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When I lived in Houston I would bike to work occasionally but it’s not a pleasant thing to do 4-6 months out of the year. Even walking to the bus stop at 8am in

When I lived in Houston I would bike to work occasionally but it’s not a pleasant thing to do 4-6 months out of the year. Even walking to the bus stop at 8am in the summer I would be sweating. People who harp on Houston for being designed around cars (notably the “Not Just Bikes” channel on YouTube) usually live somewhere like the Netherlands with moderate weather and never address just how uncomfortable it is to be outside in Houston half the year. It also rains heavily in Houston quite frequently (90 days of rain/year). I would love more walkable infra but I don’t blame anyone for not wanting to walk in Houston.

hombre_fatal 2y ago
Bikes are cooling as transportation, even in Houston. I think people who never bike as transportation, only exercise, don't understand that you can pedal around at like 20% exertion which gives you constant wind.
teetertater 2y ago
A substantial contributor to that heat is asphalt and concrete though (absorbs heat and releases it at night). And to make it worse there's no tree cover. Winter is also more manageable if you don't have to wait 20 mins for a bus in an uncleared snowbank just because non-car mobility is second-class
- Nicholas_C 2y ago
  True. Another issue with all the concrete is that it doesn't absorb rain and has made the constant flooding worse. Zero tree cover is also a shame, there are hundreds of miles of concrete bike and walking paths along the bayous that would be great for commuting but most of it has zero tree cover so you're just baking in the sun.
  - Kon-Peki 2y ago
    The older parts of Houston have massive oak trees that provide a lot of shade (and acorns the size of walnuts). But the older houses aren't large enough for modern Houstonians (roll your eyes here); when you tear it down to build a McMansion the trees also have to go. The elementary school near my friend's house had a playground that was 100% shaded by just two massive trees. They tore the school down for a modern replacement. The new playground has no shade at all, not even those stretched fabric triangles you see all over the southern US.
    - underlipton 2y ago
      Caring about nature that you can't shoot or eat is for pansy leftist tree-huggers. Especially if you work in a manly field full of manly men like construction. /s
      - Kon-Peki 2y ago
        This seems unnecessarily bait-y, but you can probably assume that the people who planted those trees in Houston weren't tree-huggers either, they were just practical. And lived in an era where "wasting money" wasn't as socially acceptable as it is now.
        paulryanrogers 2y ago
        Before air conditioning shade from trees was one of the only ways to endure the heat. I bought a 70yo house with trees nearly on top of the house, and the old neighbors said it was intended to combat the heat.
- vel0city 2y ago
  As someone who grew up playing in the bayous out in the suburbs of Houston, even away from the concrete the humidity and heat are oppressive in the summertime.
hammock 2y ago
Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Montevideo, San Juan (PR) are all tropical cities hotter than Houston, roughly the same size, and are very walkable
- Nicholas_C 2y ago
  I don't know the distinct history of those cities but Houston's population didn't hit 1 million until the 1960s, nearly all of its growth has taken place in a car-centric world. At least 3/4 four of those cities have been around for a long time pre-car and I suspect weren't designed with cars in mind.
  - hammock 2y ago
    How about Miami, e.g Miami Beach and downtown Miami, both extremely walkable? Like Houston, Miami did not reach 1 million pop until the 60s. Or Panama City, did not reach 1 mil until the 90s And "designed with cars in mind" is part of the problem, is it not? Using that as a filter is like saying "there are no parking garages with good canoeing routes"
    - underlipton 2y ago
      Depends on the time of year, I suppose. https://www.google.com/search?q=miami+flooding&udm=2 https://www.google.com/search?q=miami+flooding&udm=2
  - nostrademons 2y ago
    More to the point, nearly all of that growth has taken place in an air-conditioned world. Urbanization of the U.S. South really only took off once the air-conditioner became mainstream. Those other cities have a population that is adjusted to the heat - they grew up with it, their ancestors grew up with it, they're genetically and culturally adjusted to the climate. By contrast, the U.S. South includes a large number of immigrants who are only there because air conditioning exists. It's a mystery why anyone would want to walk around in 100 degree heat with 90% humidity, because they certainly wouldn't.
  - 2y ago
jodrellblank 2y ago
NotJustBikes went to Houston, tried to walk from the hotel to a suitcase shop 1-2km away, and found it too dangerous, not too hot. He doesn't say "everyone in Houston should walk everywhere all the time" he says "Houston is designed so you can't safely walk even if the distance is short and you want to". > "I would love more walkable infra but I don’t blame anyone for not wanting to walk in Houston." But the relevant part is people who do want to, but can't.
- Nicholas_C 2y ago
  I don’t remember Not Just Bikes mentioning the sweltering heat and humidity in his video but it wouldn’t surprise me if he conveniently left it out or brushed over it. But my point is that Houston is designed the way it is because very few people want to walk in 100 degree humid weather. It was mostly built after cars were invented so it reflects that.
- julian_t 2y ago
  A few years ago I visited a company in New Jersey, in a business park just off the 1 - a bunch of office buildings and a business hotel in a little enclave. I could see the office across the road from the hotel, but there was no easy way to get there on foot because there were no sidewalks, or indeed any other concessions to pedestrians. I had to walk through the car park, push through a hedge, climb down the grassy bank, and the do the same in reverse on the other side of the road. Reception had seriously recommended that I took a cab about 100 yards.
  - ben_w 2y ago
    Even when the pedestrian infrastructure exists, it's not always good. There's sidewalks and crosswalks between The Cupertino Hotel and One Infinite Loop, but they are terrifying to use because of how wide and busy that intervening junction is. https://maps.app.goo.gl/3erCVaBPq49A7bgL9?g_st=ic https://maps.app.goo.gl/3erCVaBPq49A7bgL9?g_st=ic Walking to that hotel from San Jose was a mistake, incredibly hot even in winter and no shade, but it was possible — though I did have to switch which side of the road I was on several times because the sidewalk just stopped.
nox101 2y ago
I haven't been to Houston. But, people living in Singapore (near the equator) take public transportation and walk. So do people in Japan where it also ridiculously hot and humid. Japan also has just as many if not more rainy days than Houston and Singapore has double. I'm not saying I get why people would not want to walk. Only that it's common to do so anyway.
shiroiushi 2y ago
>People who harp on Houston for being designed around cars (notably the “Not Just Bikes” channel on YouTube) usually live somewhere like the Netherlands with moderate weather and never address just how uncomfortable it is to be outside in Houston half the year. It also rains heavily in Houston quite frequently (90 days of rain/year). >I would love more walkable infra but I don’t blame anyone for not wanting to walk in Houston. Here in Tokyo, it's also quite hot, and extremely humid during the summer. Rain is very common during the summer as well, and we have typhoons too. Even so, everyone walks here, and lots of people (including moms with little kids) ride bicycles too, rain or shine.
- rufus_foreman 2y ago
  >> Here in Tokyo, it's also quite hot, and extremely humid during the summer Here are two weatherspark links for Tokyo and Houston: https://weatherspark.com/y/143809/Average-Weather-in-Tokyo-Japan-Year-Round https://weatherspark.com/y/143809/Average-Weather-in-Tokyo-J... https://weatherspark.com/y/9247/Average-Weather-in-Houston-Texas-United-States-Year-Round https://weatherspark.com/y/9247/Average-Weather-in-Houston-T... Scroll down to the "Humidity Comfort Levels" sections of those two pages. Those are not the same things. Tokyo is very different from Houston. Having just gotten back from south Texas, I know this.
  - deleted 2y ago
    [deleted]
- seoulmetro 2y ago
  I never understood why people compare places like Houston and Tokyo... Do these people lack any form of logical reasoning? It's the reason why the saying "apples to oranges" exists. Do you know how dumb it sounds to compare two entirely different places as if they should relate?

