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Cycling is more important than electric cars for reaching net-zero cities

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Re: Cycling is more important than electric cars for reaching net-zero cities

#271

Post by TomSwirly »

jtdev wrote: post #108
agumonkey wrote: post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Hey, without cars we would need no lanes.

How will good be moved? How will the infirm get around? I admire the cyclist ideal that they are fixing the problems of the world by not driving/owning cars... but it seems like a very superficial, quasi-moralistic solution that's really not likely to have the impact that is desired/needed.

> How will good be moved?

Same way they are now, on major roads.

> How will the infirm get around?

They use mobility cars or scooters in the bike lanes, is what happens in bike friendly places like where I live.

Funny, I always hear this question from right wing people who otherwise have no interest in helping "the infirm". I'm sure you aren't one of those people, right?

> it seems like a very superficial, quasi-moralistic solution

The alternative solution seems to be "Burn all the fossil fuels, die miserably," so I welcome some sort of alternative.

Re: Cycling is more important than electric cars for reaching net-zero cities

#272

Post by cma »

jedberg wrote: post #35

Switching from gas to electric is something I can do all on my own. Switching from gas car to cycling is something that would require major investments from my city and developers. Both are noble goals, but let's not let perfect be the enemy of good. Switch to electric now, and also encourage new roads and new developments to be bike friendly, so that switching to a bike is something that will be viable in 20 or 30 y…

> Switching from gas to electric is something I can do all on my own.

There were lots of government subsidies, federally funded academic research, etc. involved in making it a practical choice you can make.

Re: Cycling is more important than electric cars for reaching net-zero cities

#273

Post by bradlys »

vinni2 wrote: post #27
s0rce wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I guess you have to eat a bit more if you ride more, I certainly notice when I bike to work (5mi each way, 300ft climb) that I need to eat a bit more food. Certainly no where near the energy of a car though but its not zero. Assuming you want to maintain your weight.

That’s a strong assumption. I for one wouldn’t eat less if I stopped biking. I commute to work, do shopping and go everywhere by bike throughout the year. I don’t own a car.

Are you saying you have a mythical body that burns no calories when biking? Or are you saying you'd be willing to gain more weight because you'll never change your diet?

Re: Cycling is more important than electric cars for reaching net-zero cities

#275

Post by twiddling »

globular-toast wrote: post #209
jtdev wrote: post #11

Cycling to/from work, grocery stores, etc. is completely infeasible for 6 months of the year in approximately 1/3 of the United States. In addition to seasonal infeasibility, much of the U.S. is rural... good luck commuting 15 miles each way to work.

Right, so before cars were widespread (~50 years ago) people just didn't go to work? I didn't own a car until I was 27 and when there's no other choice, you definitely can use a bike in all weathers. It sucks, but that's life. You appreciate the warmth more after weather so cold it makes your face sting. As for rural living, the article is talking about cities, so the idea is you travel to the edge of the city by car…

"Right, so before cars were widespread (~50 years ago) people just didn't go to work?"

People lived a lot closer to their work then..,

Re: Cycling is more important than electric cars for reaching net-zero cities

#276

Post by xiphias2 »

jedberg wrote: post #57
CabSauce wrote: post #10

That's great. Assuming the following: - Your commute is sufficiently short - You have facilities to shower and dress at work - You have sufficient time to shower and dress at work - You don't have to bring kids or sizable cargo - Weather is sufficiently good - You're sufficiently healthy

The Dutch have solved the kids/cargo problem. My friend lives in a suburb of Amsterdam. She has an electric assist bike with a cargo carrier. She uses it to carry kids and cargo, like groceries and such. She used it to carry four kids (her three and one of mine) when we visited. We took the rented car and she beat us there.

Wasn't Netherlands where a big accident with many kids happened a few years ago?

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-45586492

Re: Cycling is more important than electric cars for reaching net-zero cities

#277

Post by kubariet »

garyrichardson wrote: post #245
kubariet wrote: post #173

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A more realistic proposal is making your neighborhood slightly denser and more pedestrian/bike/transit friendly. Most of the neighborhood can remain single family homes, but a central area should be slightly denser (3ish story buildings with retail on the bottom floor and residential apartments above). Your major transportation needs can now avoid cars in the following ways: 1. This central area should have a connect…

Ah. interesting. I generally agree and fully support this method of urban planning, but the results here haven't resulted in more cycling. What you describe is exactly how my suburb is set up. There are several clusters of mixed housing (single family, town houses, apartments) built around a few retail centers (and the retail centers usually have housing built on top of them). There is also both light rail and regula…

My guess is that it's not purely elevation/weather based, but that certainly is a factor for people's comfort. E-bikes can help with the elevation issue at the cost of being more expensive of course.

What's the level of bike infrastructure available? It can be surprising how protected people need to feel from cars to use bikes over other modes of transit. I personally only bike in bike lanes and will avoid sharrows and walk my bike on the sidewalk if there isn't a lane available. My partner will only bike on grade separated paths. This leads to us mostly walking or taking public transit since we're in an urban area, but both of us would gladly bike if we had a good network of bike lanes to do so.

Re: Cycling is more important than electric cars for reaching net-zero cities

#278

Post by Gualdrapo »

acwan93 wrote: post #69

There's a demonization of cyclists in general if you live in an American city. Until this stigma goes away, which will usher in infrastructure and mentality changes, this will not occur. City councils believe cycling is recreational, not for commuting or for "real" use. I mentioned this about getting my LA suburb to actually embrace Class II bike lanes previously, and there's simply no political will. Simply put, it'…

It's not just in the so-called America. In countries with rich cycling traditions, like here in Colombia or even in Spain, you can easily find people who hates cyclists. News about a cyclist killed in road-rage incidents are not rare.

Re: Cycling is more important than electric cars for reaching net-zero cities

#279

Post by jeddy3 »

Oh my god, the pushback in every single article that even mentions bicycles are so predictable.

As soon as one straw man argument is adressed, it's changed to the next one.

- First, But what if you need to move a sofa, or are disabled??

- Then, but what if you have 20 miles to your job, and 20 miles in the opposite direction for groceries??

- But what if you have four kids?

- What if it rains sometimes?

- What if you live in Sahara or north of the Polar circle?

- What if your e-bike gets stolen?

Next Up: what if someone gets offended by seing a bicycle?

Re: Cycling is more important than electric cars for reaching net-zero cities

#280

Post by dfgdghdf »

frereubu wrote: post #203

My sense is that popularising electric bikes has a huge impact in cities because it takes away a lot of the physical effort. The first time you ride an electric bike something clicks in your head, and I've seen it in people from all walks of life. It instantly recalibrates your mental radius for cycling, including things like hills etc. The Netherlands is a favourite reference point for cycling advocates, and justifi…

It is very flat, but it's also quite wet and VERY windy. The Netherlands would not be the best place to cycle if it weren't for the infrastructure that they chose to build.
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