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But why? It takes a long time to get kids helmeted up and they don’t ride very fast. Not everyone has the leisure to ride bikes everywhere. My kids schools are

But why? It takes a long time to get kids helmeted up and they don’t ride very fast. Not everyone has the leisure to ride bikes everywhere. My kids schools are 10 miles from home and 5 miles from each other. Even with a dedicated bike lane, it would still take dramatically more work to drive. Then, if it rains.. I have to worry about it rain gear for everyone. Then if one kid gets sick at school, I’m supposed to ride my bike from Cupertino to Palo Alto, pick him or her up and then ride to the doctor in Mountain View or wherever? Or little league practice in one part of town while another kid has gymnastics in another part of town? It’s silly that a country as huge as the United States is being compared with the tiny, flat, Netherlands. Some American neighborhoods are larger than entire Dutch towns. The Netherlands doesn’t have Texas hot and humid summers, or California terrain, or Michigan winters. And a 3-4 year old riding to day care? Just how long does it take a kid to ride a bike 5 miles vs. me driving 5 miles? It’s absurd. I get it “let’s hate cars,” but cars are freedom. If I have to run to a CVS at 2am, a bike is the last thing I want to ride. In the event of a natural disaster or an evacuation, are people supposed to ride their bikes to escape a wildfire or a hurricane?Or wait on the city bus? People literally die if they can’t evacuate quickly — and anyone expecting public transportation to be working or effective at evacuations is delusional or living in a perfect dream world where nothing bad ever happens.

systemtest 7y ago
It looks like infrastructure and population density is your issue. Dutch kids ride to school, sports and social activities on their own from around the age of seven. You are the one wasting time driving dozens of miles to drop the kids off everywhere when they could bike on their own while you drive straight to and from work and not worry about the kids. But again, the United States is lacking the infrastructure and population density for this. Yes it's a big country but they could've gone for small dense settlements with everything you need in reach and then big distances between those towns. But having everything spread apart was a cheaper solution.
jakecopp 7y ago
> In the event of a natural disaster or an evacuation, are people supposed to ride their bikes to escape a wildfire or a hurricane? This article is arguing for cycling/public transport infrastructure in city cores. Of course cars (or high speed trains in developed countries) are more suited for travelling large distances. Building more bike lanes in the inner city doesn't stop people from evacuating by car. As another commenter said, density and urban layout problems are one of the major problems relating to your other points. Also - kids love riding bikes by themselves when it's safe, at least myself and my friends did!
rags2riches 7y ago
I think the idea is "let's make cities friendlier for people and bikes" rather than "ban all cars everywhere".
jka 7y ago
Regarding quick evacuation - both in urban environments and rural, cars may not be the great option that you'd initially assume they might be. In rural areas with few roads and sudden population movement, those roads can quickly become congested. This was a big issue for the city of Paradise during evacuation from the Camp Fire last year[0]. In urban environments, large vehicle movements can also become a public safety issue. Try commuting out of a major city at 5pm on a Friday and you'll frequently find delays and congestion at freeway entrances - exactly as you would during a mass exodus. That's not to mention the rush on gas stations[1] which can occur as a subset of car owners realize they have to fill up before leaving town. This in itself will lead to delays and congestion - and even if you yourself have set aside plenty of fuel, you still suffer as a result of those who are less prepared. Neither of these urban problems affect cyclists who can continue even in the presence of road traffic. I'd imagine they'd in fact be more at-risk from frantic and desperate vehicle owners who suddenly realize that using a car is failing and that they want a plan B. Regarding CVS at 2am -- cycling at night can be surprisingly enjoyable since the roads and surroundings are quiet. In some places with cold/wet weather - or with larger distances to travel - it might be less pleasant though. [0] - https://www.apnews.com/e856b9efef7b426a90fd175510cd54dd https://www.apnews.com/e856b9efef7b426a90fd175510cd54dd [1] - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1781922/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1781922/
triceratops 7y ago
You don't ask a 3-year old to ride their bike 5 miles. You put them in a trailer or child carrier. On an electric bike that ride will take about 25 minutes. Considering rush-hour traffic, that's often faster than driving.

systemtest 7y ago

It looks like infrastructure and population density is your issue. Dutch kids ride to school, sports and social activities on their own from around the age of seven. You are the one wasting time driving dozens of miles to drop the kids off everywhere when they could bike on their own while you drive straight to and from work and not worry about the kids. But again, the United States is lacking the infrastructure and population density for this. Yes it's a big country but they could've gone for small dense settlements with everything you need in reach and then big distances between those towns. But having everything spread apart was a cheaper solution.

jakecopp 7y ago

> In the event of a natural disaster or an evacuation, are people supposed to ride their bikes to escape a wildfire or a hurricane? This article is arguing for cycling/public transport infrastructure in city cores. Of course cars (or high speed trains in developed countries) are more suited for travelling large distances. Building more bike lanes in the inner city doesn't stop people from evacuating by car. As another commenter said, density and urban layout problems are one of the major problems relating to your other points. Also - kids love riding bikes by themselves when it's safe, at least myself and my friends did!

rags2riches 7y ago

I think the idea is "let's make cities friendlier for people and bikes" rather than "ban all cars everywhere".

jka 7y ago

Regarding quick evacuation - both in urban environments and rural, cars may not be the great option that you'd initially assume they might be. In rural areas with few roads and sudden population movement, those roads can quickly become congested. This was a big issue for the city of Paradise during evacuation from the Camp Fire last year[0]. In urban environments, large vehicle movements can also become a public safety issue. Try commuting out of a major city at 5pm on a Friday and you'll frequently find delays and congestion at freeway entrances - exactly as you would during a mass exodus. That's not to mention the rush on gas stations[1] which can occur as a subset of car owners realize they have to fill up before leaving town. This in itself will lead to delays and congestion - and even if you yourself have set aside plenty of fuel, you still suffer as a result of those who are less prepared. Neither of these urban problems affect cyclists who can continue even in the presence of road traffic. I'd imagine they'd in fact be more at-risk from frantic and desperate vehicle owners who suddenly realize that using a car is failing and that they want a plan B. Regarding CVS at 2am -- cycling at night can be surprisingly enjoyable since the roads and surroundings are quiet. In some places with cold/wet weather - or with larger distances to travel - it might be less pleasant though. [0] - https://www.apnews.com/e856b9efef7b426a90fd175510cd54dd https://www.apnews.com/e856b9efef7b426a90fd175510cd54dd [1] - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1781922/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1781922/

triceratops 7y ago

You don't ask a 3-year old to ride their bike 5 miles. You put them in a trailer or child carrier. On an electric bike that ride will take about 25 minutes. Considering rush-hour traffic, that's often faster than driving.