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Any city planned and developed before cars is generally considered very friendly, walkable, and desirable. Europe is full of such cities and they're loved for i

• jdsemrau 10y ago
  Just came back from Tokyo and realized how much I miss riding my bicycle in Singapore. The city is just not made for bicycles. It would increase the quality of living by a wide margin since Singapore is so small.
  • jessaustin 10y ago
    It has been a long time since I was in Singapore, but looking back it isn't obvious why it would be bad for cycling. Obviously one wouldn't use the elevated expressways, but there are lots of other streets of varying sizes with varying amounts of traffic (like Tokyo). Is there a law against taking the lane? Perhaps there just isn't a culture of cycling, so one would be the only one on the road? Just curious...
    • jdsemrau 10y ago
      It's road behaviour. Due to the high COE car owners feel an entitlement for the road. In addition people are driving selfish and are in general bad educated (comparing to Europe and Japan). See roads.sg for examples.
  • deeth_starr 10y ago
    I lived in Tokyo in the late 90's and the bike lanes are a new (or newer) thing. They really make the city nice (at least in the summer).
• wott 10y ago
  Don't worry, for the last 50-60 years most European countries have been working hard to destroy this model and turn both cities and countrysides into a car nightmare more or less following the US model.
  • pif 10y ago
    > most European countries have been working hard to destroy this model No. Most European countries have been working hard to improve their economy.
• cmurf 10y ago
  You see it in the U.S. as well, as you go from east to the west you can see the influence of the automobile on city layout and infrastructure, with possibly the epitome being Los Angeles. Ask most any 60+ year old in any of the larger American cities so designed (Dallas, Denver, Phoenix, Los Angeles, Seattle and so on) defends the idea of road widening to the tooth. Rip out the boulevards. Rip out these silly bike lanes. Rip out sidewalks. Make room for more cars! I've not seen much in the way of a road widening project that a baby boomer didn't love. As a 45 year old, it's one my examples of how my elders aren't infallible, don't always have good advice, and have made very poor choices that cannot be unwound except through great expense of time and money. Mistakes have consequences and they can (and will) last generations.
• pif 10y ago
  > Any city planned and developed before cars... Before cars and before skyscrapers! The model of town you're talking about doesn't scale well.
  • hx87 10y ago
    Seoul and Tokyo scale pretty well.
    • pif 10y ago
      Do you mean Seoul and Tokyo are meant for pedestrians? Or that they have have the same type (please note: type, not quantity) of charm of Florence or Prague?
      • MK999 10y ago
        Tokyo is one of the best cities in the world for pedestrians, maybe THE best.
  • mixmastamyk 10y ago
    It scales a lot better than suburbs as far as the eye can see.
• pif 10y ago
  > Europe is full of such cities and they're loved for it. Sure, Florence is beautiful and lovable, but I personally like the possibility to also drive to a commercial center, buy what I need for a few days, drive back home and park my car in a closed garage conveniently connected to my apartment via a lift, or my house via a door.
  • mercer 10y ago
    Over here in Holland we use bikes for all of that. It gets you some free exercise and it's less polluting.
    • secabeen 10y ago
      One helpful factor for bicycling in Holland is the flatness. It's relatively easy to get to work or shopping without having to climb a big hill. Other parts of the world aren't so blessed, and people who do ride to work feel like they have to shower before the work day, which reduces some people's desire to do so.
      • hobarrera 10y ago
        The weather also surely helps. I live in a moderately warm city (Buenos Aires), and temperatures go up to 30º or even almost 40º in the summer, and biking is a trip to hell and back. I can't even imagine people closer to tropical climates trying to ride bikes anytime except winter.
    • a3n 10y ago
      What do people do who can't bike?
      • mamurphy 10y ago
        I presume that they learn how to bike. If you meant to ask "What about people that physically can't ever bike (but can drive)?" What percentage of the population, honestly, do you think that is? Out of shape people can lose weight and eventually learn to bike. Very few people can-drive-but-not-bike, and surely exceptions can be made for them.