Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Why Amsterdam Works So Well for Bikes

citylab.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

21–30 of 107 posts

Re: Why Amsterdam Works So Well for Bikes

#21

Post by jozzz »

gxs wrote: post #5

Queue comments about what a travesty it is that US cities were built to accommodate the automobile. To be honest, I think it's one of the coolest things that we take for granted. I can step outside, hop into my car right now, and drive literally anywhere in the US. I drive home from the Bay Area to LA all the time and I always find this very cool. Do I think we need more public transportation? Absolutely. And more bi…

> I can step outside, hop into my car right now, and drive literally anywhere in the US.

Where can't you do this? It's possible to drive from London to Beijing if you really want to.

Re: Why Amsterdam Works So Well for Bikes

#22

Post by mrybczyn »

mfoy_ wrote: post #16
oconnore wrote: post #9

I'm totally confident that we could replicate Amsterdam in any US city if we wanted to. But before we get there, I need an article about what to do about the fact that so many of my fellow Denver Coloradans hate : bike lanes, buses, trains, places to live, sidewalks, wind turbines, solar panels (but also normal road maintenance and traffic). It's like there is a conscious effort to create more smog and traffic jams.…

Call me cynical, but: Anything that threatens the current way of life, the current status quo, or is representative of a school of thought that clashes with the aforementioned can cause cognitive dissonance. Simple as that. Many people don't really believe that driving is wrong, or harmful. But supporting radical infrastructure changes to accommodate an alternative means admitting to that to a further extent that mos…

Nothing wrong with driving. Just drive appropriately.

Car sharing. Taxi / Uber. Hybrids. Electric cars. Self driving cars.

The freedom to transport yourself is a powerful force for good, and socialized public transport and bikes are not a real solution in many / most places.

(am a biker, love biking, only commute by bike to work 3 months of the year)

Re: Why Amsterdam Works So Well for Bikes

#23

Post by dasil003 »

ced wrote: post #13
rb808 wrote: post #3

You missed temperate climate. Yes there is a picture of snow but its rare. As are hot humid days where you get soaked just standing in the shade - which are all too common in much of the US.

Montreal is one of North America's top city for biking and has one of the worst climates for it. People adjust in all kinds of ways. It's mostly about density and culture IMO.

Also Minneapolis which is similar climate except more extreme in both directions. Sometimes the bike paths are plowed before the streets!

Re: Why Amsterdam Works So Well for Bikes

#24

Post by wffurr »

I ride my bicycle in Boston year-round, and I found Amsterdam to be pretty stressful to bicycle in. Very crowded streets and very confusing traffic. I'm sure it was much less dangerous than Boston, but I never really adjusted to the pell mell chaos in Amsterdam. Maybe I just wasn't there long enough.

Re: Why Amsterdam Works So Well for Bikes

#25

Post by sushisource »

MrFantastic wrote: post #4

It also helps that Amsterdam is flat and the population density is high.

Yeah. That's a big one. There's a huge bike culture in Seattle and for the life of me I have a hard time understanding why, this is one of the shittiest places on the planet to bike. Hills everywhere, wet half the time.

Re: Why Amsterdam Works So Well for Bikes

#27

Post by wnevets »

everdev wrote: post #10

Culture helps a lot. In the US bikes are seen as an annoyance by many drivers. I was in Amsterdam this summer and without much knowledge of the city, found it easy, safe and fun to get around by bike. Went to Paris and Barcelona as well and didn't feel as comfortable on a bike in either of those cities.

>Culture helps a lot. In the US bikes are seen as an annoyance by many drivers.

Which is a silly opinion for drivers to have IMO. The more people are biking the less cars that are in my way.

Re: Why Amsterdam Works So Well for Bikes

#29

Post by PascLeRasc »

ballenf wrote: post #18
ced wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Montreal is one of North America's top city for biking and has one of the worst climates for it. People adjust in all kinds of ways. It's mostly about density and culture IMO.

Cold is much easier to handle on a bike than heat/humidity. You can wear warmer clothes and take them off at work, but you usually can't shower and change into a new set of clothes.

I have to somewhat disagree. I feel so uncomfortable biking in thick clothes and layers, and you absolutely have to cuff up your pant leg to pedal anyway, so cold wind feels awful. Not to mention pedaling through snow/slush if you're on the side of the road is very hard.

Re: Why Amsterdam Works So Well for Bikes

#30

Post by grenoire »

wffurr wrote: post #24

I ride my bicycle in Boston year-round, and I found Amsterdam to be pretty stressful to bicycle in. Very crowded streets and very confusing traffic. I'm sure it was much less dangerous than Boston, but I never really adjusted to the pell mell chaos in Amsterdam. Maybe I just wasn't there long enough.

You get used to it. It's a different set of skills, and your reaction times also improve over time. Hand signals help too.

Although I still avoid the very center, with all the oblivious tourists walking on bicycle lanes...

Post reply on HN