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No, I don't want people to risk their lives for anything. I want things to change. 40,000 people die a year in the US while driving or riding in cars, following

No, I don't want people to risk their lives for anything. I want things to change. 40,000 people die a year in the US while driving or riding in cars, following your logic, that is also extremely risky, and so we shouldn't do it.

dominotw 8y ago
I am not sure thats a correct analogy. Driving a car to work is not an optional activity for most ppl. Ppl riding their bikes in the city are doing it for fun/thrill/whatever, its an optional activity for 90% of the ppl doing it. I have a theory that most of these ppl would stop doing it once the thrill/'cool factor' goes away with protected bike lanes.
- bluejekyll 8y ago
  That's an interesting theory. I think I've seen some studies that show the opposite: 85% increase in cycling with better infrastructure: https://www.cyclinguk.org/blog/tomguha/85-increase-cycling-attributable-better-infrastructure https://www.cyclinguk.org/blog/tomguha/85-increase-cycling-a... This shows a direct correlation between lower risk and increased cycling: https://nacto.org/2016/07/20/high-quality-bike-facilities-increase-ridership-make-biking-safer/ https://nacto.org/2016/07/20/high-quality-bike-facilities-in... I especially like this quote: "A virtuous cycle is clear: With more infrastructure come more riders. Perhaps counterintuitively, with more infrastructure and more riders, safety improves. And the more bicycles there are traversing a city, the more it reaps numerous returns on investment, including the health benefits of cleaner air and greater physical activity." from https://www.drawdown.org/solutions/buildings-and-cities/bike-infrastructure https://www.drawdown.org/solutions/buildings-and-cities/bike... I don't think most people who are biking while commuting are doing it purely for the thrill, but that is a plus, no doubt.
- Qwertystop 8y ago
  It depends on the city, but I see plenty of people biking in Cambridge who, based on apparent age and time-of-day, are almost certainly commuting to or from work. Also a few on kick scooters (not as good for longer trips, but easier to bring on public transit or a sidewalk if necessary). Going to work is not optional for most people, but (depending on where you live and where you work) there can be a variety of choices for how you get there. Biking (or scooter-ing) is faster than walking, gets you some exercise, is much cheaper than owning and fuelling a car, can be faster than a car in particularly bad rush-hour traffic if bike lanes exist... there's plenty of reasons beyond being a daredevil, if the relevant addresses line up for it.
- gowld 8y ago
  Riding a bus to work is not an optional activity. People driving their cars in the city are doing it for fun/thrill/whatever.
- zeendo 8y ago
  Please don't make things up. It's detracts from the conversation.
- JohnFen 8y ago
  > Ppl riding their bikes in the city are doing it for fun/thrill/whatever, its an optional activity for 90% of the ppl doing it. Riding a bike for your transportation is exactly as optional as driving is. Most cities have multiple choices for transportation.

dominotw 8y ago

I am not sure thats a correct analogy. Driving a car to work is not an optional activity for most ppl. Ppl riding their bikes in the city are doing it for fun/thrill/whatever, its an optional activity for 90% of the ppl doing it. I have a theory that most of these ppl would stop doing it once the thrill/'cool factor' goes away with protected bike lanes.

bluejekyll 8y ago
That's an interesting theory. I think I've seen some studies that show the opposite: 85% increase in cycling with better infrastructure: https://www.cyclinguk.org/blog/tomguha/85-increase-cycling-attributable-better-infrastructure https://www.cyclinguk.org/blog/tomguha/85-increase-cycling-a... This shows a direct correlation between lower risk and increased cycling: https://nacto.org/2016/07/20/high-quality-bike-facilities-increase-ridership-make-biking-safer/ https://nacto.org/2016/07/20/high-quality-bike-facilities-in... I especially like this quote: "A virtuous cycle is clear: With more infrastructure come more riders. Perhaps counterintuitively, with more infrastructure and more riders, safety improves. And the more bicycles there are traversing a city, the more it reaps numerous returns on investment, including the health benefits of cleaner air and greater physical activity." from https://www.drawdown.org/solutions/buildings-and-cities/bike-infrastructure https://www.drawdown.org/solutions/buildings-and-cities/bike... I don't think most people who are biking while commuting are doing it purely for the thrill, but that is a plus, no doubt.
Qwertystop 8y ago
It depends on the city, but I see plenty of people biking in Cambridge who, based on apparent age and time-of-day, are almost certainly commuting to or from work. Also a few on kick scooters (not as good for longer trips, but easier to bring on public transit or a sidewalk if necessary). Going to work is not optional for most people, but (depending on where you live and where you work) there can be a variety of choices for how you get there. Biking (or scooter-ing) is faster than walking, gets you some exercise, is much cheaper than owning and fuelling a car, can be faster than a car in particularly bad rush-hour traffic if bike lanes exist... there's plenty of reasons beyond being a daredevil, if the relevant addresses line up for it.
gowld 8y ago
Riding a bus to work is not an optional activity. People driving their cars in the city are doing it for fun/thrill/whatever.
zeendo 8y ago
Please don't make things up. It's detracts from the conversation.
JohnFen 8y ago
> Ppl riding their bikes in the city are doing it for fun/thrill/whatever, its an optional activity for 90% of the ppl doing it. Riding a bike for your transportation is exactly as optional as driving is. Most cities have multiple choices for transportation.