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This exactly: bikes require planning and strategy and are not good for improvisational day-to-day things like you described. Bikes make walking easier but all o

This exactly: bikes require planning and strategy and are not good for improvisational day-to-day things like you described. Bikes make walking easier but all other forms of travel like bus, train or taxi/uber/cars more difficult or impossible.

jdavis703 7y ago
> bikes require planning and strategy What? I don't plan or strategize any more or less than someone getting in a car might think about the optimal rush hour route.
- notJim 7y ago
  Exactly. I think the point is that a scooter allows you to plan far less.
- dredmorbius 7y ago
  A car can be parked on the street (at least in theory, I'm aware SF's parking may be less amenable), and has a high likelihood of being there and intact when you return. Without bike-parking infrastructure -- ubiquitous racks -- bikes are far less likely to be found where left, and far more likely to be damaged, vandalised, and/or have components nicked. I've lived where cycling was well-supported and routes and racks reasonable. And where not. For SF, hills, parking, and traffic all work against cycling.
  - jdavis703 7y ago
    > bikes are far less likely to be found where left, and far more likely to be damaged, vandalised, and/or have components nicked. I don't own a car anymore, but when I did I had countless break ins. Most times nothing was taken. Petty theft & vandalism is a problem here regardless of vehicle type.
maccam94 7y ago
Dockless and docked bikeshare programs both mitigate this issue, with trade-offs on the inconvenience of finding bikes/parking them.
- coredog64 7y ago
  Citibike in NYC is a dumpster fire. Same price as subway ride for a 30 minute ride. Each ride segment has to be 30 minutes or less or they start charging you by the minute. You can’t check out more than one bike on a single account. The full docks don’t correctly report in, meaning even though the dock is full, you can’t get a time extension while you go out of your way to return the bike.
  - asdfasgasdgasdg 7y ago
    That's the tourist price. NYC residents typically buy an annual pass for $170, which gives you free 45 minute segments.
  - NikolaeVarius 7y ago
    Been using CitiBike for 3 years. None of these have been an issue for me, except for the 30 minute time limit, but I was going from WTC to 96th st which took me 40 minutes
- acchow 7y ago
  Nowhere near as convenient as a scooter. Closing the last half mile on a trip on scooter is a breeze. Sometimes the nearest bike docks at start and end total half a mile distance. Dockless bike? They are generally quite sparse where I am.
Symbiote 7y ago
In Copenhagen it's often the opposite: the rest of the group came by bike, they're within 20m of the current bar, the person on foot will have to turn up later. Or we all walk. (Also, the suburban trains and taxis carry bikes for free.)
- scarejunba 7y ago
  What's bike theft like in Copenhagen? I have two bikes but I drive to brunch because I'm afraid of losing my bike to a thief and parking is easier to deal with than having to carry my lock.
  - 0xfaded 7y ago
    Most bikes are beaters and wouldn't be worth stealing for it's value, although I've been told every Dane has stolen a bike once in their life when in need of transport.
  - Symbiote 7y ago
    Leave the lock at work, locked to the rack or a fence. That might not work for brunch. Most people use either old or fairly cheap (<€500) city bikes. We only lock the rear wheel; if you want to you can pick up the bike and walk off with it. Some people do have nicer bikes, and they chain the bikes to something solid. I did this for 6 months when my city bike was new.
- derefr 7y ago
  > Also, the suburban trains and taxis carry bikes for free. Sure, but how many will fit on one train/taxi? Here in Vancouver we have two bike-slots per bus and ~4 per train (which is actually just general accessibility-device space, for e.g. powered-wheelchairs, and is almost always taken already.)
  - Symbiote 7y ago
    Taxis take two. Wikipedia says a suburban train takes 46 bikes. I should check, as the press release from the company doesn't give a figure. I don't commute by train, so I don't know if that's still not enough. Many people do leave a second bicycle at the station. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cycling_in_Copenhagen https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cycling_in_Copenhagen https://www.dsb.dk/om-dsb/presse/nyheder/mere-plads-til-cykler-i-s-toget/ https://www.dsb.dk/om-dsb/presse/nyheder/mere-plads-til-cykl...
vel0city 7y ago
IRT bicycles in relation to buses and trains, mass transit can be designed with bikes in mind. Dallas is not exactly known for having the best mass transit system around, but DART buses have easy to use bike racks on the front and the light rail trains have handicap accessible cars with flat loading platforms and hooks to hang your bike to keep it somewhat out of the way. Your points on other forms of travel, such as regular cars + bicycles, are definitely true. https://www.dart.org/riding/bikeracksonbuses.asp https://www.dart.org/riding/bikeracksonbuses.asp https://www.dart.org/riding/bikesontrains.asp https://www.dart.org/riding/bikesontrains.asp
shafyy 7y ago
If you think bikes requires planning and strategy you're doing it wrong. All you need is a good lock (make sure to put in wheel locks so you don't need to have that ridicolous cable-lock setup). Do you sometimes need to walk 50m to find a pole or bike rack? Sure, but that doesn't require planning and strategy.

