A buried Hummer in Detroit

It makes sense that the cars-are-satan crowd are naturally inclined to join forces with those promoting bicycling. As one might expect, we haven’t seen much of the former in the Motor City — or at least we know to tone down the rhetoric a bit.

That said, here’s one example of a little push back from a Seattle motorist — a clever and seemingly light-hearted column from Crosscut.com called Beep-beep: a cars-user’s manifesto.

Although the article has its funny moments, including referencing lycra cycling outfits as leotards, it does finish with a little more seriousness.

Weaning ourselves from the automobile does not require us to treat cars as mechanical demons from an environmentally profligate past. Carrying on an anti-car crusade may curry favor with a younger crowd that lacks appreciation for anything that can’t be held in one’s palm or stuck in one’s ear. But it’s hardly the way to advance the serious conversation we all have to be engaged in, regarding a more environmentally sensitive future.

Perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised by this message.

The column’s author, Hubert G. Locke is a former Detroiter.