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I miss cycling. I live in the middle of goddamned nowhere, so driving in mandatory to get anywhere relevant. I hate that this is the case, but there's just about fuck all I can do about it.
I will comment that I take issue with bikes being "cheap". If you ride a bike even remotely seriously, your bike is not cheap..... It might not be expensive, but you quickly realize why cheap bikes are cheap.
I live in Utrecht, The Netherlands. I can't park anywhere, my bike will be removed if not stalled in a bike parking spot. I do need insurance, my bike was 4k. There are bike traffic jams sometimes. The rest is all true. No parking fees, no road tax, etc. Just a bit wet sometimes. But my city has one of the best, if not the best bike infrastructure in the world. It's stupid it's not standard everywhere.
"Equipped with this tool, man outstrips the efficiency of not only all machines but all other animals as well."
Ivan Illich on the bicycle. Energy & Equity
It's the symbol of freedom because kids in north America are locked up until they start to drive. Since you can't walk or cycle without risking your life, parents have to drive their kids everywhere until they are old enough to drive. This then is perceived as liberation.
Of course car centric infrastructure is the reason you need to be driven in order to be safe. It's the product of decade long lobbying by the car industry.
That's exactly how I arrived at this theory. Went on a particularly nice bike ride last summer and suddenly remembered that feeling of freedom I got from owning my first bike.
i grew up in Barcelona with a bike.
never in my life I've felt that sense of freedom.
even with a car. not even close
So for people criticising with rain, wind, snow, and groceries - none of these are nearly the issues you think they are, and there are a wide variety of bike configurations and gear that address these challenges.
The real issue is having to share the road with cars. I've just had too many close calls, and the growth of self-driving vehicles makes me more nervous to be on the road than ever.
Because of cars I hate being on the road whether in a car or on a bike, and every car that passes by automatically makes me tense up these days. I hope a new Carrington event makes all of them useless.
Yes, weather is just a matter of gear, and these days the wet and cold weather gear is amazing. The best bike gear isn't cheap, but it's much cheaper than the typical repair on a car when something breaks. Panniers are an easy way to carry a lot of groceries with minimal effort. If someone has a huge family there are also cargo bike options. But, of course, with modern American cities, there might not be a grocery store in a reasonable biking range. There used to be mom-and pop grocery stores all over the place. And, in Europe it's pretty common for there to be a small grocery store within a 5 minute walk of your house.
But, North American roads are designed only for cars. Bicyclists and commuters pay taxes to maintain roads, but the roads are built for cars and trucks. To really feel safe on a bike, you need separated bike lanes. You build those, and people will use them.
In many places in North America, a bike lane is merely a thin strip of pavement that's centimetres from passing cars, and in the door zone of parked cars. Even in good weather that's dangerous. In bad weather it's truly awful. But, people still use those bike lanes. In fact, some people even bike and share the road with cars where the bike lanes don't exist. That should be a clue that people are dedicated to cycling, and if you built actual good bicycle infrastructure, a lot of people would use it.
sore bum tho
some pay lots of money to get someone to get their bums sore.
so another bonus
Plus, as we’ve seen, it is much easier to escape the secret police on a bike
You guys have zero understanding of America.
The only way this will even get started is if there's a push for motorcycles over cars. Thats a good middle ground.
People in every city between LA and New York will laugh at you for trying to use a bike for daily activities. Shit is just too far apart. Which is fine with me, I dont like neighbors, im loud and dont like people watching me in my yard. Probably autistic.
Mmk but it sounds like you prefer a more rural, removed from city kind of lifestyle, so yeah it would make sense to still have cars in those situations. But more dense areas like cities and towns bikes still absolutely makes sense, adding to consideration trains.
People in every city between LA and New York would greatly benefit from better public facing transit, and would laugh at the idea everyone is going to begin riding around on motorcycles.
I agree.
However I cant think of a single person in my life who would choose public transit even if it was available more. Im sorry but the ugly truth is, it's dirty, smells, loud, and the people on it are often on drugs (notice im not saying we need to deport and kill homeless people, some people think im saying this but I am just speaking from experience here). Public transport is not the utopia people think it is. Unless you have security and 24/7 cleaning, humans will ruin it (like everything).
This tells me you haven’t been to Europe
Noy yet! Im sure its much better there. There's really no hope for American public transport. Too many assholes.
Well I haven’t given up hope
Car go fast
So many thoughts on this from an American perspective:
…easy as 1,2,3!
Snow and rain, but mostly snow.
Hills. I'm 60, and not getting younger, my knees are going.
Some people just can't. But, when I could, I did.
Bikes are cool and all, but no AC. And no good for a 40 mile highway commute. I also enjoy comfy seats and being able to easily and comfortably transport multiple people with a nice sound system etc…
And no good for a 40 mile highway commute.
Your infrastructure sucks.
You’re not wrong, but am trapped here. 🧐 Bikes will still never be as comfortable or have entertainment like a car unfortunately. There’s just something different about driving and playing music.
What's even better is sitting in an even-more-comfy chair, listening to a better stereo system... at home.
What's interesting is that when everybody went to remote work during the pandemic, lots of bike commuters would start their day with a ride to the office and back, because the ride itself was fun. I didn't hear of car commuters doing that, or people at any time enjoying the process of commute driving. We have to add plush lounge chairs and entertainment systems and sensory-friendly interiors to cars to make the experience somewhat palatable, and even then, the distraction of a phone is irresistible for many drivers. Hell, the tech bros promise that they can even automate away the actual driving part, and people are excited by the prospect.
Sounds to me like a car will never hold a candle to a simple bike as far as enjoyment.
Headphones exist.
And confort of trains will always be categorically better because you literally only have to get in and do nothing until you're there.
Yeah im sure all the trams and busses go exactly where I need them to.
Also, you cant carry anything with a bike outside of a few grocery bags.
Im all for bikes. But cars are insanely useful . what needs to happen is banning of anything larger than a Ford focus, special license required for a pickup (unless its a tacoma size) and better infrastructure supporting bikes and cars together.
Me driving around in my 99 miata is the least of our car problems. Its soccer moms in 100,000 pickups that they are almost always driving alone and never hauling a thing.
My town is 200k, and there's no way you could bike around it, there's no shoulders or sidewalks on most roads. Thats a problem of city planners being absolute dumb shits.
By those metrics, a tram wins.