"Honey, where'd we park the bike?"

The car isn't quite king in China yet and with a looming global recession, car sales are slowing, while bicycle retention and electric bike sales are sky-high.

The photo here is the "parking lot" outside a downtown Carrefour in Heping District, Tianjin. There is a parking lot attendant here who tells people where to put their bike for the small fee of two Mao, or about three cents.

Car sales are high by Western standards; sales rose 19 percent in the first half of this year as car makers sold 5.18 million vehicles, according to this Bloomberg article. But that's down from last year's 23 percent growth.

From my micro view here in Tianjin, bicycles are widely used and more convenient for students because streets are congested with public buses and taxis. Old fashioned pedal bikes are by far the most common, but electric bikes are gaining popularity. One source predicts every household in China will have an electric bike by 2009.

I just wanted to touch on this very interesting, deep and fluctuating issue. Here's a few links to read more: Two Wheels or Four Wheels? Humble bicycle still rules Chinese roads-hearts Kick-starting the ebike