hombre_fatal 2y ago

Bikes are cooling as transportation, even in Houston. I think people who never bike as transportation, only exercise, don't understand that you can pedal around at like 20% exertion which gives you constant wind.

teetertater 2y ago

A substantial contributor to that heat is asphalt and concrete though (absorbs heat and releases it at night). And to make it worse there's no tree cover. Winter is also more manageable if you don't have to wait 20 mins for a bus in an uncleared snowbank just because non-car mobility is second-class

Nicholas_C 2y ago
True. Another issue with all the concrete is that it doesn't absorb rain and has made the constant flooding worse. Zero tree cover is also a shame, there are hundreds of miles of concrete bike and walking paths along the bayous that would be great for commuting but most of it has zero tree cover so you're just baking in the sun.
- Kon-Peki 2y ago
  The older parts of Houston have massive oak trees that provide a lot of shade (and acorns the size of walnuts). But the older houses aren't large enough for modern Houstonians (roll your eyes here); when you tear it down to build a McMansion the trees also have to go. The elementary school near my friend's house had a playground that was 100% shaded by just two massive trees. They tore the school down for a modern replacement. The new playground has no shade at all, not even those stretched fabric triangles you see all over the southern US.
  - underlipton 2y ago
    Caring about nature that you can't shoot or eat is for pansy leftist tree-huggers. Especially if you work in a manly field full of manly men like construction. /s
    - Kon-Peki 2y ago
      This seems unnecessarily bait-y, but you can probably assume that the people who planted those trees in Houston weren't tree-huggers either, they were just practical. And lived in an era where "wasting money" wasn't as socially acceptable as it is now.
      - paulryanrogers 2y ago
        Before air conditioning shade from trees was one of the only ways to endure the heat. I bought a 70yo house with trees nearly on top of the house, and the old neighbors said it was intended to combat the heat.
vel0city 2y ago
As someone who grew up playing in the bayous out in the suburbs of Houston, even away from the concrete the humidity and heat are oppressive in the summertime.

hammock 2y ago

Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Montevideo, San Juan (PR) are all tropical cities hotter than Houston, roughly the same size, and are very walkable

