Why is the Secretary of Transportation Begging Americans to Take More Road Trips?

Because environmentalists don't have any money. Hard to corrupt the system when you don't have the money to do it with.

It doesn't even make sense. Theoretically it could be a good thing, but considering they want to destroy the national parks and forests, I'm not sure what people would even be traveling to see.... A copper mine? A logging operation?

Donald trump, before he got his R branding, was kiiiiind of like this on 'trans women are women' via extreme misogyny and geberally being a creep.

Presumably people are chosing food over travel...

10% of Americans account for 50% of discretionary consumption. We are technically already in bifurcated economy.

The poors living hand to mouth without possibly of gaining sufficient capital to escape their condition.

Yes.

Corrupt as it was, it still maintained some degree of independence. It does no longer.

Think of it as something akin to the difference between the period when two separate corporations were part of a cartel in which the larger of the two was by far the dominant partner, and the situation after the larger one has bought out the smaller, fired the entire C-suite and most of the employees and sold off most of the company assets.

Maybe in Europe or any other country that has a good or decent passenger rail system.

In America you can't reach a lot of the country by rail and so many things worth seeing aren't reasonably reach with a bike.

except in terms of speed

Is... Is that the point, on a vacation? Id want to see stuff.

safety

Yeah, drivers try to kill cyclists all the time. They're a menace.

convenience

On amtrak, i can go to the cafe car, get wasted, eat salty snacks, drop some acid, stare out the window for a couple hours, then nap. All without stopping.

The internet doesnt break. The bathrooms always work. The seats are comfier. What the fuck am i missing?

comfort

Citation. Fucking. Needed.

Except in terms of speed

Exploring isn't meant to mean zooming through communities as fast as you can. You can cover over 100km a day by bike, and truly experience the areas you're passing through.

safety

Probably safer than driving. People in cars make cycle touring unsafe, but you don't have to bike alongside them in many cases.

convenience

This is a matter of perspective. Some people, like myself, enjoy planning, gearing up, and executing the plan way more than "what's the easiest way to do this?".

comfort.

Debatable. I find sitting in a car for hours at a time to be excruciating. But I can sit on my bike and ride for 10+ hours at a time, and still want more. And if you're in traffic? Good luck.

If you are doing a proper cycle tour or bikepacking adventure, there's going to be a lot of opportunities to stop, visit local spots, eat, etc.

To me, a "road trip" is about the experience. Everything that comes after that is going to be about how you get to enjoy that experience. And I'd rather be doing it outside of a metal cage. I think most people who've experienced more than just driving would probably agree.