Question: Shouldn't there be more people on bicycles? I think a lot of people rode bicycles during this time. At least in the Monterey area. Probably not on the farm as much. People became very car happy in the 50s. Also, the haircuts are very 1940s / early 1950s.
Answer: Many earlier Hollywood movies were often less concerned about recreating a precise historical time period and instead evoked the era's atmosphere. Audiences then were less discerning or knowledgeable about history and details regarding hairstyles, makeup, clothing, manners, etc. which were sometimes diluted, glossed over, and often wrong. More people may have ridden bicycles during that era but many had cars, though it's unessential to the plot either way.
Answer: It's not shown, but presumably the same way everyone else does, by the carnival operator rotating the wheel, stopping it, and letting people get on and off. There may have been a scene showing this, but it got cut in the final editing, shifting the story forward more quickly.
raywest ★