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Google Wants to Make Silicon Valley as Bike-Friendly as Copenhagen

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Re: Google Wants to Make Silicon Valley as Bike-Friendly as Copenhagen

#271

Post by tarasglek »

InclinedPlane wrote: post #254
tmalsburg2 wrote: post #167

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I find it hilarious that Americans made it to the moon but think that commuting to work by bike is practically impossible. Meanwhile millions of people all over the rest of the world, from school children to seniors, are doing just that every single day. I moved to southern California last year (from the UK) and of course I ride my bike to work. My colleagues think that this is a really strange thing to do and some r…

Biking really is dangerous though. Per-mile you are more likely to get injured in an accident on a bike than in a car. Though there are problems with that statistic since cars are also used for long-distance highway driving which inflates the total number of miles. That said, it's absolutely true that biking can be a fairly dangerous activity, though driving itself is also fairly dangerous (one of the most dangerous…

Yes per mile it's worse. However driving is worse for your health in long run. The odds average out in favor of cycling

Re: Google Wants to Make Silicon Valley as Bike-Friendly as Copenhagen

#272

Post by jules »

analog31 wrote: post #209
pbhjpbhj wrote: post #198

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Are the roads unusable? I'm guessing not; you can clear sidewalks too - central European countries seem to use a small snowplough for the pavements (ie sidewalks), the snow is ploughed on to the road, the road plough lifts the snow to a truck and it's trucked away.

Here in the US it's typical for every house to be responsible for its own sidewalk. So everybody gets it done somehow, by hand, or with a gas powered snowblower, or they hire a service. The same people who mow lawns in the summer, clear snow in the winter. Where the land is public-owned, e.g., parks, the city brings a little machine that's the same width as the sidewalks. Its main attraction is a heated cabin for the…

Why do you bike on sidewalks?

Re: Google Wants to Make Silicon Valley as Bike-Friendly as Copenhagen

#273

Post by jules »

JoeAltmaier wrote: post #260
6t6t6 wrote: post #259

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Some people don't understand that they don't need to spend 3000$ in the bike they use to commute. Mine costed me 10.000yen (100$). It works quite OK, and if one day it is stolen or broken, I will not be really sad. Ah, it also has a basket that is quite convenient when I go to the supermarket.

I guess. But commuting may be the bulk of all bicycling I do. To do most of my bicycling on a crap bike would be very disappointing. I could also eat sawdust at work for lunch every day, if sawdust was nutritious. I don't need to eat tasty food. Nor wear comfortable clothes that fit - sackcloth will do. I'm happy to ride a really good bike. I want to be happy more often.

This is a common problem here in the netherlands. We've found some solutions. Buy a bike that doesn't look flashy. Spray paint some stripes of pink paint over it. Buy a big lock. Chances of theft go way down.

Re: Google Wants to Make Silicon Valley as Bike-Friendly as Copenhagen

#274

Post by andrewliebchen »

joe_the_user wrote: post #264
rwhitman wrote: post #160

Retrofitting American suburban sprawl to be less car-centric is going to be one of the enduring puzzles of the 21st century. The suburban model of planning championed in the 50's onwards became so deeply embedded in development projects and just the entire culture of small city planning across the country that a huge chunk of Americans are completely unaware that a less car-centric lifestyle is even possible, let alo…

There's nothing mysterious about the situation in silicon valley really. It's about space. Wikipedia tells me Copenhagen is 86.20 km [1] and San Jose is 466.109 km [2] but naturally silicon valley is several times larger than San Jose proper. If it was possible to just rent an apartment near where one worked, that wouldn't be an issue but we know how hard that is today. When where one's work is twenty miles or more f…

It might be 20 miles by car, however most places in SV are only a few miles from Caltrain. Just take your bike onboard.

This is why Caltrain has the highest (I think) number of bikes onboard of a commuter rail line in the nation.

Re: Google Wants to Make Silicon Valley as Bike-Friendly as Copenhagen

#275

Post by dzhiurgis »

happycatbasket wrote: post #125
Pxtl wrote: post #86

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think it's tragic that ebikes have become the domain of drunks and losers. We have the perfect solution to global warming and urban intensification right there, and no self-respecting person will use it because it's a tool of the underclass.

