5 ms·
> People in Finland bike everyday during winter in the snow, there's nothing really stopping you from doing the same Finland gets significantly less snowfall t
by freetime2 4y ago
> People in Finland bike everyday during winter in the snow, there's nothing really stopping you from doing the same
Finland gets significantly less snowfall than we do here in winter (Oulu gets like 1/6 the snow that we get less in January, for example), and it is much colder and drier there which makes for better cycling conditions.
> “Sure, it is easier here than in the south," he said. "-15℃ is much better to cycle in than sleet.” From November to the beginning of April, temperatures usually stay below freezing, with average temperatures in January and February below -10℃.“ This makes for pretty good circumstances,” Vaarala noted, adding that salt is not used on Oulu's streets. Instead, ploughs only clear away the uppermost layer of snow. “The thin layer of remaining snow on the ground gets packed when people cycle on it, and thanks to the snow, you will get a quite good grip.” Simola, who cycles daily, agreed, saying that pedalling on the snow can be even more comfortable than on the bare asphalt.[1]
They also spend a sigificant amount to keep bike lanes clear of snow, which my city does not (they spend a significant portion of their budget already just trying to keep roads passable for cars/trucks). And even then, cycling rates in Finland drop significantly in the winter (from 20% of all trips to 10%), so a lot of people must be choosing not to cycle in the winter.
Basically Finland benefits from a rather unique set of geographical and cultural circumstances, and I don't think what works for them would work everywhere.
[1] https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2021/01/22/meet-the-bike-loving-finnish-city-that-keeps-pedalling-even-in-the-snow https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2021/01/22/meet-the-bike-...
- weberer 4y ago>[Finland] also spends a sigificant amount to keep bike lanes clear of snow Lol, I wish. They just sprinkle some gravel down over the snow and call it a day. Also, I disagree with the parent comment that a lot of people bike here during the winter. It's maybe 1% of the amount of people who bike during the rest of the year.
- freetime2 4y agoI was thinking more specifically about Oulu, which was featured recently in a viral YouTube video about winter cycling [1]. They do seem to have a pretty well-maintained network of bike paths in winter (though admittedly I have never been so I am only going by things I have seen or read). Apologies for generalizing about all of Finland! [1] https://youtu.be/Uhx-26GfCBU https://youtu.be/Uhx-26GfCBU
- haspok 4y agoThis reminded me of a video I saw recently about the Bahamas, whose capital (Nassau) is a small island (~1 hour across via a bike), with near-perfect weather (all-year sunshine, but not too hot, rainfall mostly in the summer), no hills, perfect conditions for biking, right? In spite of the above almost everyone has a car. Public transport is almost non-existent, and bicycles are rare (and of course, there is no bike infrastructure). It is really not about the weather, it is about the mindset.
- psadauskas 4y agoProbably this video, on the Not Just Bikes channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kdz6FeQLuHQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kdz6FeQLuHQ
- anotheruser13 4y agoAre the jitneys gone? That was as close to public transit as they had in Nassau when I was there ages ago. For a couple Bahamian dollars, you could get almost anywhere. Granted, you got to see how the poor people lived, but it was certainly interesting. And it was fun yelling "bus stop" when you wanted to get off.