Cyclists now outnumber motorists in City of London • Hacker News Board

Re: Cyclists now outnumber motorists in City of London

#121

Post by secretsatan » Mon, Mar 20, 2023, 2:18 PM UTC

raphaelj wrote: post #36

Somewhat unrelated to the article, but I live in a mid-size EU city and dumped my car for an e-bike a few months ago. Surprisingly, it hasn't been that hard (my GF kept her car, and I have a car-sharing subscription): Pros: - Immediately stopped having insomnia. Better feel overall; - about €300/month in additional disposable income. That's basically a free lunch everyday! - significantly faster if parking is taken i…

Also noting on drinking and riding, in Switzerland, it's possible to lose your drivers license if caught doing it, I kinda think thats unfair and not very sensible at all as a policy.

Re: Cyclists now outnumber motorists in City of London

#122

Post by trgn » Mon, Mar 20, 2023, 2:18 PM UTC

dsfyu404ed wrote: post #55

trgn wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Bicycles are the best machine from the industrial revolution. Quiet, healthy, efficient, harmonious with our sensibilities. I think it is precisely these aspirational qualities that is enraging the morlocks in their cars (speaking for US only now, it's better in other countries). A bicycle is a shameful reminder of the virtuous path not taken.

>Bicycles are the best machine from the industrial revolution. Quiet, healthy, efficient, harmonious with our sensibilities. I think it is precisely these aspirational qualities that is enraging the morlocks in their cars (speaking for US only now, it's better in other countries). A bicycle is a shameful reminder of the virtuous path not taken. The power loom? The electrical generator? The steam engine? The telegraph…

lol way to miss the point. Hyperbole is a rhetorical device to emphasize a point.

I'm so tired of the internet.

Anyway, yes, let me revise, bicycles are the best invention, of ALL TIME!

Power loom: ushered in capitalist mode of production, alienating us from our labor. Electrical generator: it's cool I guess. Steam engine: start of the fetishization of the engineering aesthetic. Awful. Only redeeming quality is that it gave us steam punk fiction 200 years later. Telegraph: instant communication is way overrated.

Sorry for piling on. Long weekend.

Re: Cyclists now outnumber motorists in City of London

#123

Post by alkjsdlkjasd » Mon, Mar 20, 2023, 2:19 PM UTC

sandworm101 wrote: post #81

alkjsdlkjasd wrote: post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> - weather might make the ride unpleasant; As the Dutch like to say: there is no such thing as bad cycling weather, only bad cycling clothes. I would strongly recommond a pair of water/wind proof trousers to go over your regular trousers, if you don't already have some. This has lead to a much more pleasant riding experience, especially in winter. They aren't very practical on a regular bike as they make you uncomfo…

>> As the Dutch like to say: there is no such thing as bad cycling weather, only bad cycling clothes. Easy to say in a country famously flat, small, and with a relatively narrow weather window. I welcome any Dutch person to attempt a 15+km commute during a rocky mountain winter. I know of driveways in US/Canada with more vertical than any Dutch commute.

Completely agree for a push bike, but with an e-bike it's a different ball game.

Also in the US the max ebike power is 850W! More than enough to carry you up the steepest hills.

Re: Cyclists now outnumber motorists in City of London

#124

Post by ClapperHeid » Mon, Mar 20, 2023, 2:19 PM UTC

raphaelj wrote: post #87

jraby3 wrote: post #83

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I’ve had 5 bikes stolen and no cars stolen, so have to disagree about worrying about theft.

Well, my bike is insured, and I bought a recently released angle grinder-resistant lock [1]. My workspace is also fairly well located so that also helps. [1] https://eu.litelok.com/products/litelok-x1

  >I bought a recently released angle grinder-resistant lock [1]....

€169 --Jeebus! My bike didn't even cost that much.

Re: Cyclists now outnumber motorists in City of London

#125

Post by bowsamic » Mon, Mar 20, 2023, 2:20 PM UTC

fipar wrote: post #96

raphaelj wrote: post #36

Somewhat unrelated to the article, but I live in a mid-size EU city and dumped my car for an e-bike a few months ago. Surprisingly, it hasn't been that hard (my GF kept her car, and I have a car-sharing subscription): Pros: - Immediately stopped having insomnia. Better feel overall; - about €300/month in additional disposable income. That's basically a free lunch everyday! - significantly faster if parking is taken i…

About not killing someone if you ride after drinking, Obviously it is ver difficult for a bike to directly kill someone other than the rider (as opposed to a car, where this is very easy), but a drunk cyclist can still hurt other people directly or indirectly (causing a bigger accident by forcing someone to avoid them). Even on a city free of private cars, you’d still share the road with pedestrians, other cyclists,…

It's also very illegal to bike when drunk where I live in Germany

Re: Cyclists now outnumber motorists in City of London

#126

Post by lscdlscd » Mon, Mar 20, 2023, 2:20 PM UTC

bartread wrote: post #37

lscdlscd wrote: post #2

Amazing news! More cyclists (and fewer motorists) on the streets creates a safer, less polluted city environment for everyone.

