5 ms·

Bikes and scooters are great (provided there are safe riding lanes and trails) until there's any weather. If I have to show up at work looking presentable then

Bikes and scooters are great (provided there are safe riding lanes and trails) until there's any weather. If I have to show up at work looking presentable then biking through a downpour simply isn't an option. If there's any sort of snow or ice on the ground then biking simply isn't an option.

dannyking 7y ago
Yes. You also need to factor in things like having young kids. Before I had them taking an ebike to a train would make perfect sense. Now though, without a car it would be incredibly difficult to get them to daycare and make it to work on time without waking up before Dawn.
- wffurr 7y ago
  You can't put the kids on the ebike to daycare? Seems like that would be faster and easier than dealing with a car. Just wait until you start in on the total mess that is school drop-off when every parent decides they have to drive their kid to school. Much faster to breeze past the stopped traffic on a bicycle, unstrap the kids and send them on their way, and bike to the train.
  - mises 7y ago
    Not every one has only two kids. It's going to get awfully tough for those with four or five without a minivan.
    - stevenhubertron 7y ago
      So when you get to that edge edge case they drive a mini-van. No one is saying ban cars, just use them less.
    - wffurr 7y ago
      https://bikeportland.org/2012/06/28/with-six-kids-and-no-car-this-mom-does-it-all-by-bike-73731 https://bikeportland.org/2012/06/28/with-six-kids-and-no-car...
    - ThePowerOfFuet 7y ago
      This seems like one of the consequences of the decision to have so many children.
    - lovemenot 7y ago
      Only three kids, but it was never a problem not to own a car, here in a city with good transportation and where riding with a kid front and back of bicycle is normal.
wffurr 7y ago
It's not hard to wear rain gear or budget some time to clean up once you arrive at your destination. Any sort of plan to encourage active commutes should also include facilities in workplaces for this sort of thing. Snow and ice: not as big a problem as you think. Cities and towns can plow and salt bike paths even easier than they do streets. You can also put studded tires on bicycles if you're in a particularly snowy area. See Oulu, Finland or Winnipeg, Canada for cities with plenty of winter cyclists: https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2016/feb/12/ice-cycles-northerly-world-cities-winter-bicycle-revolution https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2016/feb/12/ice-cycles-no...
- mises 7y ago
  I think when he says "show up looking presentable", it may be that he needs to be in suits or business casual, preferably unwrinkled. Also, I am exceptionally disinclined to bike through below-zero weather, snow tires or no (referring to the hypothetical canadian). Let alone Texas summers, which regularly hit 105 this time of year. I don't care if there are showers or not, it's just darn unpleasant to be outside this time of year.
  - rjbwork 7y ago
    Sub-zero weather isn't too bad down to maybe -10C. After that, it's pretty brutal. I do try not to take superfluous trips on my e-bike above maybe 95 though.
    - drivers99 7y ago
      Since he's talking in F (e.g. 105), when he says sub-zero, he means -18C or lower. Or did you mean -10F?
      - rjbwork 7y ago
        Ah okay fair enough. I'm from the US, but lately I've been playing a game with temperature set in C, and am used to working in C from talking with a bunch of international people in programming chats. Yeah sub -18C is extremely cold. Definitely not cycling out there. I don't think I've ever seen below 0 Fahrenheit where I live.
IshKebab 7y ago
Do you think people don't cycle in the rain? Just get a waterproof and waterproof trousers.
throw0101a 7y ago
The Dutch don't seem to have a problem: * https://www.iamexpat.nl/lifestyle/lifestyle-news/biking-safely-during-dutch-winter https://www.iamexpat.nl/lifestyle/lifestyle-news/biking-safe... * https://bicycledutch.wordpress.com/2014/09/04/cycling-in-the-rain/ https://bicycledutch.wordpress.com/2014/09/04/cycling-in-the... In Toronto I cycle from April to December, rain or shine. I know folks that also do it January to March, but I can't be bothered to buy the extra insulation layers so I take transit. I have two panniers: one for my lunch and the other for my rain gear: * https://www.rei.com/c/cycling-jackets/f/f-waterproof https://www.rei.com/c/cycling-jackets/f/f-waterproof

dannyking 7y ago

Yes. You also need to factor in things like having young kids. Before I had them taking an ebike to a train would make perfect sense. Now though, without a car it would be incredibly difficult to get them to daycare and make it to work on time without waking up before Dawn.

