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In large parts of the US, suburban distances and very bad biking weather make e-bikes cover relatively few use cases: When a shopping trip is a 15 minute car dr
by hibikir 3y ago
In large parts of the US, suburban distances and very bad biking weather make e-bikes cover relatively few use cases: When a shopping trip is a 15 minute car drive, and a typical commute to work is 40 minutes, the e-bike doesn't win at all. Perfect lanes don't cut bad distances, 100F summers or -10F winters. And often yes, what we see in US bike infrastructure is unsafe, leading to basically no cyclist using it.
Bikes are great when your development pattern is Netherlands-like: Not dense enough for serious public transport to the home, or to do everything on foot, yet not so light that many trips go past 10 miles. I bet there's a few large metro areas that could support this, but in a lot of the country, it's not about unsafe lanes.
- bobthepanda 3y agoI think there is more here than meets the eye. The modern suburban arterial often has light cycles measured in a few minutes, which adds up if you're hitting a bunch of them. Dedicated bike infrastructure, even at high volumes, does not require coming to a full stop, so while the top speed might be lower, the average is more competitive than it appears. And grade separating a bike lane is a lot easier than a whole suburban road.
- campl3r 3y agoWeather is not a major factor in ridership given good infrastructure.
- devilbunny 3y agoOn what planet? Finns ride bikes in very cold weather, but what do you do about New Orleans, where it's 75 F at 4 AM with 100% humidity? You absolutely need showers at work for anyone who is going to bike in because they will be covered in sweat. A lot more people in this world live in the tropics than the frigid north.
- okr 3y agoFrigid north? What are you implying?
- devilbunny 3y agoIt’s cold close to the poles, right? Been that way every time I’ve gotten near.
- okr 3y agoMaybe it would not be that cold, if
- devilbunny 3y agoIf what?