Abstract

For our final essay, we had to write an 8 page paper on a subject that exites us the most. But we needed to do a critical analysis on it. The subject needed to be relevant to something today. In the process, we were to write proposals, literature reviews, a first draft, and have a 1 on 1 with the professor. For this assignment, I wrote about bikes and how they wouldn’t strive in an apocalyptic scenario. I chose to write about this becase I am very interested in bikes but I wanted to find out if I could find papers that could support my question. All this will be tied up to a presentation on this conference paper.

Conference Paper

Why isn’t the bike the transportation of the apocalypse?

When it comes to movies and shows with an apocalyptic scenario, there are hundreds with various plots, each with a unique way of surviving, human interactions, and environmental issues. Two of the biggest and well known franchises are Mad Max and The Walking Dead. Both of these are quite distinct from one another but they contain many similarities such as environmental changes, collapse of infrastructures, resource scarcity, transportation, and lastly the struggle of surviving. The movie Mad Max: Fury Road connects more to the overall idea of why bikes aren’t the ideal method of transportation in an apocalypse? From the very beginning of the movie, we are told that this society strictly runs on “guzzolene” or gasoline and their only mode of transportation are cars. The overall scenery of where this takes place is just shocking. The endless dunes and scorching sun shows us the impact of the constant use of “guzzolene”. The immense modifications in their vehicles were done in order to survive these terrible conditions. Without their vehicles, they would completely be wiped out. 

If I were to ask you, in your opinion, what are some contributors that help countries keep running? You might consider the various forms of governments, the numerous industries, and us humans, who keep everything running. These may all be correct but you might have forgotten about resources that power everything, natural resources. The US is the largest producer of oil by a great margin. The U.S. Energy Information Administration, or the EIA, “collects, analyzes, and disseminates independent and impartial energy information.” To elaborate, this simply means they acquire data, study it, and inform agencies about it. This organization has collected data throughout the early years of the United States and continues to do so. As we continue to learn more, important questions start to arise. What would happen to our biodiversity and ecosystems if we ran out of oil one day? Could we find other reliable natural resources, would we be at constant war with other countries fighting for oil, who knows? These questions make us think about the importance of oil but also the future consequences we might face. 

The movie starts off by showing various parts of “The Citadel”. The citadel is a ginormous structure composed of 3 giant cliffs, in which people, young and old, and the war boys live in and they are all ruled under the leader. Everyone follows his orders and no one ever betrays him. On top of these giant cliffs, green life appears to exist, meanwhile their surroundings consist of miles upon miles of sand and dust and the wrath of the sun’s heat. Inside one of the tallest cliffs, there are giant pumps that extracts water out of the ground. This is the only source of water they have and we aren’t told if others have this. This is very much similar to an oil extractor, but for this particular case, the water extracted is only reserved for the only remaining green life and often used to reward people or when the war boys are off on an expedition. From the very few angles we get of their location, we clearly see that there is no sense of infrastructure. There are no paved roads like in a normal society. The closest thing they have to a road are paths from previous expeditions. Adapting to these environments was key in order to survive in these savage terrains. 

Countries in Europe are well known for bicycle culture. Denmark and the Netherlands are known as a “bicycle city” for the city layout but also for the high amounts of people who ride their bikes. A study conducted by Martin Emanuel, “Making a Bicycle City: Infrastructure and Cycling in Copenhagen since 1880”, focuses on the development of Denmark’s bicycle infrastructure. “…The sheer numbers of cyclists and the lack of adequate public transport made politicians and municipal engineers acknowledge the importance of cycling for a well-functioning city… with a considerable extension of the bicycle network as well as the development of a mature and thriving bicycle culture.” This quote goes to show that due to the lack of public transportation, most of Denmark’s population was already in favor of better cyclist conditions. With the development of motor vehicles, people saw bicycles as a much cheaper option. Politicians saw this as an opportunity to hear what the people had to say and give it to them. The study also mentions that activists and advocates pushed for better infrastructure in the city. This shows how people’s voice was powerful enough to make changes to a developing city. The use of their land went into good use. Relating it back to Mad Max, the lack of infrastructure connects to the idea of survival. As mentioned several times, major modifications were done to their vehicles in order to properly adapt to the terrain. If these cars were replaced with bicycles, the war boys would struggle to pedal, eventually reaching a point where they had had enough and started a revolt. Even if we were to modify a bike to the best possible upgrades, the savage terrains would destroy any bike. 