Nicholas_C 2y ago
I don't know the distinct history of those cities but Houston's population didn't hit 1 million until the 1960s, nearly all of its growth has taken place in a car-centric world. At least 3/4 four of those cities have been around for a long time pre-car and I suspect weren't designed with cars in mind.
- hammock 2y ago
  How about Miami, e.g Miami Beach and downtown Miami, both extremely walkable? Like Houston, Miami did not reach 1 million pop until the 60s. Or Panama City, did not reach 1 mil until the 90s And "designed with cars in mind" is part of the problem, is it not? Using that as a filter is like saying "there are no parking garages with good canoeing routes"
  - underlipton 2y ago
    Depends on the time of year, I suppose. https://www.google.com/search?q=miami+flooding&udm=2 https://www.google.com/search?q=miami+flooding&udm=2
- nostrademons 2y ago
  More to the point, nearly all of that growth has taken place in an air-conditioned world. Urbanization of the U.S. South really only took off once the air-conditioner became mainstream. Those other cities have a population that is adjusted to the heat - they grew up with it, their ancestors grew up with it, they're genetically and culturally adjusted to the climate. By contrast, the U.S. South includes a large number of immigrants who are only there because air conditioning exists. It's a mystery why anyone would want to walk around in 100 degree heat with 90% humidity, because they certainly wouldn't.
- 2y ago

jodrellblank 2y ago

NotJustBikes went to Houston, tried to walk from the hotel to a suitcase shop 1-2km away, and found it too dangerous, not too hot. He doesn't say "everyone in Houston should walk everywhere all the time" he says "Houston is designed so you can't safely walk even if the distance is short and you want to". > "I would love more walkable infra but I don’t blame anyone for not wanting to walk in Houston." But the relevant part is people who do want to, but can't.

Nicholas_C 2y ago
I don’t remember Not Just Bikes mentioning the sweltering heat and humidity in his video but it wouldn’t surprise me if he conveniently left it out or brushed over it. But my point is that Houston is designed the way it is because very few people want to walk in 100 degree humid weather. It was mostly built after cars were invented so it reflects that.
julian_t 2y ago
A few years ago I visited a company in New Jersey, in a business park just off the 1 - a bunch of office buildings and a business hotel in a little enclave. I could see the office across the road from the hotel, but there was no easy way to get there on foot because there were no sidewalks, or indeed any other concessions to pedestrians. I had to walk through the car park, push through a hedge, climb down the grassy bank, and the do the same in reverse on the other side of the road. Reception had seriously recommended that I took a cab about 100 yards.
- ben_w 2y ago
  Even when the pedestrian infrastructure exists, it's not always good. There's sidewalks and crosswalks between The Cupertino Hotel and One Infinite Loop, but they are terrifying to use because of how wide and busy that intervening junction is. https://maps.app.goo.gl/3erCVaBPq49A7bgL9?g_st=ic https://maps.app.goo.gl/3erCVaBPq49A7bgL9?g_st=ic Walking to that hotel from San Jose was a mistake, incredibly hot even in winter and no shade, but it was possible — though I did have to switch which side of the road I was on several times because the sidewalk just stopped.

nox101 2y ago

I haven't been to Houston. But, people living in Singapore (near the equator) take public transportation and walk. So do people in Japan where it also ridiculously hot and humid. Japan also has just as many if not more rainy days than Houston and Singapore has double. I'm not saying I get why people would not want to walk. Only that it's common to do so anyway.

shiroiushi 2y ago

>People who harp on Houston for being designed around cars (notably the “Not Just Bikes” channel on YouTube) usually live somewhere like the Netherlands with moderate weather and never address just how uncomfortable it is to be outside in Houston half the year. It also rains heavily in Houston quite frequently (90 days of rain/year). >I would love more walkable infra but I don’t blame anyone for not wanting to walk in Houston. Here in Tokyo, it's also quite hot, and extremely humid during the summer. Rain is very common during the summer as well, and we have typhoons too. Even so, everyone walks here, and lots of people (including moms with little kids) ride bicycles too, rain or shine.

rufus_foreman 2y ago
>> Here in Tokyo, it's also quite hot, and extremely humid during the summer Here are two weatherspark links for Tokyo and Houston: https://weatherspark.com/y/143809/Average-Weather-in-Tokyo-Japan-Year-Round https://weatherspark.com/y/143809/Average-Weather-in-Tokyo-J... https://weatherspark.com/y/9247/Average-Weather-in-Houston-Texas-United-States-Year-Round https://weatherspark.com/y/9247/Average-Weather-in-Houston-T... Scroll down to the "Humidity Comfort Levels" sections of those two pages. Those are not the same things. Tokyo is very different from Houston. Having just gotten back from south Texas, I know this.
- deleted 2y ago
  [deleted]
seoulmetro 2y ago
I never understood why people compare places like Houston and Tokyo... Do these people lack any form of logical reasoning? It's the reason why the saying "apples to oranges" exists. Do you know how dumb it sounds to compare two entirely different places as if they should relate?