Is motorized transport a necessity?

It was about 30 years ago when I was studying in Taiping. At that time there were bicycles everywhere. Housewives rode their bicycles to the market every morning. Schoolchildren rode bicycles to school. Even courting couples rode around on their bicycles, adding further proof to the age of innocence.

Taiping is not much bigger today than it was 30 years ago. The streets are full of cars and motorcycles now. Bicycles are seldom seen. Motorized transport has certainly taken over our legs. It is now difficult to get from one place to another due to heavy traffic. Parking bays are few. So why have people abandoned the bicycles for cars and motorcycles? I cannot think of a good reason, as the town has not grown much at all. The same transformation is seen in other towns, save for the sleepy hollows. Sadly, nobody seems to miss the bicycle at all, while they nonchalantly contend with the traffic, day after day.