4 ms·

“There’s no such thing as bad weather”.

FredPret 6y ago
Try cycling through 3ft of snow or on ice... with snow-plows lumbering by. Even if you're walking, -20C and below is just too damn cold even if you have proper gear.
- estebank 6y ago
  > Try cycling through 3ft of snow or on ice... with snow-plows lumbering by. That sounds like bad infrastructure, which admittedly is the default almost everywhere.
  - FredPret 6y ago
    Practically speaking, keeping 100% of the ice off of even well-used sidewalks 100% of the time all winter long isn't going to happen. All it takes is one patch of black ice and you can have a very serious bike crash. There's also a safety issue in that if you're in that kind of cold for long enough, it'll kill you, jacket or no jacket.
    - estebank 6y ago
      > Practically speaking, keeping 100% of the ice off of even well-used sidewalks 100% of the time all winter long isn't going to happen. Again, it's a matter of infrastructure and priorities: https://youtu.be/Uhx-26GfCBU?t=260 https://youtu.be/Uhx-26GfCBU?t=260 > There's also a safety issue in that if you're in that kind of cold for long enough, it'll kill you, jacket or no jacket. In any situation where being outside for the time a commute could take would kill you, roads wouldn't be safe to be driven on.
      - FredPret 6y ago
        I’m genuinely surprised by that video. That would certainly make Canadian winters more cyclable. However, what if you have a 30-60 min commute and it’s -20, -30 out? You can easily drive that, but cycling is another matter.
        estebank 6y ago
        I'm glad you found the video useful. Bikes are but a means to an end: decreased traffic, reduced urban pollution and safer streets. Getting more people on bikes means fewer people on cars. Reducing traffic also require good and frequent public transport for both people of reduced mobility and weather events. Most situations were buses or trains are disrupted is a time when driving isn't quite safe either. And cars aren't going to go away, what you want to do is affect the margins: the 2 mile drive to get milk that would 1) ideally not have to be 2 miles and 2) trivially cycleable in safe infrastructure. I am also of the belief that increased density should be a goal, for multiple reasons, which would make the need of 60 minutes commutes unnecessary for most, with the lovely side-effect that people that desire a suburban lifestyle can still have it and the equation for both bicycles and public transit a no-brainer.
- doikor 6y ago
  The cycling paths should have the same priority as roads for cars. So if the weather is that bad you are not driving to work using your car or taking a bus either.
abfan1127 6y ago
uhh, I tried cycling in Phoenix in Summer. When the heat from the sun above, the heat from the cement below, and the heat from the cars beside me, I quickly realized this is dumb. My commute was only 6 miles, and I arrived at home fully consumed 3 Liters of water with what appeared to be 3 Liters of sweat collected in my shirt and shorts. It also took an hour to cool down.

Try cycling through 3ft of snow or on ice... with snow-plows lumbering by. Even if you're walking, -20C and below is just too damn cold even if you have proper gear.

estebank 6y ago
> Try cycling through 3ft of snow or on ice... with snow-plows lumbering by. That sounds like bad infrastructure, which admittedly is the default almost everywhere.
- FredPret 6y ago
  Practically speaking, keeping 100% of the ice off of even well-used sidewalks 100% of the time all winter long isn't going to happen. All it takes is one patch of black ice and you can have a very serious bike crash. There's also a safety issue in that if you're in that kind of cold for long enough, it'll kill you, jacket or no jacket.
  - estebank 6y ago
    > Practically speaking, keeping 100% of the ice off of even well-used sidewalks 100% of the time all winter long isn't going to happen. Again, it's a matter of infrastructure and priorities: https://youtu.be/Uhx-26GfCBU?t=260 https://youtu.be/Uhx-26GfCBU?t=260 > There's also a safety issue in that if you're in that kind of cold for long enough, it'll kill you, jacket or no jacket. In any situation where being outside for the time a commute could take would kill you, roads wouldn't be safe to be driven on.
    - FredPret 6y ago
      I’m genuinely surprised by that video. That would certainly make Canadian winters more cyclable. However, what if you have a 30-60 min commute and it’s -20, -30 out? You can easily drive that, but cycling is another matter.
      - estebank 6y ago
        I'm glad you found the video useful. Bikes are but a means to an end: decreased traffic, reduced urban pollution and safer streets. Getting more people on bikes means fewer people on cars. Reducing traffic also require good and frequent public transport for both people of reduced mobility and weather events. Most situations were buses or trains are disrupted is a time when driving isn't quite safe either. And cars aren't going to go away, what you want to do is affect the margins: the 2 mile drive to get milk that would 1) ideally not have to be 2 miles and 2) trivially cycleable in safe infrastructure. I am also of the belief that increased density should be a goal, for multiple reasons, which would make the need of 60 minutes commutes unnecessary for most, with the lovely side-effect that people that desire a suburban lifestyle can still have it and the equation for both bicycles and public transit a no-brainer.
doikor 6y ago
The cycling paths should have the same priority as roads for cars. So if the weather is that bad you are not driving to work using your car or taking a bus either.

abfan1127 6y ago

uhh, I tried cycling in Phoenix in Summer. When the heat from the sun above, the heat from the cement below, and the heat from the cars beside me, I quickly realized this is dumb. My commute was only 6 miles, and I arrived at home fully consumed 3 Liters of water with what appeared to be 3 Liters of sweat collected in my shirt and shorts. It also took an hour to cool down.