In many countries around the world, . They’re regularly utilized as general transportation because many people recognize their efficiency. Not really the case here in America, though. Why do you think that is, and what could be done to change it?

This morning on my way to poach some WiFi I stumbled into an adorable miniature parking lot on UCLA’s main campus. Tiny spaces, but plenty of them. The whole lot is devoted to motorcycle and scooter parking which such vehicles can use for free.

Commuters with cars are forced to use the visitor garage at twelve bucks a day or buy student parking passes at $200 a semester. Those suckers also have to sit in traffic for a whole lot longer. There’s a bus too, but Angelinos have a weird aversion to those and living close to their places of work.

On this particular day the bike lot didn’t look all that popular, but this feels like a pretty enticing incentive to ditch the car and go moto. Think of all the extra money you’ll have to buy books! Okay, lattes and marijuana. Not to mention how much cooler you’re going to look swinging a leg off an old Honda CB that you do climbing out of that Camry.

Could things like access to more sweet free parking lots eventually get average Americans on motorcycles? Got any better ideas? I want to hear ‘em!

The cultural shift required for our country to accept bikes as casual people-movers wouldn’t be instantaneous, but it’d have to start somewhere.

Photo via M M/Flickr

Andrew’s the off-road and adventure guy at Jalopnik. He rides motorcycles because he spent too much gas money on trucks. Hit him up at or .