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This past week, I discovered and watched pretty much all of Not Just Bikes's videos. For me, it has been like waking up out of the Matrix to see that all of my

This past week, I discovered and watched pretty much all of Not Just Bikes's videos. For me, it has been like waking up out of the Matrix to see that all of my surroundings are artificial and bad. I'm sharing on HN because I think this will resonate with the upbringing of other North Americans. I also feel that the current push to get everyone out of their gas cars and into electric cars is still ignoring an extraordinary hole in American infrastructure -- the possibility of not driving a car in the first place.

jimmaswell 5y ago
There are lots of packed in little towns and big cities if you want to walk everywhere. I like it much better as it is more spread out where I am with trees and privacy.
richjdsmith 5y ago
I’m a massive fan as well. Found it about 4 months ago and it has changed my level of civic engagement in my small town. I am actively involved in the future of my town’s cycling infrastructure and it is in a large part due to these videos.
8bitsrule 5y ago
In the US it's long seemed obvious that cars have way too much privilege. (Just tonight I was honked at by a driver who wanted to use the intersection I was crossing.) Yet, while we've had ideas floated for decades (e.g. limiting auto-traffic on downtown streets, as in Tokyo), it seems that not-driving keeps getting pushed away by something else. Malls disappearing? Amazon appears. (Humor: a person I knoe has been able to rebuild their only car because all the parts are being delivered - from everywhere in the country.) Covid appears and mass-transit takes a big hit ... and Zoom appears to keep people home from work and school. Someplace in the US has to be the first to try the Amsterdam way. But, given our habits built by 80 years of politics and conditioning (the Freeways were built under the direction of the former CEO of GM !) ... who'll be able to be the first?

jimmaswell 5y ago

There are lots of packed in little towns and big cities if you want to walk everywhere. I like it much better as it is more spread out where I am with trees and privacy.

richjdsmith 5y ago

I’m a massive fan as well. Found it about 4 months ago and it has changed my level of civic engagement in my small town. I am actively involved in the future of my town’s cycling infrastructure and it is in a large part due to these videos.

8bitsrule 5y ago

In the US it's long seemed obvious that cars have way too much privilege. (Just tonight I was honked at by a driver who wanted to use the intersection I was crossing.) Yet, while we've had ideas floated for decades (e.g. limiting auto-traffic on downtown streets, as in Tokyo), it seems that not-driving keeps getting pushed away by something else. Malls disappearing? Amazon appears. (Humor: a person I knoe has been able to rebuild their only car because all the parts are being delivered - from everywhere in the country.) Covid appears and mass-transit takes a big hit ... and Zoom appears to keep people home from work and school. Someplace in the US has to be the first to try the Amsterdam way. But, given our habits built by 80 years of politics and conditioning (the Freeways were built under the direction of the former CEO of GM !) ... who'll be able to be the first?