As the movie progresses, we witness the various environments and terrains the main characters have to face. We know they’re in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by hundreds of miles of sand in every direction. But soon they encounter a massive sandstorm, in which powerful thunderbolts strike down and heavy winds constantly hit their vehicle. A sandtom in the middle of nowhere is very odd, especially since they are in new parts they have never explored. But with the modifications to their vehicle, they managed to overcome it. After they drive through a valley with hills and rocks falling down. Somehow, this scene makes previous scenes look less dry. They continue driving and arrive in a very swampy, muddy terrain. This is the first time the scenery changes. The sky is dark, dead trees appear and large animals seem to exist. The terrain is terrible, their vehicle is constantly getting stuck and is often being absorbed in black quicksand. They get out of this mess and are again driving back on sand only to realize that they need to turn back around and go back to where they came from because they’re answers were there all along. Throughout this entire journey, the main characters were being chased after because they disobeyed the leader’s orders and were trying to find better lives for some women. The scenery of this movie shows a struggling world and the unpredictable weather, all relating to climate change. There are many different little things one misses out on and doesn’t notice at first, but after a second look, these little things can be related to current day problems. 

Derek Burk, author of “Infrastructure, Social Practice, and Environmentalism: The Case of Bicycle-Commuting,” states that vehicle transportation is a major contributor to global climate change and its the second largest source of greenhouse gas emissions. There are many scenes in this movie where the giant fleet of cars are constantly driving, flames coming out of their exhaust pipes indicating more fumes going into the atmosphere. Burk also states, “Americans are attached to their cars and the practice of driving in ways tied up with identity, status, and comfortable habits… Land uses are often segregated, lengthening trips to shopping and work.” Here Burk is trying to explain that we, humans, well mainly Americans, don’t consider the fact that they are harming the planet. Americans tend to unnecessarily drive long distances and just do it for satisfaction, all relating their car to their identity and status. This movie is a great example of what our future could possibly look like. As more and more fossil fuels are burnt, it will increase our air pollution leading to more disastrous events. If we continue down this path, earth will be engulfed in flames sooner or later. Bicycles play a key role in cleaner ways of transportation, but if we unnecessarily use our vehicles, we’ll eventually start to look like the Mad Max world. The climate and terrain would be so ruthless and unstable that even bikes will no longer be a good option. 

Before I move on, very early on I mentioned oil production but didn’t really dive into the topic. The top oil producers are powerful nations in many different categories. These nations include the US, Saudi Arabia, Russia, Canada, and China. Recent studies show that the US has been leading in production for many years now. The EID has created various tables showing the production of oil barrels the US has produced throughout the years. These graphs show the rapid increase of oil production starting in the early 2000’s with 5,000+ barrels being produced per day. More recently, the US is now producing more than 10,000+ barrels per day. This is only crude oil and not other natural resources. Can you believe that? 

There are many cons as to why bikes would not be the best transportation choice in an apocalypse. First of all, you are extremely limited in capacity. There is no trunk on a bike, unless you attach a small basket but either way it will get full. I wouldn’t want to be pedaling 15mph trying to hold my weapons and other goodies. There are scenes where we see that everyone rides with a partner in order to communicate better but also to support each other. Just imagine having to pedal much harder knowing you’re carrying extra supplies you might not need on a journey. Physical strength is also something you need to consider. Perhaps if you get a tandem bike, the weight might reduce but that means you’ll be carrying more supplies, making it even harder to pedal and one will get more tired. Imagine being hurt, sick, or dehydrated, and still having to ride a bike. But even when I’m feeling at my worst I don’t even want to get up, what makes you think they’ll keep on pedaling. To add on, the main character had a “blood bank”, which was just a very healthy guy giving the sick guy his blood in order for him to keep surviving. If the war boy  was on a bike, carrying his blood bank, riding with his partner, and carrying supplies, he would immediately stop pedaling after 10 minutes. He honestly might even consider not going at all. Lastly, bikes don’t have any type of protection against severe weather. Once again you’ll have to face terrible terrain making you more tired to pedal, but now you’ll have to deal with a sandstorm with dangerous lighting. You’ll be wiped out and never seen again.

