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> We have waaaay too many overweight/obese people An e-bike doesn't care if you're overweight or obese. It might reduce range a little bit... But it's not an i

> We have waaaay too many overweight/obese people An e-bike doesn't care if you're overweight or obese. It might reduce range a little bit... But it's not an impediment to riding. Additionally in Denmark one can see a lot of out-of-shape people riding manual (non-electric) bikes. Urban biking does not require athleticism, just as suburban driving does not require the skills of a NASCAR driver. > there would have to be a sacrifice in terms of automobiles for this to truly work. I find it highly doubtful that Americans would be willing to make that trade Cities that are investing in better non-automobile infrastructure are seeing people move to other modes of transportation. In many places there's literally no more room to expand highways. That's why voters in places like LA and Seattle are writing billion-dollar checks to build out sustainable transportation infrastructure. > We talk about how the middle/lower class feels a sense of generational wealth loss, a major push to move people to bicycles from cars would really drive(no pun intended) that message home. The average American pays about $800/month in auto-expenses. I think I spend an average of $20/month maintaining my bike. All that extra money can be used for whatever your interests might be... eating at interesting restaurants, travel, indulging in a hobby, paying down student loans, etc.

riversflow 7y ago
It doesn’t matter if a fat person /can/ ride a bike, if they perceive it to be more difficult, chances are they won’t. Adoption is a huge part of the problem and comparing adoption in a country that already has the infrastructure and public perception work out is laughable. Also a good time to point out that an overweight person is much more at risk of injury on a bike, and we don’t have universal healthcare. When you hit a curb in a car, you screw up your alignment, when you do it on a bike you crash into the ground, if you are unlucky it could be bad. While we’re talking about the average American, I’m getting (on mobile) that the average commute in the US is 16 miles, that’s a long way on a bike, especially if hills and inclement weather are involved. Denmark is a highly urbanized country with a temperate climate, unlike vast swaths of the US, and it is also mostly flat. A big part of that $800 monthly cost is related to how cars are treated as status symbols. My monthly cost of ownership is closer to $100, all thing included, and I can travel to and from work at 70 mph comfortably in virtual any conditions. People are going to feel absolutely miserable biking to work at their minimum wage job in inclement weather. Also >Urban biking doesn’t require athleticism While I agree in principle seems factually untrue in the US in my experience. The people I know who haven’t been hit by a car/bus on their bike skews strongly towards the fit crowd. You have to be fast, agile and alert to not get hit in the US, sadly. I’m also going to call BS on the west coast actually getting anything done on the mass transit front, possibly Seattle, I’m less familiar with how things get done there, but in California a billion dollars doesn’t go very far at all in the construction biz, don’t forget that the Eastern span of the bay bridge cost $6.5B, took over a decade, and had 0 costs associated with land acquisition and zoning. The high speed rail project is proving to be also be an enormous boondoggle.

riversflow 7y ago

It doesn’t matter if a fat person /can/ ride a bike, if they perceive it to be more difficult, chances are they won’t. Adoption is a huge part of the problem and comparing adoption in a country that already has the infrastructure and public perception work out is laughable. Also a good time to point out that an overweight person is much more at risk of injury on a bike, and we don’t have universal healthcare. When you hit a curb in a car, you screw up your alignment, when you do it on a bike you crash into the ground, if you are unlucky it could be bad. While we’re talking about the average American, I’m getting (on mobile) that the average commute in the US is 16 miles, that’s a long way on a bike, especially if hills and inclement weather are involved. Denmark is a highly urbanized country with a temperate climate, unlike vast swaths of the US, and it is also mostly flat. A big part of that $800 monthly cost is related to how cars are treated as status symbols. My monthly cost of ownership is closer to $100, all thing included, and I can travel to and from work at 70 mph comfortably in virtual any conditions. People are going to feel absolutely miserable biking to work at their minimum wage job in inclement weather. Also >Urban biking doesn’t require athleticism While I agree in principle seems factually untrue in the US in my experience. The people I know who haven’t been hit by a car/bus on their bike skews strongly towards the fit crowd. You have to be fast, agile and alert to not get hit in the US, sadly. I’m also going to call BS on the west coast actually getting anything done on the mass transit front, possibly Seattle, I’m less familiar with how things get done there, but in California a billion dollars doesn’t go very far at all in the construction biz, don’t forget that the Eastern span of the bay bridge cost $6.5B, took over a decade, and had 0 costs associated with land acquisition and zoning. The high speed rail project is proving to be also be an enormous boondoggle.