6 ms·

Space taken by car-parking is typically in dedicated parking lots: out of the way and doesn't impede public rights-of-way - compare to having bicycles ridden on

Space taken by car-parking is typically in dedicated parking lots: out of the way and doesn't impede public rights-of-way - compare to having bicycles ridden on sidewalks and interfering with car traffic.

sethherr 9y ago
In the US, the majority of streets have at least a lane of space taken up by parking. If half of that was offered to bikes there wouldn't be any bike parking issues.
- petre 9y ago
  It's the same in biger cities in France, Eastern Europe, even in Germany, although the Germans are better behaved probably because of huge fines.
  - skrause 9y ago
    In Germany the fines for parking where you aren't allowed to park are something like 10 €, probably much lower than the European average.
GuiA 9y ago
In some cases it does not impede public right of way; but it has a much deeper, longer term, insidious cost. https://youtu.be/Akm7ik-H_7U https://youtu.be/Akm7ik-H_7U
sethherr 9y ago
Also "interfering with car traffic" is silly. Bikes are traffic too and have just as much right to being in the road as cars.
- stephengillie 9y ago
  Many bicyclists are afraid to be on the road, and many drivers believe roads are for aggressive car/truck drivers only. There is some basis for this, as novice bicyclists can have difficulty maintaining 25mph for miles, and many drivers are eager to prove their engine is stronger than a pair of legs.
  - Luc 9y ago
    > as novice bicyclists can have difficulty maintaining 25mph That's 40 km/h. Are you trolling or is that a typo? I've been bicycling nearly daily for >45 years and I've never gone that fast.
    - adrianN 9y ago
      It's not terribly hard for a fit male to maintain 40km/h for a while on a nice racing bike. But I think 25km/h is a more reasonable top speed. It's also the speed where electric bicycles stop supporting the driver, at least here in Germany.
      - lostlogin 9y ago
        To average 40 you'd have to live somewhere quite flat I suspect.
        megablast 9y ago
        Or more likely downhill.
        deleted 9y ago
        [deleted]
      - danieldk 9y ago
        To add a data point: I cycle to work daily (22km) and have cycled pretty much all my life since. Sustaining 40km/h for longer periods is unrealistic if 1.) your terrain is not completely flat; 2.) there is wind; 3.) you do not want to get to your destination soaked with sweat; 4.) you have to carry some luggage like a laptop; or 5.) you cannot use a touring bike because of the terrain. I sometimes cycle with a GPS and have Pedelecs (limited to 25km/h for electrical support in Germany) as a reference point. The vast majority of cyclers that I encounter cycle less than 25km/h under normal conditions [1]. Probably somewhere between 20 and 25. If there is strong wind or uphill, it's definitely less than that.
- spaceseaman 9y ago
  I think he was referring to the bit of the article where it said bicycles were "haphazardly along streets and public squares, snarling traffic and cluttering sidewalks" rather than bikes being ridden.
- Proven 9y ago
  We can't know because it's a socialist hellhole where the government decides. They don't pay any road or fuel tax so I'd say they don't have any right, but again this is China where the government decides for you.
lostlogin 9y ago
Isn't the road and foot path a public right of way? Is there anything rivalling cars in terms of public space taken up by private property?
vorg 9y ago
> Space taken by car-parking is typically in dedicated parking lots: out of the way and doesn't impede public rights-of-way In some developed cities, but in most of China cars are usually parked on the sidewalks. When they're angle-parked along the full width of the sidewalk, pedestrians need to drop onto the roadside to continue walking.

sethherr 9y ago

In the US, the majority of streets have at least a lane of space taken up by parking. If half of that was offered to bikes there wouldn't be any bike parking issues.

petre 9y ago
It's the same in biger cities in France, Eastern Europe, even in Germany, although the Germans are better behaved probably because of huge fines.
- skrause 9y ago
  In Germany the fines for parking where you aren't allowed to park are something like 10 €, probably much lower than the European average.

GuiA 9y ago

In some cases it does not impede public right of way; but it has a much deeper, longer term, insidious cost. https://youtu.be/Akm7ik-H_7U https://youtu.be/Akm7ik-H_7U

sethherr 9y ago

Also "interfering with car traffic" is silly. Bikes are traffic too and have just as much right to being in the road as cars.

stephengillie 9y ago
Many bicyclists are afraid to be on the road, and many drivers believe roads are for aggressive car/truck drivers only. There is some basis for this, as novice bicyclists can have difficulty maintaining 25mph for miles, and many drivers are eager to prove their engine is stronger than a pair of legs.
- Luc 9y ago
  > as novice bicyclists can have difficulty maintaining 25mph That's 40 km/h. Are you trolling or is that a typo? I've been bicycling nearly daily for >45 years and I've never gone that fast.
  - adrianN 9y ago
    It's not terribly hard for a fit male to maintain 40km/h for a while on a nice racing bike. But I think 25km/h is a more reasonable top speed. It's also the speed where electric bicycles stop supporting the driver, at least here in Germany.
    - lostlogin 9y ago
      To average 40 you'd have to live somewhere quite flat I suspect.
      - megablast 9y ago
        Or more likely downhill.
        deleted 9y ago
        [deleted]
    - danieldk 9y ago
      To add a data point: I cycle to work daily (22km) and have cycled pretty much all my life since. Sustaining 40km/h for longer periods is unrealistic if 1.) your terrain is not completely flat; 2.) there is wind; 3.) you do not want to get to your destination soaked with sweat; 4.) you have to carry some luggage like a laptop; or 5.) you cannot use a touring bike because of the terrain. I sometimes cycle with a GPS and have Pedelecs (limited to 25km/h for electrical support in Germany) as a reference point. The vast majority of cyclers that I encounter cycle less than 25km/h under normal conditions [1]. Probably somewhere between 20 and 25. If there is strong wind or uphill, it's definitely less than that.
spaceseaman 9y ago
I think he was referring to the bit of the article where it said bicycles were "haphazardly along streets and public squares, snarling traffic and cluttering sidewalks" rather than bikes being ridden.
Proven 9y ago
We can't know because it's a socialist hellhole where the government decides. They don't pay any road or fuel tax so I'd say they don't have any right, but again this is China where the government decides for you.

lostlogin 9y ago

Isn't the road and foot path a public right of way? Is there anything rivalling cars in terms of public space taken up by private property?

vorg 9y ago

> Space taken by car-parking is typically in dedicated parking lots: out of the way and doesn't impede public rights-of-way In some developed cities, but in most of China cars are usually parked on the sidewalks. When they're angle-parked along the full width of the sidewalk, pedestrians need to drop onto the roadside to continue walking.