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Cargo bikes as symbolic markers of egalitarian gender roles

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Re: Cargo bikes as symbolic markers of egalitarian gender roles

#61

Post by wool_gather »

s0rce wrote: post #41
monkeywork wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

https://losangelesbicyclelaw.com/california-bicycle-laws-ove... "When there isn’t a bicycle lane, try to stay near the right curb. Unless you are moving faster than vehicle traffic, passing another bicycle, or making a left turn, you should typically stay close to the curb or road’s edge." http://www.calbike.org/bicycling_in_california_sharing_the_r... "The law says that people who ride bikes must ride as close to th…

While this appears to be the law, it seems to be unsafe. I bike in Oakland/East Bay and I've never heard of anyone getting cited for riding further over in the lane. I do this basically every day and I'd still suggest it. The only times I've heard of bikes getting in trouble is running red lights which is obviously dangerous and you shouldn't do. I don't like to suggest going against the laws but if you ride near the…

Almost all states have this standard; some states have exceptions for safety or other cases (obvious one being making a left turn). There's a thorough rundown here: http://bicycledriving.org/law/guide-to-improving-laws although it may be out of date.

Re: Cargo bikes as symbolic markers of egalitarian gender roles

#62

Post by anonacct37 »

noelwelsh wrote: post #15
kaitai wrote: post #4

This is a really interesting read for me, as I'm considering the purchase of a cargo bike. Apparently, I fit the stereotype pretty well -- highly-educated urban coffee-drinker (no yoga, no vegetarianism, though). The cargo bike would solve the problem of hauling hardware-store purchases home with kid and sans car. But they're expensive! 1.5 or 2 thousand dollars! So for now we're making do with the bus and the stroll…

If you haven't considered it already, a bike trailer is likely to be a cheaper alternative to a cargo bike. I've had a bike trailer for years. Mine is a Croozer 2. I transported my kids to nursery in it, and did supermarket runs etc. The tradeoff is it is an extra thing you have to worry about. It's much less convenient to park / lock-up than just the bike on its own. Regardless, I'm looking forward to getting it out…

I have a trailer for grocery store runs. I feel like a total hipster, probably because I am.

But I have so much shit to do and so little time to exercise I have to multitask and game myself into doing things. A good grocery store recently opened up near me and I committed to riding my bike there whenever possible.

It literally takes 5-10m more but in return I get 20-30m of good exercise. Seems like a good trade.

Re: Cargo bikes as symbolic markers of egalitarian gender roles

#63

Post by kzrdude »

justinator wrote: post #31
1over137 wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Expensive compared to a regular bike, but cheap compared to a car.

Cheaper to own once bought too, yes? No gas or insurance, parking tickets, etc. Get rid of your gym membership, too! Food bill may be slightly higher, but you can haul bags of rice by the 10kg bag!

The stressful part is that bikes are easy to lose, they get stolen. I ride a €80 used bike for that reason.

Re: Cargo bikes as symbolic markers of egalitarian gender roles

#64

Post by s0rce »

ebikelaw wrote: post #54
s0rce wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

While this appears to be the law, it seems to be unsafe. I bike in Oakland/East Bay and I've never heard of anyone getting cited for riding further over in the lane. I do this basically every day and I'd still suggest it. The only times I've heard of bikes getting in trouble is running red lights which is obviously dangerous and you shouldn't do. I don't like to suggest going against the laws but if you ride near the…

Nobody has been cited for any kind of traffic infraction in Oakland in many years.

Also true.

Re: Cargo bikes as symbolic markers of egalitarian gender roles

#65

Post by btrettel »

monkeywork wrote: post #55
btrettel wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"If the lane is too narrow to share" can legally be invoked in most cases from what I understand, because most lanes cyclists ride in are narrow enough. https://www.bikeleague.org/content/traffic-laws > Bikes can share the same lane with other drivers. If a lane is wide enough to share with another vehicle (about 14 feet), ride three feet to the right of traffic. If the lane is not wide enough to share, “take the lan…

Parent asked specifically about CA not TX ... thus my reply. I'm not commenting on what you or I feel is safe simply what is written. Debating the "IF's" under that I'm not interested in.

Here's the relevant California law:

https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySectio....

> 21202. (a) Any person operating a bicycle upon a roadway at a speed less than the normal speed of traffic moving in the same direction at that time shall ride as close as practicable to the right-hand curb or edge of the roadway except under any of the following situations:

> [...]

> (3) When reasonably necessary to avoid conditions (including, but not limited to, fixed or moving objects, vehicles, bicycles, pedestrians, animals, surface hazards, or substandard width lanes) that make it unsafe to continue along the right-hand curb or edge, subject to the provisions of Section 21656. For purposes of this section, a “substandard width lane” is a lane that is too narrow for a bicycle and a vehicle to travel safely side by side within the lane.

