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Paris cycling numbers double in one year thanks to investment

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Re: Paris cycling numbers double in one year thanks to investment

#91

Post by patall »

extr wrote: post #61
calcifer wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That sounds like a fitness issue. Millions of people cycle everywhere in Netherlands, in regular clothes, without needing showers in between.

It's not a fitness issue. The netherlands is fairly flat and has a cooler climate than any major US city. It's just not possible to be pedaling up/down hills in any amount of heat/humidity and not get sweaty.

That is an excuse. There are many people in hilly cities that cycle. Not as many as in the Netherlands or in Denmark, but they exist. And even Norther Europe gets days of 30 °C (~90F), and we do not stop cycling, its rather the other way around. So just start cycling in winter, if you want to try.

Re: Paris cycling numbers double in one year thanks to investment

#92

Post by Tade0 »

ryandrake wrote: post #30

I don’t get how you can make bicycling your only form of transportation, even if the bike travel infrastructure and parking is adequate. When I bicycle, even for a short amount of time like 15 minutes, I sweat, and end up a stinky wet mess at my destination. Especially in the summer. My shoes and pants get dirty from the road and my hair gets wet and messed up especially if it’s raining. So if I’m going anywhere with…

> Do they just bring multiple changes of clothes everywhere?

Worse: from an early age they dress considerably lighter than in other countries.

A friend of mine lived there for the first couple years of her life so she, ahem, adopted the tradition and now carries it over to the next generation with her two sons, who are essentially immune to cold already as by local standards they were always missing a layer or two.

Also 30°C in Amsterdam amounts to a massive heat wave, so there's little opportunity to sweat if you dress light enough.

Re: Paris cycling numbers double in one year thanks to investment

#93

Post by al_borland »

mupuff1234 wrote: post #77
mattcantstop wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's a problem I desperately hope the US has to encounter soon. Too much demand and we have to accelerate our plans to satisfy all those people on bikes!

US cities should probably first start focusing on pedestrians.

With the way many areas of the US are laid out (being car-centric), a bike bias may be needed. Bikes to get to where you want to go, then once you’re there, walk around.

Currently, a lot of people need to drive to get to an area they would walk. Everything is very spread out.

Re: Paris cycling numbers double in one year thanks to investment

#94

Post by Shrezzing »

Tade0 wrote: post #58
random_kris wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

After biking for some months a 15min ride shouldn't get you too sweaty

Why should that be the case? The amount of sweat is only correlated to the amount of heat generated. Only way to counter sweating is to dress appropriately and/or ride slower.

After a few months of regular training, your fitness will invariably improve, even if that "training" is just cycling to/from work each day. The higher your fitness level, the less heat you generate for the same physical output. Lower heat generation requires lower heat dissipation, which requires less sweating.

Re: Paris cycling numbers double in one year thanks to investment

#95

Post by NegativeLatency »

TacticalCoder wrote: post #64
ryandrake wrote: post #30

I don’t get how you can make bicycling your only form of transportation, even if the bike travel infrastructure and parking is adequate. When I bicycle, even for a short amount of time like 15 minutes, I sweat, and end up a stinky wet mess at my destination. Especially in the summer. My shoes and pants get dirty from the road and my hair gets wet and messed up especially if it’s raining. So if I’m going anywhere with…

> What about going to a restaurant or business meeting or a museum or an appointment with a professional? I also like to find my bicycle where I left it. Which is not an option in many cities. > I honestly don’t know but there are so many cities where people bike everywhere so there must be a solution People have less and less money to spend on a car and fuel/electricity. Many are using bicycles not by choice but bec…

Nobody’s going to make you bike. What people want is the option to choose, which is not possible for safety reasons in many cities.

Personally I’d rather spend my money on more interesting things than car ownership and maintenance.

Re: Paris cycling numbers double in one year thanks to investment

#96

Post by carlosjobim »

doctor_phil wrote: post #69
kindatrue wrote: post #15

"I really hope US cities head in this direction" The US is headed on the path of autonomous vehicles as the solution. It's the perfect combination of things our society loves: 1) No new public investment. 2) Continuous, end-to-end air conditioning

I don't get the American fixation of cars. Isn't public roads a mild form of communism?

Imperialism rather.

Re: Paris cycling numbers double in one year thanks to investment

#97

Post by sloowm »

ryandrake wrote: post #30

I don’t get how you can make bicycling your only form of transportation, even if the bike travel infrastructure and parking is adequate. When I bicycle, even for a short amount of time like 15 minutes, I sweat, and end up a stinky wet mess at my destination. Especially in the summer. My shoes and pants get dirty from the road and my hair gets wet and messed up especially if it’s raining. So if I’m going anywhere with…

I think there are a lot of suggestions already given like lower the pace, ebikes, bring a fresh shirt, there are rain clothes you can put over your clothes.

But it's also about your destination and what is expected. Most of my destinations are people I like to meet or places I like to be at. A fancy restaurant or business meeting doesn't happen that often. Have you seen people at museums ;)

The Netherlands and Denmark are generally not that hot. I also think Dutch working culture has been influenced by people cycling to work. Clothes that fit the weather are more accepted. There might also be some bias to what kind of work you do opposed to what type of work is actually happening. A lot of people do work that will make you sweat more over the day than a short bike ride.

Re: Paris cycling numbers double in one year thanks to investment

#98

Post by unculture »

ryandrake wrote: post #30

I don’t get how you can make bicycling your only form of transportation, even if the bike travel infrastructure and parking is adequate. When I bicycle, even for a short amount of time like 15 minutes, I sweat, and end up a stinky wet mess at my destination. Especially in the summer. My shoes and pants get dirty from the road and my hair gets wet and messed up especially if it’s raining. So if I’m going anywhere with…

It's quite cold a lot of the time in Northern Europe, and people who are cycling to commute there often really aren't going very fast so won't sweat much.

You can also get "moisture wicking" clothes, that might help with a certain amount of sweat.

There is quite a lot of e-bike use in Amsterdam and Copenhagen. Google "bakfiets" - it's a whole "suburban parents with a family size e-bike" cliche (but a good one!).

Re: Paris cycling numbers double in one year thanks to investment

#100

Post by himinlomax »

ckemere wrote: post #9

Having just moved from Houston to Manhattan , I have been really impressed by the number of bikes I see. One factor, which this article doesn’t seem to discuss, is the e-bike. In Paris, is it mostly classical bikes, or are the electronics becoming widespread there too?

Note that ebikes in the EU are limited to 25 km/h and 250 W. Thus there is little difference in practice with regular bikes ... except when climbing hills.
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