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Cyclists now outnumber motorists in City of London

forbes.com

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Re: Cyclists now outnumber motorists in City of London

#81

Post by sandworm101 »

alkjsdlkjasd wrote: post #66
raphaelj wrote: post #36

Somewhat unrelated to the article, but I live in a mid-size EU city and dumped my car for an e-bike a few months ago. Surprisingly, it hasn't been that hard (my GF kept her car, and I have a car-sharing subscription): Pros: - Immediately stopped having insomnia. Better feel overall; - about €300/month in additional disposable income. That's basically a free lunch everyday! - significantly faster if parking is taken i…

> - weather might make the ride unpleasant; As the Dutch like to say: there is no such thing as bad cycling weather, only bad cycling clothes. I would strongly recommond a pair of water/wind proof trousers to go over your regular trousers, if you don't already have some. This has lead to a much more pleasant riding experience, especially in winter. They aren't very practical on a regular bike as they make you uncomfo…

>> As the Dutch like to say: there is no such thing as bad cycling weather, only bad cycling clothes.

Easy to say in a country famously flat, small, and with a relatively narrow weather window. I welcome any Dutch person to attempt a 15+km commute during a rocky mountain winter. I know of driveways in US/Canada with more vertical than any Dutch commute.

Re: Cyclists now outnumber motorists in City of London

#82

Post by Zardoz89 »

raphaelj wrote: post #36

Somewhat unrelated to the article, but I live in a mid-size EU city and dumped my car for an e-bike a few months ago. Surprisingly, it hasn't been that hard (my GF kept her car, and I have a car-sharing subscription): Pros: - Immediately stopped having insomnia. Better feel overall; - about €300/month in additional disposable income. That's basically a free lunch everyday! - significantly faster if parking is taken i…

You can absolutely kill a pedestrian or another cyclist when on an e-bike, do not drink and ride

Re: Cyclists now outnumber motorists in City of London

#83

Post by jraby3 »

raphaelj wrote: post #36

Somewhat unrelated to the article, but I live in a mid-size EU city and dumped my car for an e-bike a few months ago. Surprisingly, it hasn't been that hard (my GF kept her car, and I have a car-sharing subscription): Pros: - Immediately stopped having insomnia. Better feel overall; - about €300/month in additional disposable income. That's basically a free lunch everyday! - significantly faster if parking is taken i…

I’ve had 5 bikes stolen and no cars stolen, so have to disagree about worrying about theft.

Re: Cyclists now outnumber motorists in City of London

#84

Post by matth3 »

Doctor_Fegg wrote: post #3

Note that the "City of London" is not the whole of the London built-up area, but just the financial services district, slightly more than one square mile in area. Still, it's a remarkable statistic even then.

Yes the City of London is also referred to as "the square mile" - a self explanatory title.

Also worth noting they broke up all other forms of transport i.e cars, buses, vans, etc. So it's more like cyclists make up 25% of road traffic against powered vehicles in a very small area of London, at particular times of day.

I do 40+ miles a day on road across London and would be really surprised if these figures hold up in general.

Re: Cyclists now outnumber motorists in City of London

#86

Post by dharmab »

hprotagonist wrote: post #62

And the total time it's taken a load of goods to cross the city still hasn't changed in 700 years :) (I believe that this is Neil Gaiman's joke, but it could also be Pratchett, or older)

This article is about the City of London, not London the well-known capital city.

Re: Cyclists now outnumber motorists in City of London

#87

Post by raphaelj »

jraby3 wrote: post #83
raphaelj wrote: post #36

Somewhat unrelated to the article, but I live in a mid-size EU city and dumped my car for an e-bike a few months ago. Surprisingly, it hasn't been that hard (my GF kept her car, and I have a car-sharing subscription): Pros: - Immediately stopped having insomnia. Better feel overall; - about €300/month in additional disposable income. That's basically a free lunch everyday! - significantly faster if parking is taken i…

I’ve had 5 bikes stolen and no cars stolen, so have to disagree about worrying about theft.

Well, my bike is insured, and I bought a recently released angle grinder-resistant lock [1].

My workspace is also fairly well located so that also helps.

[1] https://eu.litelok.com/products/litelok-x1

Re: Cyclists now outnumber motorists in City of London

#88

Post by DangitBobby »

londons_explore wrote: post #72
settrans wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> you will not kill someone if you ride after a night drinking (other than yourself)

Worth noting that most car drivers have insurance. If you carelessly run over a child, you'll feel bad, but the insurance will pay for all the court cases. If you run over a child on a bicycle, most cyclists don't have insurance, and there is a reasonable chance you'll have to sell your house to pay compensation to a child who is now in a wheelchair for life.

In the US.

Re: Cyclists now outnumber motorists in City of London

#89

Post by dabeeeenster »

TexanFeller wrote: post #51

I would celebrate if this happened naturally, but this seems more a case of if you punish driving enough you get less drivers. When I was in London over a decade ago they already had restrictions on car traffic into certain parts of the city and additional fees to go there. Tax on a new car is 20% and lots of regulations on their characteristics. Large taxes on petrol which is already much more expensive than in the…

"Tax on a new car is 20%"

UK sales tax IS 20 for almost all goods! Why is this a reason? Can't think what other "regulations" there are in their characteristics other than emmissions?

Re: Cyclists now outnumber motorists in City of London

#90

Post by badpun »

meindnoch wrote: post #75
alkjsdlkjasd wrote: post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> - weather might make the ride unpleasant; As the Dutch like to say: there is no such thing as bad cycling weather, only bad cycling clothes. I would strongly recommond a pair of water/wind proof trousers to go over your regular trousers, if you don't already have some. This has lead to a much more pleasant riding experience, especially in winter. They aren't very practical on a regular bike as they make you uncomfo…

How often does it snow in the Netherlands?

Amazingly, there is a city almost as dominated by cyclists in Finland (don't remember how it's called atm). The city is plowing and de-icing all the bike paths on regular basis. They're also well-lit, as people's commutes during winter months are often in the dark.
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