wffurr 7y ago
You can't put the kids on the ebike to daycare? Seems like that would be faster and easier than dealing with a car. Just wait until you start in on the total mess that is school drop-off when every parent decides they have to drive their kid to school. Much faster to breeze past the stopped traffic on a bicycle, unstrap the kids and send them on their way, and bike to the train.
- mises 7y ago
  Not every one has only two kids. It's going to get awfully tough for those with four or five without a minivan.
  - stevenhubertron 7y ago
    So when you get to that edge edge case they drive a mini-van. No one is saying ban cars, just use them less.
  - wffurr 7y ago
    https://bikeportland.org/2012/06/28/with-six-kids-and-no-car-this-mom-does-it-all-by-bike-73731 https://bikeportland.org/2012/06/28/with-six-kids-and-no-car...
  - ThePowerOfFuet 7y ago
    This seems like one of the consequences of the decision to have so many children.
  - lovemenot 7y ago
    Only three kids, but it was never a problem not to own a car, here in a city with good transportation and where riding with a kid front and back of bicycle is normal.

wffurr 7y ago

It's not hard to wear rain gear or budget some time to clean up once you arrive at your destination. Any sort of plan to encourage active commutes should also include facilities in workplaces for this sort of thing. Snow and ice: not as big a problem as you think. Cities and towns can plow and salt bike paths even easier than they do streets. You can also put studded tires on bicycles if you're in a particularly snowy area. See Oulu, Finland or Winnipeg, Canada for cities with plenty of winter cyclists: https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2016/feb/12/ice-cycles-northerly-world-cities-winter-bicycle-revolution https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2016/feb/12/ice-cycles-no...

mises 7y ago
I think when he says "show up looking presentable", it may be that he needs to be in suits or business casual, preferably unwrinkled. Also, I am exceptionally disinclined to bike through below-zero weather, snow tires or no (referring to the hypothetical canadian). Let alone Texas summers, which regularly hit 105 this time of year. I don't care if there are showers or not, it's just darn unpleasant to be outside this time of year.
- rjbwork 7y ago
  Sub-zero weather isn't too bad down to maybe -10C. After that, it's pretty brutal. I do try not to take superfluous trips on my e-bike above maybe 95 though.
  - drivers99 7y ago
    Since he's talking in F (e.g. 105), when he says sub-zero, he means -18C or lower. Or did you mean -10F?
    - rjbwork 7y ago
      Ah okay fair enough. I'm from the US, but lately I've been playing a game with temperature set in C, and am used to working in C from talking with a bunch of international people in programming chats. Yeah sub -18C is extremely cold. Definitely not cycling out there. I don't think I've ever seen below 0 Fahrenheit where I live.

IshKebab 7y ago

Do you think people don't cycle in the rain? Just get a waterproof and waterproof trousers.

throw0101a 7y ago

The Dutch don't seem to have a problem: * https://www.iamexpat.nl/lifestyle/lifestyle-news/biking-safely-during-dutch-winter https://www.iamexpat.nl/lifestyle/lifestyle-news/biking-safe... * https://bicycledutch.wordpress.com/2014/09/04/cycling-in-the-rain/ https://bicycledutch.wordpress.com/2014/09/04/cycling-in-the... In Toronto I cycle from April to December, rain or shine. I know folks that also do it January to March, but I can't be bothered to buy the extra insulation layers so I take transit. I have two panniers: one for my lunch and the other for my rain gear: * https://www.rei.com/c/cycling-jackets/f/f-waterproof https://www.rei.com/c/cycling-jackets/f/f-waterproof