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Cycling is more important than electric cars for reaching net-zero cities

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Re: Cycling is more important than electric cars for reaching net-zero cities

#411

Post by rtlfe »

zip1234 wrote: post #406
rtlfe wrote: post #403

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you go to any community board meeting, you'll hear old people rant for hours about how their cars are essential and bike are destroying the city. And for some reason, this is who politicians listen to.

Community board meetings in general are a problem that nobody has found a great solution to. Oddly enough, the pandemic has caused most of these to go virtual, which has nerfed a lot of the power of the highly motivated old people with too much time on their hands.

Honestly the easy solution is to ignore the CBs. Surveys show that the majority of people want more bus and bike lanes, so just build them and skip all of the "community input" aka "giving veto power to a small minority".

https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/ny-bike-lane-survey-dat...

Re: Cycling is more important than electric cars for reaching net-zero cities

#413

Post by briga »

supertrope wrote: post #379
briga wrote: post #189

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I would assume cycling safety increases proportionally with bike infrastructure. Something tells me the people dying on bicycles aren't dying from collisions with other bicyclists. If you have adequate infrastructure bike safety starts to become a marginal concern.

I grew up trained at school to always put on a helmet else I'd end up a vegetable after a bike accident. Not one mention of how American roads are designed for car supremacy at the expense of human safety. A helmet won't do you much good if a texting SUV driver hits you.

Meanwhile in Europe barely anyone wears helmets. It turns out you don't need them when bikes have their own dedicated infrastructure.

Re: Cycling is more important than electric cars for reaching net-zero cities

#414

Post by sudosysgen »

moistbar wrote: post #408
sudosysgen wrote: post #398

Earlier quoted context omitted.

To put it bluntly; Your car is too big.

I drive a Nissan Juke when I go to the city. If you consider that a big car, I don't know what to tell you. EDIT: Since I can't respond to the comment below me, the Juke is slightly taller than a Mini Cooper and about as long and wide. I literally can't find a smaller car that I'd be comfortable driving on the highway.

That's an SUV/crossover. Yes, it is too big. Cars got way too big since a few decades, especially in North America, and that is a huge part of why people feel that roads are too small.

Re: Cycling is more important than electric cars for reaching net-zero cities

#415

Post by sudosysgen »

moistbar wrote: post #410
rtlfe wrote: post #357

Earlier quoted context omitted.

People say the same thing about winter in the Northeast. Then when they see how convenient and freeing it is to ride a bike, they quickly learn to deal with the weather.

If you're claiming that people will still ride their bikes to work when it's 20 F outside, you're incorrect.

I know a lot of people that ride their bikes at work at such temperatures, and one of the biggest issues with doing that isn't the cold - exertion really warms you up - but badly maintained, snowy shoulders and a higher risk of cars crashing into you.

Especially now that ebikes are a thing.

Re: Cycling is more important than electric cars for reaching net-zero cities

#416

Post by jryle70 »

onlyrealcuzzo wrote: post #386
imgabe wrote: post #360

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You can also move. I'm not saying it's a feasible solution for everyone, or even that one should move solely to get to a more bike-friendly location, but the next time you move, maybe consider that as one of the main factors in choosing where to live. If everyone does that, the infrastructure will follow.

I'm quite tired of Americans saying - but I NEED a car. I mean, maybe YOU do. But most people can live in a lot of different areas, if not cities & states. You chose to live a lifestyle that requires a car. Which is fine. But it's a choice.

> You chose to live a lifestyle that requires a car

I don't think this is true. People move because of job opportunity, family, weather or cost of living. Very rarely because they want a change of scene. Car is the often the requirement where they move to in America.

Re: Cycling is more important than electric cars for reaching net-zero cities

#417

Post by selectodude »

WorldMaker wrote: post #311
michael1999 wrote: post #228

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It can be a real winner politically, depending on the electoral boundaries. Roads have such limited throughput that a new bike lane might inconvenience only a few hundred people in cars, while opening up the city to thousands of people on bikes. Once politicians figure out that calculation, it can go very quickly.

An issue in that "political favor" calculus is money: A) Cars have a tall stack of interest groups with money to throw around politically. Manufacturers, Dealerships, Gas corporations. lobbying groups including, especially, but not limited to the AAA all have skin in the game and have thrown money at politics. (In general bicycle groups are rarely as organized, rarely have much in the way of profits or income to burn…

> Today roads are partly paid for with gas taxes and sometimes vehicle property taxes.

Which is hilarious because road damage squares with the weight of the vehicle and bike lanes would need to be repaved maybe once per century.

Re: Cycling is more important than electric cars for reaching net-zero cities

#418

Post by dmm »

isbjorn16 wrote: post #210
dmm wrote: post #94

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Commuting by car has and creates lots of problems but all of these are ignored because cars are normal and bikes aren't. That's the biggest problem. For example, driving a car is necessary to be a full member of society in most places in the US. If you can't drive basic things like going to work, buying food, visiting family, seeing a doctor aren't possible or take 2-3x more time without a car. As a result people are…

> > - You have facilities to shower and dress at work > I commuted by bike for years in hot, humid climate without showering at work. Consider all of the remarkable achievements of humanity. You could figure out something that could work for your situation. It's called a shower. I weigh 300lbs. Trust me, I am going to be sweating like I was sprayed by the grossest stink hose of all time. Sure, I'd love to believe I'd…

In that case I prescribe an electric assist bike and baby wipes in a bathroom stall. ha!

But I really don't blame anybody for not wanting to cycle in the US. It's legitimately dangerous and unpleasant in a lot of areas. It doesn't have to be that way but that's the world we have.

Re: Cycling is more important than electric cars for reaching net-zero cities

#419

Post by moistbar »

occz wrote: post #270
moistbar wrote: post #188

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't know if you've ever driven in an American city, but those streets can barely fit a single lane of car traffic in some cases. Philadelphia in particular has streets so narrow that the line of parked cars along the side is enough to basically block the whole street. It's already incredibly uncomfortable to drive on those streets, so I don't get why you're so surprised that people would be angry about further in…

It should not be comfortable to drive around in a city. You are in a place with lots of people you can harm with your vehicle if you drive around fast, you should be driving slowly and paying close attention to your surroundings. Proper bicycle infrastructure (separated bike lanes etc.) and quality public transportation is the solution - the comfortable option should generally be to take a train/metro/bus/tram/boat.

> It should not be comfortable to drive around in a city.

By this logic, aggressive drivers are also a good thing because they stress you out while driving.

Re: Cycling is more important than electric cars for reaching net-zero cities

#420

Post by Johnny555 »

Most people don't need a full size car for city commuting, but many don't want to bike for valid (and not so valid) reasons. Why not split the diffrence and go all in on small lightweight NEVs (neighborhood electric vehicles). Their smaller size, low 25mph top speed and limited range make them less resource intensive than regular cars but still give people a car-like driving experience.
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