3 ms·

In terms of bandwidth and latency, bikes can be much closer together (high bandwidth) but have high latency.

andylynch 5y ago
That’s assuming your traffic is free flowing. In city traffic it’s not at all unusual for bike to match or exceed cars’ speed. For example the average speed of traffic in inner London is less than 12mph (in the centre its more like 7).
- stephen_g 5y ago
  Yeah, I got an electric scooter a few months ago. It’s always fun going along the separated bikeway alongside one of the big six to eight lane freeways coming in and out of the middle of the city I live in, and at some times even at 25 km/h still going faster than the car traffic!
chronogram 5y ago
In the part of the Netherlands where I live it's not uncommon for a bicycle to be faster than a car at reaching a destination, because it's very dense in the north so your destination is likely in an area where cars can't go faster than 30 and you on a bicycle would go 20 but are far more manoeuvrable and can take shortcuts and don't have to park, additionally you don't get stuck in traffic on the bike lane because you can pass people as people are not allowed to cycle with more than two side by side and due to the quick acceleration people move aside if you ring your bell. That's why in the dense north and the cities it's often faster to go by bicycle and probably why the electric bikes are a popular alternative to cars for people with limited physical ability. Elsewhere less dense it's probably a different story if you have to travel a few kilometres over a 60 km/h road to reach your destination.
- dTal 5y ago
  Not only the Netherlands; even without dedicated cycling infrastructure, cycling will be faster for distances under a couple miles for pretty much any walkable town or city. Deliveroo uses bicycles extensively.
- acdha 5y ago
  It’s the same here in Washington DC: bikes are faster for most trips, especially e-bikes, unless you’re going all the way across the city (10mi square) on a handful of routes and have parking available next to your destination. That last part is something which drivers usually leave out in their travel time estimates: off-peak, a car can often go faster to the general area but the time needed to find parking, pay, and walk back usually cancels any savings several times over.

That’s assuming your traffic is free flowing. In city traffic it’s not at all unusual for bike to match or exceed cars’ speed. For example the average speed of traffic in inner London is less than 12mph (in the centre its more like 7).

stephen_g 5y ago
Yeah, I got an electric scooter a few months ago. It’s always fun going along the separated bikeway alongside one of the big six to eight lane freeways coming in and out of the middle of the city I live in, and at some times even at 25 km/h still going faster than the car traffic!

chronogram 5y ago

In the part of the Netherlands where I live it's not uncommon for a bicycle to be faster than a car at reaching a destination, because it's very dense in the north so your destination is likely in an area where cars can't go faster than 30 and you on a bicycle would go 20 but are far more manoeuvrable and can take shortcuts and don't have to park, additionally you don't get stuck in traffic on the bike lane because you can pass people as people are not allowed to cycle with more than two side by side and due to the quick acceleration people move aside if you ring your bell. That's why in the dense north and the cities it's often faster to go by bicycle and probably why the electric bikes are a popular alternative to cars for people with limited physical ability. Elsewhere less dense it's probably a different story if you have to travel a few kilometres over a 60 km/h road to reach your destination.

dTal 5y ago
Not only the Netherlands; even without dedicated cycling infrastructure, cycling will be faster for distances under a couple miles for pretty much any walkable town or city. Deliveroo uses bicycles extensively.
acdha 5y ago
It’s the same here in Washington DC: bikes are faster for most trips, especially e-bikes, unless you’re going all the way across the city (10mi square) on a handful of routes and have parking available next to your destination. That last part is something which drivers usually leave out in their travel time estimates: off-peak, a car can often go faster to the general area but the time needed to find parking, pay, and walk back usually cancels any savings several times over.