Coming from a cyclists perspective, I always assumed that eBike riders were laypeople who just wanted to pay for the convenience to make the daunting task of pedaling seem like less of a deal. It's truly tragic that bikes as a form of transport has been regulated to the domains of college kids, hipsters, fitness buffs, and enthusiasts. < 15 miles is manageable for most people if they don't give up the first day they'…

What you are missing from your perspective is mountainous regions, long distances or fact that some people do not want to arrive too sweaty, but still wish to enjoy the ride.

Re: Google Wants to Make Silicon Valley as Bike-Friendly as Copenhagen

#276

Post by another »

If you live on the peninsula and care about these issues:

(1) Look at getting involved in a local group advocating a vision beyond car-centric suburbia. Palo Alto Forward is one example.

(2) At the very least, vote in the local elections, especially (and carefully) for the city council positions!

The future of the Bay Area is ultimately in the hands of town governments, not Google, and the only way to genuinely improve it is for residents to get politically involved who have a different and positive vision of the region's future.

Re: Google Wants to Make Silicon Valley as Bike-Friendly as Copenhagen

#277

Post by dzhiurgis »

a8da6b0c91d wrote: post #202
TulliusCicero wrote: post #61

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> The unfortunate situation is that if you are over 10 miles to your office ( which many are ) you will have a hard time making that commute in a acceptable amount of time, unless you actually make an effort at going fast. OR, unless you get an eBike. Which, while more expensive than a regular bike, are still vastly cheaper to purchase and operate than a car. A good pre-built eBike will probably sell in the $1000-200…

The prices on ebikes are still ridiculous. They cost more than a lightly used 300cc motorcycle that can go 100 mph and sips gasoline.

But ebikes ride quietly and do not produce smoke. And you can pedal them. Speed is not the only factor here.

Re: Google Wants to Make Silicon Valley as Bike-Friendly as Copenhagen

#278

Post by nickonline »

6t6t6 wrote: post #259
kaybe wrote: post #101

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The local solution is to own two old run-down bikes and lock them at either station. You still run a risk of theft or damage, but the investment is not that big.

Some people don't understand that they don't need to spend 3000$ in the bike they use to commute. Mine costed me 10.000yen (100$). It works quite OK, and if one day it is stolen or broken, I will not be really sad. Ah, it also has a basket that is quite convenient when I go to the supermarket.

I pay ~$40/week in public transport costs to get to work, I estimate the bike is around $5-10 a week (costs for the occassionally required items: new tires; a pump; some gear; lights etc)

A $100 bike I would have paid off in 2-3 weeks

Therefore I opted for a $900 bike which is an entry level road bike where I am. After 30 weeks I've broken even, everything after that is profit.

Re: Google Wants to Make Silicon Valley as Bike-Friendly as Copenhagen

#279

Post by nickonline »

hyperion2010 wrote: post #62

Based on the photo at the bottom they are going to fail the same way that many other US cities have failed when trying install bike lanes. You MUST put the parked cars between moving traffic and bikes. If you do not bikers are going to get hit and doored and will obstruct turn lanes. Pretty much everywhere in Europe gets this right. Traffic -> parking -> bikes -> peds. How did the US get everything completely backwar…

I'm in Sydney, we do not put parked cars between our bikes and roads but it works just fine with a gutter.

https://www.google.com.au/maps/place/Wynyard/@-33.8687896,15...

Re: Google Wants to Make Silicon Valley as Bike-Friendly as Copenhagen

#280

Post by Ankaios »

nickbauman wrote: post #176
rwhitman wrote: post #160

Retrofitting American suburban sprawl to be less car-centric is going to be one of the enduring puzzles of the 21st century. The suburban model of planning championed in the 50's onwards became so deeply embedded in development projects and just the entire culture of small city planning across the country that a huge chunk of Americans are completely unaware that a less car-centric lifestyle is even possible, let alo…

Here in Minnesota it's common that suburban "subdivision" neighborhoods don't even have pedestrian sidewalks. And the inhabitants think that's a good thing. I cannot even.

  And the inhabitants think that's a good thing.
There have been moments when I could commiserate. Less shoveling.
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