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I appear to have kicked off a frenzy of folks eurosplaining to me that they personally ride in deep snow, howling gales, and see no reason that people in hot cl

I appear to have kicked off a frenzy of folks eurosplaining to me that they personally ride in deep snow, howling gales, and see no reason that people in hot climates (including hot humid climates with near 100% humidity, or extreme heat events) can't cycle everywhere at all times. Also they will all be happily cycling when they are 80 just like Grandpa Josef and Great-grandma Helga, etc. Congrats, but the statistics are not going to be with you world-wide. As I said, I'm pro-cycling. Good for you, all you hardy souls. But it is a seriously boneheaded point of view to imagine that cycling is going to be more important as a mode of transport than public transport in most of the world under the conditions that exist now. There's a large plurality - even in the totally cycle-happy countries - of people that don't ride, and that's a majority past a certain age. These people will get a small benefit (aside from cleaner air and fewer cars on the road, which is nice) from cycling infrastructure. Conversely, a drastic improvement in public transit infrastructure benefits almost everyone - cyclists are pedestrians and transit users some of the time, and they will also benefit from getting cars off the road. Frankly a lot of folks are confusing their hobby with good public policy.

odiroot 7y ago
> eurosplaining As a European myself this made me laugh hard. Yes, people here have a tendency to see everything in black and white and be really religious about their way of life.
- fit2rule 7y ago
  .. and thus, Americans still spend hours of their day parked in traffic.
- Yetanfou 7y ago
  While I also grinned at this inventive term my gut reaction is one of please not another one of those discussion-stopper epithets, free discussion is threatened enough as it is.
tralarpa 7y ago
> I appear to have kicked off a frenzy of folks eurosplaining Ah, come on. You asked for it, didn't you? You wrote "I'm guessing it's a special magic planet with startlingly good weather year-round, without disabled people, where everyone gets to age into spry Euro-oldsters". Of course, such an extreme statement will trigger a reaction from people who actually experience every day what you claim to be impossible. It's not possible in every city and it's not possible for everybody, but it's possible in more places than we think once we accept the idea. One quarter of the Dutch population cycles every day and the number of cycling people (obviously lower than the average) over 65 is actually increasing thanks to better a infrastructure and, of course, e-bikes. And talking about hot climates: You remember the pictures from South China in the 1970s or 1980s where everybody was cycling because cars were too expensive and public transport was bad? Now everybody has a car and nobody with a sane mind would cycle in China.
- asjw 7y ago
  > One quarter of the Dutch population If only the world was flat and below the sea level as Holland...
  - L_Rahman 7y ago
    Not below sea level but close to it and mostly flat: Kuala Lumpur, Dhaka, New Delhi, Kyoto, Ho Chi Minh City, Bangkok, Beijing, Seoul, Mumbai, Lagos together they represent almost a billion people and the world's biggest cities. Should we ignore them because they're not snowy North American/European cities?
  - bkor 7y ago
    Not flat? Use an electric bike There's various reasons not to use a bike, e.g. the mentioned way too humid/hot weather. However, the high usage is not due to "flat". Netherlands used to have a very high car usage and pretty much no bike usage.
Ensorceled 7y ago
> As I said, I'm pro-cycling. Good for you, all you hardy souls. But it is a seriously boneheaded point of view to imagine that cycling is going to be more important as a mode of transport than public transport in most of the world under the conditions that exist now. Here in Toronto, Canada, we are building out bike lanes, they are heavily used and it's pretty cheap to dedicate some lanes to bike traffic. They are used ALL year long, even in the snow. Yes, more people use them in the spring, summer, and fall, than in Dec-Feb, but they are used all year long. Your complaints are not based in reality, either in cost or in usage patterns.
efa 7y ago
Yep. There is a small demographic that would even attempt to cycle. And hell no, I'm not riding my bike 20 miles when it's 98 degrees in south Texas. I can't think of anyone I know who'd do that. My typical day: drop my kid off at school (he goes early so can't take the bus), drive to work, pick up groceries on the way home, and then take a bunch of kids to soccer practice. No way a bike works for any of that. I love bikes (and no cars) for downtown areas. But if you live in the suburbs they are just for exercise/hobby for most people.

odiroot 7y ago

> eurosplaining As a European myself this made me laugh hard. Yes, people here have a tendency to see everything in black and white and be really religious about their way of life.

fit2rule 7y ago
.. and thus, Americans still spend hours of their day parked in traffic.
Yetanfou 7y ago
While I also grinned at this inventive term my gut reaction is one of please not another one of those discussion-stopper epithets, free discussion is threatened enough as it is.

tralarpa 7y ago

> I appear to have kicked off a frenzy of folks eurosplaining Ah, come on. You asked for it, didn't you? You wrote "I'm guessing it's a special magic planet with startlingly good weather year-round, without disabled people, where everyone gets to age into spry Euro-oldsters". Of course, such an extreme statement will trigger a reaction from people who actually experience every day what you claim to be impossible. It's not possible in every city and it's not possible for everybody, but it's possible in more places than we think once we accept the idea. One quarter of the Dutch population cycles every day and the number of cycling people (obviously lower than the average) over 65 is actually increasing thanks to better a infrastructure and, of course, e-bikes. And talking about hot climates: You remember the pictures from South China in the 1970s or 1980s where everybody was cycling because cars were too expensive and public transport was bad? Now everybody has a car and nobody with a sane mind would cycle in China.

asjw 7y ago
> One quarter of the Dutch population If only the world was flat and below the sea level as Holland...
- L_Rahman 7y ago
  Not below sea level but close to it and mostly flat: Kuala Lumpur, Dhaka, New Delhi, Kyoto, Ho Chi Minh City, Bangkok, Beijing, Seoul, Mumbai, Lagos together they represent almost a billion people and the world's biggest cities. Should we ignore them because they're not snowy North American/European cities?
- bkor 7y ago
  Not flat? Use an electric bike There's various reasons not to use a bike, e.g. the mentioned way too humid/hot weather. However, the high usage is not due to "flat". Netherlands used to have a very high car usage and pretty much no bike usage.

Ensorceled 7y ago

> As I said, I'm pro-cycling. Good for you, all you hardy souls. But it is a seriously boneheaded point of view to imagine that cycling is going to be more important as a mode of transport than public transport in most of the world under the conditions that exist now. Here in Toronto, Canada, we are building out bike lanes, they are heavily used and it's pretty cheap to dedicate some lanes to bike traffic. They are used ALL year long, even in the snow. Yes, more people use them in the spring, summer, and fall, than in Dec-Feb, but they are used all year long. Your complaints are not based in reality, either in cost or in usage patterns.

efa 7y ago

Yep. There is a small demographic that would even attempt to cycle. And hell no, I'm not riding my bike 20 miles when it's 98 degrees in south Texas. I can't think of anyone I know who'd do that. My typical day: drop my kid off at school (he goes early so can't take the bus), drive to work, pick up groceries on the way home, and then take a bunch of kids to soccer practice. No way a bike works for any of that. I love bikes (and no cars) for downtown areas. But if you live in the suburbs they are just for exercise/hobby for most people.