Whilst I'm overall in favour of promoting cycling as a way of getting around, in preference to motor vehicles, I'm not sure I entirely agree with "safer". I live in Cambridge and have lost count of the number of times I've had to contend with cyclists blowing through pedestrian crossings on a red light (or zebra crossings at any time) when I'm trying to walk over them, or cycling the wrong way down a one-way street -…

As this is a UK based article, I'm assuming you mean the Cambridge in England. I happen to live in Cambridge, Massachusetts and the while cyclists can be reckless, the drivers pose a 1000x greater threat to safety than cyclists.

As a tip for dealing with cyclists: continue your movement as a pedestrian: they'll go around you. Most pedestrians have headphones in/little awareness of their surroundings, and as a cyclist I always assume I'm invisible to them and to cars.

Re: Cyclists now outnumber motorists in City of London

#127

Post by jefc1111 » Mon, Mar 20, 2023, 2:21 PM UTC

fipar wrote: post #96

raphaelj wrote: post #36

Somewhat unrelated to the article, but I live in a mid-size EU city and dumped my car for an e-bike a few months ago. Surprisingly, it hasn't been that hard (my GF kept her car, and I have a car-sharing subscription): Pros: - Immediately stopped having insomnia. Better feel overall; - about €300/month in additional disposable income. That's basically a free lunch everyday! - significantly faster if parking is taken i…

About not killing someone if you ride after drinking, Obviously it is ver difficult for a bike to directly kill someone other than the rider (as opposed to a car, where this is very easy), but a drunk cyclist can still hurt other people directly or indirectly (causing a bigger accident by forcing someone to avoid them). Even on a city free of private cars, you’d still share the road with pedestrians, other cyclists,…

I am on board with this. You can do someone a serious injury while cycling.

Also, you might kill yourself by drunk cycling. And that is likely to have a huge effect on lots of people you care about.

It's just a bad idea all round...

Re: Cyclists now outnumber motorists in City of London

#128

Post by iso1631 » Mon, Mar 20, 2023, 2:21 PM UTC

raphaelj wrote: post #87

jraby3 wrote: post #83

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I’ve had 5 bikes stolen and no cars stolen, so have to disagree about worrying about theft.

Well, my bike is insured, and I bought a recently released angle grinder-resistant lock [1]. My workspace is also fairly well located so that also helps. [1] https://eu.litelok.com/products/litelok-x1

My car is insured, and I'm not sure how you would steal it given that when I lost my key to a cheap car from the 1990s about 15 years ago it cost a fortune to get a new key made which would actually start the engine thanks to the immobilizer. The majority of car thefts are stealing the keys.

Re: Cyclists now outnumber motorists in City of London

#129

Post by madeofpalk » Mon, Mar 20, 2023, 2:21 PM UTC

secretsatan wrote: post #121

raphaelj wrote: post #36

Somewhat unrelated to the article, but I live in a mid-size EU city and dumped my car for an e-bike a few months ago. Surprisingly, it hasn't been that hard (my GF kept her car, and I have a car-sharing subscription): Pros: - Immediately stopped having insomnia. Better feel overall; - about €300/month in additional disposable income. That's basically a free lunch everyday! - significantly faster if parking is taken i…

Also noting on drinking and riding, in Switzerland, it's possible to lose your drivers license if caught doing it, I kinda think thats unfair and not very sensible at all as a policy.

What if you just don't have a drivers license?

Re: Cyclists now outnumber motorists in City of London

#130

Post by andymcsherry » Mon, Mar 20, 2023, 2:21 PM UTC

londons_explore wrote: post #72

settrans wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> you will not kill someone if you ride after a night drinking (other than yourself)

Worth noting that most car drivers have insurance. If you carelessly run over a child, you'll feel bad, but the insurance will pay for all the court cases. If you run over a child on a bicycle, most cyclists don't have insurance, and there is a reasonable chance you'll have to sell your house to pay compensation to a child who is now in a wheelchair for life.

Car insurance liability limits will be insufficient if you kill someone, and you’ll be on the hook for the remainder. Umbrella will cover you in both scenarios.