Through necessity, Japan has adopted the bicycle as an essential component of transportation. The island nation’s limited geography, high density and lack of petroleum makes it an ideal location for small, efficient bicycles. 46) The destruction of Japan’s infrastructure during the second world war forced citizens to employ non-motorized means of transportation until the nation’s high speed railways were developed in the 1950s. With renewed infrastructure in place, the Japanese were quick to reject bicycling and its post-war reconstruction connotations and took to riding collector buses to and from railway stations. The bus system began to be overburdened in the late 1960s and riders began to find the system slow, expensive and inconvenient.47) The disincentives of bus travel and surging environmental concerns associated with motorized travel initiated a shift in public opinion in favor of bicycling and bike ownership began to grow at 10% annually. Bicycles inundated railway stations and caused a bike pollution problem, inciting the Ministry of Transportation and Ministry of Construction to take action and build 22, 000 bicycle parking spaces in 1973. Japanese bike ownership doubled between 1975 and 1977, demanding additional construction projects in 1978.The Japanese government recognized that bike travel was favorable to other modes of transport for many reasons. Biking requires no petroleum and cyclists consume only 32 calories per mile compared to automobiles’ 1, 800 cal/m demand. Cyclists’ respiration contribute a scant 2 grams of carbon dioxide per passenger mile, while single-occupancy automobile emits 85 Co2 grams per mile. 48) On the road, eight cyclists can occupy the space needed for one automobile and when stopped, twenty bikes can be parked where there is space for just one automobile. These advantages prompted the government to consider other ways to promote bike travel including considerable urban design changes and the addition of 37, 000 miles of bike/pedestrian pathways during the 1970s. From an energy, pollution and density standpoint, the bicycle is more efficient that any other mode of short-trip travel. 49) Because commuters are reluctant to pedal more than about four miles, railway stations are located near residential areas to that commuters will be willing to pedal to the nearest train stop; innovations in high-density bicycle parking offers travelers in the busiest stations safe, fully automated mechanical storage facilities. Construction of the most expensive facilities cost $ 2, 000 per bike, compared to $ 4, 000 to $ 18, 000 for a single automobile parking space in the United States. 50) Japanese investments in bicycle infrastructure are offset by savings in subsidized bus systems as bicycle growth has surpassed bus rider ship growth; at some railway stations, more than 50% of commuters arrive by bike. The destruction of Japan’s infrastructure during the second world war forced citizens to employ non-motorized means of transportation until the nation’s high speed railways were developed in the 1950s.