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

Cycling Is Key to Safer, Healthier, More Vital Cities

citylab.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

351–360 of 382 posts

Re: Cycling Is Key to Safer, Healthier, More Vital Cities

#351

Post by tonyedgecombe »

rjbwork wrote: post #217
CloudYeller wrote: post #5

In most cities, especially in America, there's a vicious cycle: 0) Cycling is dangerous because there are too many vehicles on the road 1) There are so many vehicles on the road because everyone knows it's dangerous to cycle 2) Go to 0 Breaking out of that loop requires building safe infrastructure for cycling, like indestructable cement dividers between bike lanes and vehicle lanes or no-vehicles-allowed-in- days

I bought an e-bike. Because I can keep up with car traffic on most roads within the city, I am usually in the far right lane of the road and haven't had any problems really. You do have to be extra careful when changing lanes though.

The only problem I find is drivers don't expect you to be going so fast, especially up hill. I actually had a police car pull out right in front of me yesterday.

Re: Cycling Is Key to Safer, Healthier, More Vital Cities

#352

Post by tonyedgecombe »

RightMillennial wrote: post #174
adrianN wrote: post #89

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Think of it this way: The more people you can convince to cycle, the fewer cars are ahead of you in a traffic jam.

Have you lived in Chicago during the winter? It gets quite cold and windy. I couldn't imagine willingly commuting there on bike even if adequate infrastructure existed.

If it's windy then you aren't going to be cold.

Re: Cycling Is Key to Safer, Healthier, More Vital Cities

#353

Post by tonyedgecombe »

5parks1 wrote: post #30

The Dutch cycling culture is worthy of praise, but people frequently forget or ignore a key element of its success: Amsterdam is pancake flat. I live outside of Denver, and my neighborhood is very cycling friendly, but my 8-year old daughter can't make it up the hill on our street without walking.

E-bikes solve that problem.

Re: Cycling Is Key to Safer, Healthier, More Vital Cities

#354

Post by tonyedgecombe »

modzu wrote: post #287
Luc wrote: post #72

Earlier quoted context omitted.

30% of new bikes sold in the Netherlands are electric. In Belgium, 40%. No need for carbon frames - electric engines flatten all terrain.

but electric engines don't flatten your stomach

You still have to peddle, in the EU they don't have throttles.

Re: Cycling Is Key to Safer, Healthier, More Vital Cities

#355

Post by adrianN »

Damogran6 wrote: post #203
noahc wrote: post #118

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've cycled through winters with wind chill in the -15F range and up to a half foot of snow on the ground. So, it is more than doable to do in both those cities.

Everyone is not you. Can it be done? Sure. SHOULD it be done by a cross-section of the populous?

Maybe proper bike infrastructure could increase the number of bicycle-commuters from ten percent to thirty percent. Think of all the space you could have for your car if there were twenty percent fewer cars in front of you.

Re: Cycling Is Key to Safer, Healthier, More Vital Cities

#356

Post by [deleted] »

TylerE wrote: post #108
notauser wrote: post #71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, but fewer people are having children, which reduces the demand for suburban living. The suburbs also have less attraction for me as a parent. In the old days you could let your kids roam a suburb freely - now you can't. So why not live in a city? You have the same restrictions, but also a lot more distractions such as free museums.

Statistically, it is much safer to let your kids roam today than it was 30 years ago. Violent crimes are down quite a lot across the board.

[deleted]

Re: Cycling Is Key to Safer, Healthier, More Vital Cities

#357

Post by KozmoNau7 »

modzu wrote: post #271
KozmoNau7 wrote: post #105

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Carbon frames have significant drawbacks compared to metal frames, especially for everyday bikes. Sure, the weight reduction matters when you're racing, but carbon frames don't stand up very well to the bumps and scrapes of a bike commute. If you crash a metal frame, it may bend a bit, and if it's unsafe to ride, it's generally immediately obvious. A carbon frame can look perfectly fine, but suddenly snap at an inopp…

i generally agree with you, but i also think it's a little more complex -- carbon fiber is extremely strong for its weight -- if you have an accident that is going to render it unsafe, you are sure likely to know. its true you can bend a steel frame back into shape (not so much with aluminum), but steel also rusts, and with anything the quality of the build matters (what do the welds look like, is it lugged, etc) in…

Carbon fiber doesn't do very well under repeated vibration and shock loads, and is very susceptible to UV damage.

This can of course be mitigated, but that's part of why CF frames are expensive.

And in the end, the weight savings are rather small, most people do fine on hills as long as they have the appropriate gearing.

Re: Cycling Is Key to Safer, Healthier, More Vital Cities

#358

Post by KozmoNau7 »

weberc2 wrote: post #166
KozmoNau7 wrote: post #70

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The same goes for driving (well, driving safely at least). You need winter tires, you need an ice scraper, probably a snow shovel and other gear. You probably also shouldn't be driving around in a blizzard, either. Come to Copenhagen or Amsterdam. We bike in all kinds of weather, backed up by great public transport.

You definitely don't need winter tires; all-season tires work just fine. And an ice scraper (or even a shovel) isn't a burden for motorists. Also, winters in Copenhagen are probably quite a lot warmer than many places in the U.S. (the lowest average monthly temperature is barely below freezing!). Quite a different story from Chicago, Detroit, Minneapolis, or Des Moines.

Depending on the weather, yes you do need winter tires. All-seasons are a compromise, and the only actually good ones wear out really quickly.

I've scrapers are not a burden to carry in a car, but they do cost money, and require physical effort to use.

You should visit Copenhagen in the winter, and enter a dimension of slush, the freezing/thawing cycles make it extremely unpredictable to ride or drive in. Actual steady freezing temperatures are so much easier to deal with.

Re: Cycling Is Key to Safer, Healthier, More Vital Cities

#359

Post by KozmoNau7 »

interfixus wrote: post #123

So nice to see the sensible and pragmatic Dutch going without the silly, soulgutting bicycle helmets. Not to mention the usual orgy of blinkenlights and assorted fluorescent garments.

I'm curious, why do you consider helmets to be "silly" and "soulgutting"?

The blinking lights are essential in order to be seen in twilight and dark conditions. Hi-viz also aids in this.

Re: Cycling Is Key to Safer, Healthier, More Vital Cities

#360

Post by KozmoNau7 »

telchar wrote: post #220
screye wrote: post #28

A 2 key points about well designed bike lanes that aren't bought up enough are: 1. raised / structural separation between the road and bikes path. 2. bike paths can be used for just about anything that is not a car/motorbike or a pedestrian. Skaters, skate boarders, mopeds and bikes can all share a common separated path way. I have tried biking in Boston and it is a nightmare. Bike Lanes marked on the road are taken…

I'd add that a significantly under-discussed element of safe biking infrastructure is safer intersections. My city has lots of bike lanes that are sufficiently wide (and many that aren't) and no consideration all at for how a cyclist is supposed to safely traverse an intersection. My commute requires me to cross several lanes of traffic to get from the bike lane to the left turn lane on a road where cars go ~40mph -…

The best way to do left turns asa cyclist is a hook turn. Go straight across, stop at the corner, then turn. Effectively making the turn two straight lines. That's how we're taught to do it in most European countries, to avoid having to cross lanes of car traffic.
Post reply on HN