GM To Declare Bankruptcy;Bicycle Manufacturers Set To Roll On?

You have probably read that GM is going to declare bankruptcy today. This will allow the battered company to restructure itself  into future financial solvency. This moment in history may  prove to be a cultural turning point for America. Afterall, GM has been a symbol of American industrial strength, freedom, and economic prowess for the better part of the last 100 years.  The decline of GM certainly reveals how poorly that company has been run for decades, however it also portends a different future, one where automobility may be demphasized in favor of accessibility. As many of my colleagues have been saying recently, GM should be in the transportation business, not just the automobile business.

Meanwhile, not a single bicycle manufacturing company will be declaring bankruptcy today. Admittedly,  it’s not a real apples to apples comparison, but I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that while sales are down over last year, bicycles are now outselling automobiles in this country. Given the myriad of positive benefits bicycling has for society, it’s high time municipalities start planning to meet all of the pent-up demand for such an active mode of transportation. And if you hadn’t noticed, those gas prices are rising again at the pump…

So how about it readers? Will we ever see GM produce other agents of mobility beyond the cars and trucks? Streetcar and highspeed trains perhaps? Some of the world’s most successful companies grew out of crisis, moving from a single mode of production to a more diverse or totally different and innovative line of products. In chapter 2 of her wonderfully enlightening The Economy of Cities, Jane Jacobs illuminates how 3M originally started out as the Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company,  making sand paper. By allowing itself to evolve and innovate (and not just within the wood smoothing business) 3M became of the world’s most diverse and financially successful companies. I am sure all those losing jobs on the assembly line are indifferent to what they produce, so long as they are paid to keep producing.