- cross-posted to:
- greentext@sh.itjust.works
- cross-posted to:
- greentext@sh.itjust.works
cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ml/post/26368144
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To create a pedestrian first world I think we need to legitimately understand what advantages a car has. A car is a true source of empowerment.
Sure, I can ride a bike, but I could never ride a bike 300 miles for a weekend trip to any arbitrary destination. I can take a bus but not at any moment, and not the middle of the night. I can take public transit, but not to the place I need to go.
A car is a portable personal space. I can eat lunch in my car, I can take a nap.
A car is a space protected from the elements - I’m not getting rained on. Protection from wind, snow, sun.
Its locked doors are a barrier between me and potential (and sometimes imagined) threats.
I don’t need to list out for this community all the negative things associated with cars. I just list these pros to highlight it’s a challenging task to displace cars. It’s a list of benefits to replicate.
In my area, bikes are considered motor vehicles and have to adhere to the same rules and regulations as bikes.
Which is stupid because there’s no infrastructure for bikes, and it’s illegal to ride them on the nearly completely unused sidewalks.
My FIL got me an e-bike that I can’t use for anything other than riding around the neighborhood because I have to get on the highway to get to town.
Absolutely would be nice. I used to ride everywhere before I got priced out of where I was living and had to move. Now, my job is an hour away even by car… It wouldn’t need to be if things weren’t entirely designed around car travel here
Because our previous generation of 1% wealth leaders had a vision to make an entire economy built for, and dependant on, gasoline and oil. This new generation of wealth leaders don’t have as strong of a vision. They just see some weird techno-feudalism fantasies where they rule us all because of social media and AI or some shit.
I thought thier vision was to abandon earth and move to mars or something… But I guess they abandoned that and now just want to hoard and protect as much wealth as possible until they die.
I wonder how many cargo bicycles would be needed to move the contents of a truck, and how refrigeration would work. Or would we just not transport things that needed it?
Maybe more local farms…
…and what about building houses, large panels of wood. Perhaps specially bicycles would be developed? I’ve seen multi-person bicycles in weird arrangements - like that Beer bicycle… Or that seven person conference bicycle at google.
Trucks have their purpose, but the point is that too many people have cars and trucks that go on trips that could otherwise be done by bicycle, walking or transit.
Here in Vancouver, I see a bunch of parents bringing their kids to school on the back of their bike, then head right to work. I even shop at Costco with big bags strapped to my bike.
For the odd time I want to road trip, bring a bunch of buddies somewhere transit doesn’t go, or need a cargo van to move furniture or things, I’m part of modo coop where I can rent one for a few hours, a day or many days.
Trucks have their place. I have a lot of respect for landscapers and contractors, you can tell who is using their pickup truck for its purpose by the amount of dirt, no lift kit, and the stuff in the back. Not everyone in the city and suburbs needs one every day.
Obviously no one is suggesting moving freight by bicycle.
Trains: exist.
If you have set destinations for years to come, you don’t need a driving wheel.
I lasted 4 years of full time bike life and around 150k miles on the bike for 7 cars hitting me in 6 crashes where two were bad and the anomalous numbers are the last one that left me physically disabled after a broken neck and back. You will find a class of parallel parked cars making u-turns that is impossible to predict and avoid regardless of your skill, caution, and self awareness. Automobile safety is the anti Darwinian logic of disproportionately allowing stupidity to terrorize everyone.
Yeah. Street design, separation where possible and equalizing speeds where not, is super important. I have had numerous instances of almost being doored, patiently waiting for selfish assholes who I can tell from a distance are trying to speed through a stop sign, cars mistakenly entering the separated bike lane, so on and so forth. No crashes yet (I have fallen over on dirt paths) in 2 years and 2000km of bicycle commuting, but I try to take every precaution I can.
It’s probably why the reputation in cities with very little bike infrastructure, is that only people crazy enough to take a bicycle on the road do so, because the roads are designed so hazardously for them.
Greatly used in Montreal too for instance, but problem is winter, riding in a foot of snow while it’s -20, not easy…
Cars perform even worse in snow.
Same when its over 110 F out…
Electric bikes work quite nicely in this scenario. Beautiful cooling breeze with minimal, if any, effort.
The automobile isn’t a symbol of freedom, never has been.
It’s a status symbol.
I’m generally in support of this. The car allows for more freedom in certain conditions, though:
- Better for people with physical handicaps
- Can be more easily/comfortably used in extreme weather
- Doesn’t leave you as hot and sweaty, especially when going to work
Better for people with physical handicaps
At least the people with handicaps that can still drive.
It actively makes the transportation landscape worse for those without hearing or sight or a mobilty reducing handicap that disallows driving.
Yes, I should’ve specified *certain physical handicaps
Yeah, reducing car usage would be much better for all handicapped people (those who can drive get better traffic.)
And there small low power cars for people with disabilities that can drive that are still safe for people around them. In some countries like Netherlands they can even use the bike lanes.
A wheelchair powered or otherwise should be well accommodated by a city designed around bikes.
I mean we already have people who clearly can’t drive/can’t afford a car riding rascals around but they have to ride them on shitty uneven sidewalks or in the gutter because America
Someone addressed your first point. But the second two are only true when your city is so spread out to make room for huge roads and parking lots between everything. Not to mention zoning laws that make it illegal to build denser housing, or to build a grocery store near where people live.
Id rather be in a tram on rails in snowy conditions than in a private vehicle thats subject to slippery conditions and other vehicles hitting it. The tram if hit often has more mass and survives the hit better than a sedan would.
The rail transport is always the safest option, barring staying at home in the first place.
rather be in a tram on rails in snowy conditions than in a private vehicle thats subject to slippery conditions and other vehicles hitting it.
Me too. The post is about bicycles though
This comment thread is about how cars shield you from the weather. I’d also rather tram part way and bike the rest if the conditions are nasty out.
I used to live steps from an LRT station. It was amazing. Didn’t even need to bike because the LRT took me everywhere I needed to go in the city! (Well, I also had the option of walking where the LRT didn’t go, lol)
the second two are only true when your city is so spread out to make room for huge roads and parking lots between everything. Not to mention zoning laws that make it illegal to build denser housing, or to build a grocery store near where people live.
That’s all definitely true! Sometimes people just live in areas that weren’t designed well, or they live in a different place than where they work by preference or availability.
If someone normally cycles to work in 20 minutes, it might be worthwhile to have a car available as a backup for days that are extra hot or extra blizzardy.
Even if someones neighborhood wasn’t designed well, changing zoning laws to allow for more density may make it more viable to put transit there. Then this hypothetical person’s normally 20 minute cycle could become a 5 minute walk + 10 minute tram ride on extra hot or extra blizzardy days.
Yeah, definitely. The post was about bicycle vs. car though, so that’s what my comment was based on. When we add public transit into the equation, it becomes a bigger and more wholesome picture.
