they’re better for the environment, and people’s health and wellbeing.

Even if you’re one of the few who insists on keeping your car, wouldn’t it be nice to give safe, viable, and reliable alternatives to everyone else who doesn’t want to drive so they can get out of your way on the roads?

That and I'm still not convinced the cold doesn't ruin the batteries on these things. I keep my e-scooter indoors until the temperature is consistently above zero, which sucks in Canada.

Don't give them ideas they might try to socialize or worse... procreate