461–470 of 599 posts
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> Housing within bicycle commuting distance (under 5 miles) in many cities is abundant Housing isn’t abundant within 50 miles of London and other similar major cities, let alone 5.
Consider that a comparable amount of space is dedicated to car parking as parks in London.
The amount of on street car parking in zones 2-3 is insane. Now that actually IS a subsidy to rich people.
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I other than e-bikes I have never seen a motorcycle on a bike path. I'm not sure you know what I am talking about when I say bike path . I am talking about a dedicated asphalt path that runs parallel to a road with parking and/or a curb or barrier between traffic and the bike path. Next to this path is a sidewalk for pedestrians, separated by grass. In some places the pedestrian and bicycle traffic merge. They are al…
> I am talking about a dedicated asphalt path that runs parallel to a road with parking and/or a curb or barrier between traffic and the bike path. Next to this path is a sidewalk for pedestrians, separated by grass. In some places the pedestrian and bicycle traffic merge. They are always separated from traffic. Sometimes they take routes that do not follow roads, such as through parks. Yeah, I assumed both (separate…
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> Proponents of efforts to make roads safer for cyclists have always gotten pushback from people who think that cycling is a niche hobby of rich lycra-clad yuppies. Which I think is misguided pushback btw (which I think you agree with based on the context). I see it as a chicken and egg thing. The roads are unsafe for bikers, so the only people who bike are those who are super dedicated to it. Then when people ask fo…
You have a point, but the Lance Armstrong wannabes make everyone miserable. In my area, they “took over” a popular bike trail and now kids and more casual people are pushed aside. It’s like dealing with serious lap swimmers.
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> I especially dislike that companies get to profit from cluttering public spaces with bicycle and scooter litter. Then you must hate on-street parking and parking lots. I think the speed and power limits of ebikes are actually pretty reasonable. A fit cyclist can go faster on the flats, and I don't just mean a pro, anybody young and healthy who cycles a few times a week should be able to manage it. Bikes should have…
Parking lots are dedicated for that purpose. And in here, if you park the car on the sidewalk, you get ticket. Shared e-scooters are regularly parked in the middle of the sidewalk, making it impossible to go around with stroller. But to those companies credit, they do have at least token process of punishing bad parking.
I think the parent commenter is suggesting that devoting vast swathes of land to storing objects that are only used for few percent of every day could, in some ways, be considered "cluttering public space".
I certainly agree that scooters dumped in the middle of a sidewalk is very annoying. I haven't lived anywhere where rental bikes can just be dropped (they're returned to stations) so I haven't experienced littering in that sense.
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How do you think people under the age of 16 should get around? For some examples, if they want to go to a friend's house a mile or two away, or from their home to a train station, or to the supermarket.
They should ride on dedicated bike paths or the sidewalk.
I'm massively pro-cycling, but bikes belong either in dedicated infrastructure or on the roads. Roads must not be monopolized by motor traffic — everyone pays for this infrastructure through taxation and it should serve everyone equally well.
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you can also look at it from another angle - those e bikers are now a threat to regular bikers as they are driving much faster.
Street legal ebikes don't let you go any faster than a fit cyclist. They just make hills, taking off, and long rides easier.
Not surprised. They are a lot cheaper, easier to own than a car in cities, and are a lot of fun to ride. A loud contingent view them as a scourge, calling for ebikes to be banned, or otherwise licensed, registered, and insured, which would eliminate them as a common mode of transport. Most of the people I see riding them around here are high-school aged who probably don't care enough to deal with that. The next step…
I mean, they do have a motor, so I don't see why they should be less regulated than other motorized vehicles. They're just as dangerous to the user as a moped.
In the UK (and the EU) they are restricted to 15 mph so no different to a traditional bike. If you want a speed pedelec (28 mph) then it needs to be registered like a moped and mostly can't go on bike paths.
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Mixed use paths as seen in parks are for dogs, pedestrians, children cyclists and beginners. They are not and should not be for commuting except maybe as a last mile connection, because commuters are moving at about 15-20km/h if they want to get anywhere in a reasonable amount of time. As soon as they get busy there are so many conflict points that accidents are inevitable. Calling them bike infrastructure is like ca…
I don't think this is true. The mixed use paths are pretty good start. People use them for commute. The special bike lane is more expensive and ideal step, but not necessary.
The separated bike lane *and* the mixed use path is the end goal, but if the immediate goal is to save the city money and make people healthier rather than create conflict and negative sentiment towards cycling, then you need a separate route for ebikes and more experienced commuters. Sharrows or magic paint suffice for this (at least temporarily) with adequate traffic calming or if the main car flow has an alternate route.
One of the riskier aspects of e-bikes is the subversion of other road-user expectations. If I see someone on (what appears to be) a bike, feet on pedals, (apparently) coasting, a few decades of biking and driving lead me to expect that person to stop, or at least slow down. On an e-bike, though, they might maintain speed, or accelerate (!) without any change in attitude. No harder to judge than a motorcycle, of cours…
I find this happens to me on a normal bike and its one of the main problems I deal with. A driver comes to a corner and looks to give way and sees a cyclist, depending on their judgement after their initial glimpse of me they might think I'm going slow only to realise I'm actually travelling much quicker. They pull out and I have to brake in order to not hit them. I think we've all done the same thing in a car as wel…
The problem with e-bikes is that they have been hampered down so hard by regulations. No throttle, only pedal assist, 250w motors maximum and no assist over 25km/h turns it from the perfect future-proof vehicle for inner-city use and suburban commuting into a weird hybrid that isn't fast enough to replace a light road bike, But also not strong enough to haul multiple saddlebags full of groceries up hills without brea…
Around town the speed is fine although it would be nice to go a little quicker out of town.