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We can do a lot of things by bike here in the Netherlands, it is great. Shopping centers are almost always within 10/15 minutes reach by biking. Supermarkets ar

by tiku 4y ago

We can do a lot of things by bike here in the Netherlands, it is great. Shopping centers are almost always within 10/15 minutes reach by biking. Supermarkets are usually closer.

phkahler 4y ago
What are the demographics like? Do elderly people ride much? Are they trapped at home? What about the weather? How is biking in the rain or snow? On the upside, I suspect people are in better physical condition.
- piva00 4y ago
  > Are they trapped at home? No, if they can't bike there's always public transportation. If they can't even move in a wheelchair then yeah, I think you'd be trapped anywhere in the world without a caretaker.
- seper8 4y ago
  If anything elderly people are biking more than their younger (18+) counterparts...
- DoubleFree 4y ago
  Elderly people also use bikes and often transition to electric bikes or sometimes tricycles if needed. As other people have commented, public transportation in The Netherlands is also quite decent, so that also sees much use by the elderly.
- Someone 4y ago
  https://www.statista.com/statistics/620201/average-biking-distance-per-person-per-day-netherlands-by-age/ https://www.statista.com/statistics/620201/average-biking-di... shows that in km/person/day, the 65 to 75 years old beat all other age categories, except for the 12-18 year old. So yes, they cycle.
- masklinn 4y ago
  > Do elderly people ride much? Yes. There are also assistive devices like tricycles, mobility scooters and canta (enclosed microcars). And bikeable neighbourhood also tend to be a lot more walkable. And the netherlands have extensive public transportation networks > Are they trapped at home? Much less so than in the US, as they don’t need the ability to drive to get out. They are also significantly less dangerous to themselves and others, as they don't need to keep driving way past the age where they should really stop. > What about the weather? How is biking in the rain or snow? As they say in Scandinavia, climate is a clothing concern. Biking in the rain is a habit. It doesn’t snow that much in the Netherlands, but Finns do just fine (NJB has a video on Oulu, Finland, where people cycle year round and there’s 10~20 inches of snow from January to March).
  - soco 4y ago
    I've seen fat tire bikes doing very well in fresh snow so there are solutions to everything.
    - vanilla_nut 4y ago
      You don't even need a dedicated fat tire bike if your city or town clears snow regularly. Studded tires can fit on just about any commuter bicycle!
- yanboss 4y ago
  There are a lot of elderly people now riding e-bikes. So they are able to travel at up to 25 km/h without requiring a high level of fitness or strength.
- deleted 4y ago
  [deleted]
- TheCoelacanth 4y ago
  Anecdotally, my grandfather (in the US) had an adult sized tricycle that he rode long after he was no longer capable of driving. If anything, I think car-centric cities are more likely to trap people at home than the alternative.

by tiku 4y ago

We can do a lot of things by bike here in the Netherlands, it is great. Shopping centers are almost always within 10/15 minutes reach by biking. Supermarkets are usually closer.

phkahler 4y ago

What are the demographics like? Do elderly people ride much? Are they trapped at home? What about the weather? How is biking in the rain or snow? On the upside, I suspect people are in better physical condition.

piva00 4y ago
> Are they trapped at home? No, if they can't bike there's always public transportation. If they can't even move in a wheelchair then yeah, I think you'd be trapped anywhere in the world without a caretaker.
seper8 4y ago
If anything elderly people are biking more than their younger (18+) counterparts...
DoubleFree 4y ago
Elderly people also use bikes and often transition to electric bikes or sometimes tricycles if needed. As other people have commented, public transportation in The Netherlands is also quite decent, so that also sees much use by the elderly.
Someone 4y ago
https://www.statista.com/statistics/620201/average-biking-distance-per-person-per-day-netherlands-by-age/ https://www.statista.com/statistics/620201/average-biking-di... shows that in km/person/day, the 65 to 75 years old beat all other age categories, except for the 12-18 year old. So yes, they cycle.
masklinn 4y ago
> Do elderly people ride much? Yes. There are also assistive devices like tricycles, mobility scooters and canta (enclosed microcars). And bikeable neighbourhood also tend to be a lot more walkable. And the netherlands have extensive public transportation networks > Are they trapped at home? Much less so than in the US, as they don’t need the ability to drive to get out. They are also significantly less dangerous to themselves and others, as they don't need to keep driving way past the age where they should really stop. > What about the weather? How is biking in the rain or snow? As they say in Scandinavia, climate is a clothing concern. Biking in the rain is a habit. It doesn’t snow that much in the Netherlands, but Finns do just fine (NJB has a video on Oulu, Finland, where people cycle year round and there’s 10~20 inches of snow from January to March).
- soco 4y ago
  I've seen fat tire bikes doing very well in fresh snow so there are solutions to everything.
  - vanilla_nut 4y ago
    You don't even need a dedicated fat tire bike if your city or town clears snow regularly. Studded tires can fit on just about any commuter bicycle!
yanboss 4y ago
There are a lot of elderly people now riding e-bikes. So they are able to travel at up to 25 km/h without requiring a high level of fitness or strength.
deleted 4y ago
[deleted]
TheCoelacanth 4y ago
Anecdotally, my grandfather (in the US) had an adult sized tricycle that he rode long after he was no longer capable of driving. If anything, I think car-centric cities are more likely to trap people at home than the alternative.