jdavis703 7y ago

> bikes require planning and strategy What? I don't plan or strategize any more or less than someone getting in a car might think about the optimal rush hour route.

notJim 7y ago
Exactly. I think the point is that a scooter allows you to plan far less.
dredmorbius 7y ago
A car can be parked on the street (at least in theory, I'm aware SF's parking may be less amenable), and has a high likelihood of being there and intact when you return. Without bike-parking infrastructure -- ubiquitous racks -- bikes are far less likely to be found where left, and far more likely to be damaged, vandalised, and/or have components nicked. I've lived where cycling was well-supported and routes and racks reasonable. And where not. For SF, hills, parking, and traffic all work against cycling.
- jdavis703 7y ago
  > bikes are far less likely to be found where left, and far more likely to be damaged, vandalised, and/or have components nicked. I don't own a car anymore, but when I did I had countless break ins. Most times nothing was taken. Petty theft & vandalism is a problem here regardless of vehicle type.

maccam94 7y ago

Dockless and docked bikeshare programs both mitigate this issue, with trade-offs on the inconvenience of finding bikes/parking them.

coredog64 7y ago
Citibike in NYC is a dumpster fire. Same price as subway ride for a 30 minute ride. Each ride segment has to be 30 minutes or less or they start charging you by the minute. You can’t check out more than one bike on a single account. The full docks don’t correctly report in, meaning even though the dock is full, you can’t get a time extension while you go out of your way to return the bike.
- asdfasgasdgasdg 7y ago
  That's the tourist price. NYC residents typically buy an annual pass for $170, which gives you free 45 minute segments.
- NikolaeVarius 7y ago
  Been using CitiBike for 3 years. None of these have been an issue for me, except for the 30 minute time limit, but I was going from WTC to 96th st which took me 40 minutes
acchow 7y ago
Nowhere near as convenient as a scooter. Closing the last half mile on a trip on scooter is a breeze. Sometimes the nearest bike docks at start and end total half a mile distance. Dockless bike? They are generally quite sparse where I am.

Symbiote 7y ago

In Copenhagen it's often the opposite: the rest of the group came by bike, they're within 20m of the current bar, the person on foot will have to turn up later. Or we all walk. (Also, the suburban trains and taxis carry bikes for free.)

scarejunba 7y ago
What's bike theft like in Copenhagen? I have two bikes but I drive to brunch because I'm afraid of losing my bike to a thief and parking is easier to deal with than having to carry my lock.
- 0xfaded 7y ago
  Most bikes are beaters and wouldn't be worth stealing for it's value, although I've been told every Dane has stolen a bike once in their life when in need of transport.
- Symbiote 7y ago
  Leave the lock at work, locked to the rack or a fence. That might not work for brunch. Most people use either old or fairly cheap (<€500) city bikes. We only lock the rear wheel; if you want to you can pick up the bike and walk off with it. Some people do have nicer bikes, and they chain the bikes to something solid. I did this for 6 months when my city bike was new.
derefr 7y ago
> Also, the suburban trains and taxis carry bikes for free. Sure, but how many will fit on one train/taxi? Here in Vancouver we have two bike-slots per bus and ~4 per train (which is actually just general accessibility-device space, for e.g. powered-wheelchairs, and is almost always taken already.)
- Symbiote 7y ago
  Taxis take two. Wikipedia says a suburban train takes 46 bikes. I should check, as the press release from the company doesn't give a figure. I don't commute by train, so I don't know if that's still not enough. Many people do leave a second bicycle at the station. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cycling_in_Copenhagen https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cycling_in_Copenhagen https://www.dsb.dk/om-dsb/presse/nyheder/mere-plads-til-cykler-i-s-toget/ https://www.dsb.dk/om-dsb/presse/nyheder/mere-plads-til-cykl...

vel0city 7y ago

IRT bicycles in relation to buses and trains, mass transit can be designed with bikes in mind. Dallas is not exactly known for having the best mass transit system around, but DART buses have easy to use bike racks on the front and the light rail trains have handicap accessible cars with flat loading platforms and hooks to hang your bike to keep it somewhat out of the way. Your points on other forms of travel, such as regular cars + bicycles, are definitely true. https://www.dart.org/riding/bikeracksonbuses.asp https://www.dart.org/riding/bikeracksonbuses.asp https://www.dart.org/riding/bikesontrains.asp https://www.dart.org/riding/bikesontrains.asp

shafyy 7y ago

If you think bikes requires planning and strategy you're doing it wrong. All you need is a good lock (make sure to put in wheel locks so you don't need to have that ridicolous cable-lock setup). Do you sometimes need to walk 50m to find a pole or bike rack? Sure, but that doesn't require planning and strategy.