4 ms·

It's because US cities are poorly planned, crumbling shit-holes with 4 lane highways criss crossing them. People are extremely hostile to bikers in most US citi

It's because US cities are poorly planned, crumbling shit-holes with 4 lane highways criss crossing them. People are extremely hostile to bikers in most US cities, and there are literally no consequences to killing them much of the time. American cities are so unpleasant to exist in on the ground level people prefer the safety of their smog machines at all times, even if you are going half a mile down the road for a carton of milk. Everything is designed to funnel you out of the city into your extremely inefficient suburb so you can stop by taco-bell and wal-mart on your 50 minute commute home. But hey, the answer is more roads right? Not incentivizing people to have less roads on the highway?

abakker 8y ago
Aside from your last line, I basically agree with you. I walk on sidewalks, or drive. Biking in the city is just not my thing. Conversely, I love cycling. I've been a bike mechanic, and my wife and I ride mountain bikes all the time. to me, it's just not worth going out on the street. The mindset is somewhat like, "if I'm going to get hurt cycling, it might as well be fun, and my own fault". One point that you miss, at least in SF, is the considerable expense of having your bike stolen all the time. friends that commute either bring their bike into a dedicate secure area for work, or expect to have parts/the whole thing stolen. I used to cycle to the gym on a beater bike in a low traffic area, and when that beater bike got stolen, I gave up on any cycle commuting for anything.