Seems similar to Texas aside from Texas having a more clear definition of when a lane can be shared. To me, it's obvious that a typical 10-11 foot lane can not be safely shared, particularly with 3 foot passing laws in place. I believe that was the motivation behind the 14 foot figure, which came from a court case as I recall. Go measure the width of the lanes you typically drive on and do the math. Also consider parking on the right side of the road (door zone). Knowledgeable cyclists keep a certain distance from doors because few drivers look before opening their doors.

Re: Cargo bikes as symbolic markers of egalitarian gender roles

#66

Post by justinator »

kzrdude wrote: post #63
justinator wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Cheaper to own once bought too, yes? No gas or insurance, parking tickets, etc. Get rid of your gym membership, too! Food bill may be slightly higher, but you can haul bags of rice by the 10kg bag!

The stressful part is that bikes are easy to lose, they get stolen. I ride a €80 used bike for that reason.

I have somehow avoided this problem! I got rid of my car almost 15 years ago, and have been on bikes 100% of the time since then. I've had 0 bikes stolen. 9 countries ridden in, so far!

The threat of getting hit by a car is the biggest hurtle of mass adoption of cycling in the US, in my opinion. I don't quite want to open up a discussion on what's going to bring about a sea-change, but having traveled to other countries where cycling is normalized into regular culture (France, Belgium, Switzerland, Netherlands), I have hopes that it can happen - at least in pockets, in the US. Living in Boulder, I feel I am in such a pocket, but I've still had some pretty close encounters, despite the fairly OK-ish cycling infrastructure, culture, and education.

Re: Cargo bikes as symbolic markers of egalitarian gender roles

#67

Post by btrettel »

monkeywork wrote: post #58
kevinschumacher wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> [riding in the middle of the lane] is often very illegal to do on a bicycle. Where are you from? In the few major US cities I've lived, this is legal. The road laws here typically treat bicycles the same as other cars (with exceptions). IME, in urban, US east-coast cities, if you are toward one side of the lane, cars will try and pass you (even on the right... and yes that pushes the cyclist into oncoming traffic).…

I would suggest actually looking into the traffic law - MOST - places explicitly state that bicycles should (with very few very specific exceptions) remain to the right side of the lane. The Cyclist community disagree's with this in most places I've seen it mentioned but that doesn't change what the laws are. I'm not arguing safety I'm simply stating what is written. Obviously this varies from area to area but again…

As someone who has read the law in multiple states, your reading of the law seems to be selective.

You state that there are "very few very specific exceptions", when in California I count 7 exceptions that cover a lot:

1. When the cyclist is going at or near the speed limit.

2. When the cyclist is overtaking or passing.

3. When the cyclist is preparing for a left turn.

4. When the cyclist deems it necessary for safety.

5. When the cyclist is preparing for a right turn.

6. When the cyclist is on a one way road with two or more lanes.

7. When signs and road markings say so.

My own experience as a cyclist suggests that these exceptions apply over 95% of the time, if not over 99%. It seems misleading to me to say there are "very few very specific exceptions" given this.

This is particularly true for the safety exception. Most lanes are simply too narrow to move to the far right as you suggest. That's doubly true if there's parking on the side, as the cyclist wants to avoid the door zone. Add on top of all this all the debris that accumulates to the far right. Etc.

(The first 6 exceptions are written in the law. The 7th was added later when I realized it also applies. https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySectio...)

Re: Cargo bikes as symbolic markers of egalitarian gender roles

#68

Post by fyfy18 »

21 wrote: post #9
TomK32 wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Just give it a few years, the rental bikes and scooters will disappear. OBike has gone bankrupt and many more are to follow. Which is a bit sad of course because the whole thing is such a waste of precious resources for shitty bikes.

Rental bikes exist in London and NY for many years now. I'm not sure if the city pays for them or not. Scooters are also amazingly convenient - see the many articles about them where the author started unconvinced (and don't tell me all of them are submarine). They will survive in one form or another, maybe with subvention by the city.

Here in London the docked bike scheme - currently called Santander Cycles, over their main sponsor - have been going since 2010. Last year 17% of its operating costs came from public funding, but most came from sales and sponsorship.

The bikes compared to Mobike (the only dockless scheme I’ve tried) are a lot more comfortable and easier to ride. The only issue of course is finding somewhere to park it, which at peak times can be difficult.

Re: Cargo bikes as symbolic markers of egalitarian gender roles

#69

Post by mirimir »

thaumasiotes wrote: post #51
st26 wrote: post #17

Does anyone know why dads riding these are called "soft"? I've never ridden a cargo bike, but it takes strong legs & constitution to regularly tow a kid or utility trailer more than a few miles. Is it just that whole notion that fathers who are involved with their children are not masculine?

> Is it just that whole notion that fathers who are involved with their children are not masculine? That would seem to be it, based on the rest of the sentence: >> cargo-bike mothers are described as career-focussed mothers who are assertive and self-confident, while cargo-bike dads are portrayed as ‘soft’ and emancipated fathers

They likely mean "soft" in a positive way.

https://thoughtcatalog.com/nikita-gill/2016/02/love-a-soft-p...

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