11–20 of 107 posts
I'm totally confident that we could replicate Amsterdam in any US city if we wanted to. But before we get there, I need an article about what to do about the fact that so many of my fellow Denver Coloradans hate : bike lanes, buses, trains, places to live, sidewalks, wind turbines, solar panels (but also normal road maintenance and traffic). It's like there is a conscious effort to create more smog and traffic jams.…
The trams and tram tracks in Amsterdam is still a problem for bicycles. Cross the tracks wrong and your bike tire gets stuck in the tracks and you go head first in to the street. Trams themselves can be as deadly as cars are to bicyclists. Fortunately they are more predictable and confined to their tracks. Ideally, both trams and cars would be completely underground or above-ground, and have no possibility of collisi…
You missed temperate climate. Yes there is a picture of snow but its rare. As are hot humid days where you get soaked just standing in the shade - which are all too common in much of the US.
It's mostly about density and culture IMO.
You missed temperate climate. Yes there is a picture of snow but its rare. As are hot humid days where you get soaked just standing in the shade - which are all too common in much of the US.
Disclosure: I'm a bike commuter in the upper Midwest.
Culture helps a lot. In the US bikes are seen as an annoyance by many drivers. I was in Amsterdam this summer and without much knowledge of the city, found it easy, safe and fun to get around by bike. Went to Paris and Barcelona as well and didn't feel as comfortable on a bike in either of those cities.
Just a couple weeks ago I was heading down 101, 55mph with blind curves and came around the corner to a pack of bikes doing 5mph uphill.
I managed to slow down in time but the people behind me almost lost it. I don't know if they had a deathwish or what but I can't imagine why they thought biking on 101 was a good idea.
I'm totally confident that we could replicate Amsterdam in any US city if we wanted to. But before we get there, I need an article about what to do about the fact that so many of my fellow Denver Coloradans hate : bike lanes, buses, trains, places to live, sidewalks, wind turbines, solar panels (but also normal road maintenance and traffic). It's like there is a conscious effort to create more smog and traffic jams.…
Many people don't really believe that driving is wrong, or harmful. But supporting radical infrastructure changes to accommodate an alternative means admitting to that to a further extent that most people are comfortable with.
I'm totally confident that we could replicate Amsterdam in any US city if we wanted to. But before we get there, I need an article about what to do about the fact that so many of my fellow Denver Coloradans hate : bike lanes, buses, trains, places to live, sidewalks, wind turbines, solar panels (but also normal road maintenance and traffic). It's like there is a conscious effort to create more smog and traffic jams.…
In my suburban American town, there is one total bike lane on one single road in town and it's super, super annoying because it's rarely used and therefore an annoying distraction with very little positive impact. It doesn't really connect to anything or go anywhere useful.
I moved here from Munich where I rode my bike to work daily for 4 years and didn't own a car for much of the time.
I've also vacationed in Amsterdam a few times and loved renting the city bikes there. The volume of vehicle traffic there surprised me, however, and the stats in the article I think kind of downplay the feeling of the number of cars on the road there.
Point is, people's annoyance with how these things are implemented in the US is totally legitimate. They are usually half-assed bridges to nowhere kind of projects. And, yes, done that way they probably hold back real progress in implementing full-fledged viable bike/bus/rail projects. But that doesn't mean people criticizing their current form are not right.
You missed temperate climate. Yes there is a picture of snow but its rare. As are hot humid days where you get soaked just standing in the shade - which are all too common in much of the US.
Montreal is one of North America's top city for biking and has one of the worst climates for it. People adjust in all kinds of ways. It's mostly about density and culture IMO.
Queue comments about what a travesty it is that US cities were built to accommodate the automobile. To be honest, I think it's one of the coolest things that we take for granted. I can step outside, hop into my car right now, and drive literally anywhere in the US. I drive home from the Bay Area to LA all the time and I always find this very cool. Do I think we need more public transportation? Absolutely. And more bi…
Driving home from Bay Area to Bay Area can take 1.5 hours at a bad time of a day.
Culture helps a lot. In the US bikes are seen as an annoyance by many drivers. I was in Amsterdam this summer and without much knowledge of the city, found it easy, safe and fun to get around by bike. Went to Paris and Barcelona as well and didn't feel as comfortable on a bike in either of those cities.
That's because most us roads aren't safe for biking. Just a couple weeks ago I was heading down 101, 55mph with blind curves and came around the corner to a pack of bikes doing 5mph uphill. I managed to slow down in time but the people behind me almost lost it. I don't know if they had a deathwish or what but I can't imagine why they thought biking on 101 was a good idea.