But with cons there are always pros. Bikes would not need oil whatsoever. One of the main things that bothered me throughout this movie was the non stop long distance driving. At no point did no one refuel their vehicles, but I do understand this is completely fake and has modified vehicles. But I do feel that they needed to consider the amount of gas they were consuming in their journey. When riding a bike the only fuel you’ll need to consider is if you’re hungry and tired. Bikes are very low maintenance, so they don’t require constant engine looks, engine cooling, or just the way it looks. You often encounter more bike parts than car parts anywhere you go. For example, before the expedition, the broken boys all went to grab a steering wheel in order to lock into their cars. What if something malfunctions, oh wait it does occur in the movie. At one point in the movie, the main characters, who were driving the giant oil rig, completely lost their steering wheel. They had to improvise and use a wrench and pipe in order to have control of their steering. It’s much easier to fix a bike rather than a complex machine with spinning gears.  To tie the knot, if one were to have a bike in an apocalyptic event, one would need to be extremely fit  in order to keep up and would be able to be reliable to others. There are a plethora of health benefits that cycling brings. 

As a cyclist myself, one tends to slow down during the winter. But as the warm weather starts to come around, I tend to be out more and more. Bikes aren’t just a form of transportation, they are also a form of exercise. Think of this, an exact replica of our world, everything else is running, but somehow we don’t have a way to power our vehicles. Oil no longer is used for our cars, what would you do? How will you live every day of your life? In this scenario, this is the only apocalyptic world where bikes come in handy. Can you imagine having to walk to work, taking hours to arrive, or would you prefer to take a bike and take less time to arrive at work. Personally I would take a bike, enjoy the scenery the city has to offer, but as well get my daily exercise. With the lack of cars in this imaginary world, we would be helping the planet by not producing greenhouse gases. Unlike the Mad Max film, we will have livable conditions and flat paved roads in order to thrive with bikes. We’ll not be hit by random storms or have chaotic events. This apocalyptic world wouldn’t be so apocalyptic but it would turn more into a utopian world. Oil extraction would be the least of our worries. We would slowly be turning this world back to normal, where winters were whiter and summers were less hot. 

Overall, the movie Mad Max had various parts where things can symbolize something else. For example, the cars used can signify the amount of power they have. The leader had the larger vehicle out of the entire crew. Apart from the oil rig, which the main characters were using, the rig can symbolize as a dark horse or even more powerful than what the leader was riding on. The stunts they were performing can show their freedom they have and how their survival skills have played a role in how the war boys think and act. These are just small ideas that rise up as you watch the movie. Bikes overall can represent green life. Maybe that’s why we don’t see them at all in this movie because there is hardly any green life. Bikes are much smaller and not heavy which can be seen as fragile or not badass. Now that I think of it, this movie also involves gender. The use of cars could symbolize masculinity, dominance, and strength. But a bike probably doesn’t symbolize that. Women in this film show agency by trying to flee this male dominated group. The women can be symbolized by the small amount of green life but can also represent fertility. Their ability to reproduce shows their power, which is why they were riding in the oil rig most of the time. These are small symbolic moments throughout the film but overall have a deeper meaning. 

All in all, Mad Max: Fury Road shows us an apocalyptic and dystopian world. In this world, they highly depend on modified vehicles in order to look for valuable resources such as “guzzolene”. This film shows us a society holding on to very little, with harsh environments, unexpected weather, no sense of infrastructure. Bikes would be no good use in this Mad Mad World, with a constant struggle in the terrain, limited in capacity, and also no protection whatsoever. If the cars were switched for bikes in this movie, it would definitely do very poorly, and it might even be clowned for years to come. Mad Max is honestly a great example of what our world could end up as if we didn’t start acting towards stopping air pollution. Bikes are truly a positive way to help our world better its chances of surviving in the future. Earth will end up in a very bad state if we don’t do anything now. To finish off,  bicycles don’t fit as the perfect transportation method in an apocalyptic world. 

Work CIted

• Burk, Derek. “Infrastructure, Social Practice, and Environmentalism: The Case of Bicycle-Commuting.” Social Forces, vol. 95, no. 3, 2017, pp. 1209–36. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/26166869. Accessed 29 Apr. 2025.
• Emanuel, Martin. “Making a Bicycle City: Infrastructure and Cycling in Copenhagen since 1880.” Urban History, vol. 46, no. 3, 2019, pp. 493–517. JSTOR, https://www.jstor.org/stable/26745745. Accessed 29 Apr. 2025.
• “U.S. Energy Information Administration – EIA – Independent Statistics and Analysis.” EIA, www.eia.gov/about/mission_overview.php. Accessed 16 Apr. 2025.