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> Second, it's not just games. In my NYC days I was a "transit and bike lanes" guy all the way. Now with kids, I understand why "Americans love their cars" - it

> Second, it's not just games. In my NYC days I was a "transit and bike lanes" guy all the way. Now with kids, I understand why "Americans love their cars" - it switched form a derogatory statement to one of understanding. There's a reason that "ban the cars" posters never mention a partner or children in their bios. Buy a bakfiet cargo bike, there's models that can fit five kids under 7. Mine fits three. Kids like them better and you get exercise. For the first time in my life I have a BMI of around 20 without having to waste time at the gym, the drop off, pick up, shopping, and work commute add up to an hour and a half of medium intensity cardio. Every other parent my age in the neighborhood looks five years away from a heart attack. I'm fitter than I was in my 20s. >There's less "objective good" or "objective bad" in these matters than I used to think. It's more about who you optimize for. There are over 1,000 children killed in the US annually by cars. This is after we restrain them like Hannibal Lecter while in cars and don't let them out of our houses so they don't get run over. That's before we talk about the child obesity epidemic, social media abuse, and on and on. If given the choice between keeping cars or letting polio loose on the land you'd be hard pressed to figure out which will kill and disable more kids.

theturtlemoves 1y ago
> Buy a bakfiet cargo bik Off topic, but my brain did a double take there. Didn't know that the Dutch word "bakfiets" (bike with a box) was anglicized to "bakfiet". Cool. Usually it's us who borrow foreign words from all over
- kilpikaarna 1y ago
  Isn't the brand still called Bakfiets though? Even further off topic, I had an aha moment with "bakfiets" connecting to how "back" is a word for storage box in Swedish...
  - CalRobert 1y ago
    There is a brand called bakfiets.nl but there are many different brands. I have an Urban Arrow.
- adastra22 1y ago
  Fwiw I’ve never seen that word before
- DonHopkins 1y ago
  It's not anglicized, just misspelled. ;) And awkward to pluralize (bakfietsen? bakfietses?) The fit parents and delighted kids I frequently see riding bakfeitsen in Amsterdam are always so happy and healthy and safe that I am envious I wasn't born here myself. They effortlessly ride through busy city streets, wander through parks, and trek across the countryside, all with well maintained bike paths, and gather together to have picnics and play, which you can't do with an SUV. Also dogs love riding in them, and they're great for shopping and hauling too. An electric bakfiets with an Enviolo continuous stepless automatic shifting hub is ideal and safe for kids, because you don't have to worry about shifting gears or even preemptively shift down before you stop at an intersection or unexpected obstacle. It can shift when you're stopped and even while you're accelerating, and it automatically and smoothly shifts up as you accelerate. You just dial in your preferred cadence and it does the rest. So you can concentrate on the traffic and kids and scenery instead of your gears, even in stop-and-go city traffic. I love the one on my normal eBike, it's a joy to ride, and I'll never go back. I have no affiliation, it's just a fantastic piece of technology. They're a Dutch company, so many Dutch brands of bike, bakfiets, and delivery bikes use them, but they're available worldwide. https://www.koga.com/nl/elektrische-fietsen/e-nova-evo-pt-automatic-flex-accu https://www.koga.com/nl/elektrische-fietsen/e-nova-evo-pt-au... They have special heavy duty bakfiets motors and hubs, and smooth quiet indestructible carbon fiber belt drives instead of clackety chains and derailleurs. Silent, reliable, maintenance free, and greaseless! Enviolo fully automatic stepless transmission for e-bikes: https://enviolo.com/products/#tab_automatic https://enviolo.com/products/#tab_automatic >No distractions: Liberate your attention >Enviolo Automatic is a “set and forget” system that adjusts to you – set your preferred pace and you’re ready to go. Focus your journey in bustling cities, relaxed countryside rides, or when travelling with kids. Cargo L Cargo Line: https://www.urbanebikes.nl/cargo-l-enviolo-automatic https://www.urbanebikes.nl/cargo-l-enviolo-automatic Rave reviews on reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/CargoBike/comments/1f0rsu9/enviolo_manual_or_automatic https://www.reddit.com/r/CargoBike/comments/1f0rsu9/enviolo_... Enviolo Automatic - Never Shift Again (check out the beautiful scenery and bike paths and parks of Amsterdam: it's really like that, on purpose!) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQrgKBQrkag https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQrgKBQrkag Carqon Classic Enviolo | Elektrische bakfiets met stijl https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z2gWJvolBjg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z2gWJvolBjg Is enviolo the best internally geared hub for eBikes? (This is a nerdy technically detailed deep dive!) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vob5Rb4IKsw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vob5Rb4IKsw I Tested The Boujiest Cargo Bike You Can Buy (Monster Bakfiets!) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H7w57U3ijHY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H7w57U3ijHY
- OJFord 1y ago
  They must have meant the brand Bakfiets. 'Cargo bike' is what they're known as, in my experience in the UK anyway, and 'bakfiets cargo bike' would be redundant if not meaning the brand.
  - gazook89 1y ago
    At least here in my city in the US Midwest, I hear mostly bakfiets to refer to bikes with a front box, to distinguish from cargo bikes which have the rear rack that supports one or two kids on the back.
sleepychu 1y ago
I'd love to get a cargo bike and use it for kid transport. I would be worried about collision safety though, I am not going to persuade everyone in my neighborhood to stop using cars in a hurry and there are not bike routes between me and school, library, shops, ...
- awongh 1y ago
  This is the classic urbanist anti-bike tragedy of the commons that is referenced often. People use cars because they are (rightly) concerned about safety. People avoid using bikes because there are so many cars. It’s very hard to ban cars or restrict car usage because it seems like no one wants to use bikes, but it’s a self-reinforcing system.
  - HPsquared 1y ago
    Solution: make cars safer (as in, less likely to harm others) through road design, and things like automated emergency braking and self-driving. Then the cars are safer both for the occupants and pedestrians/cyclists, so paradoxically people might be more inclined to walk or cycle.
    - fluoridation 1y ago
      Well, while we're talking sci-fi: personal teleporters.
      - HPsquared 1y ago
        I mean it's happening already, cars are getting safer aren't they? Driver assistance features are gaining adoption. It takes time.
        fluoridation 1y ago
        I assume by "getting safer" you mean that they're getting safer than they used to be, which, I suppose I agree. I don't know what you therefore think is "happening already", though. I see no indication that autonomous cars will ever be safer than human drivers.

theturtlemoves 1y ago

> Buy a bakfiet cargo bik Off topic, but my brain did a double take there. Didn't know that the Dutch word "bakfiets" (bike with a box) was anglicized to "bakfiet". Cool. Usually it's us who borrow foreign words from all over

kilpikaarna 1y ago
Isn't the brand still called Bakfiets though? Even further off topic, I had an aha moment with "bakfiets" connecting to how "back" is a word for storage box in Swedish...
- CalRobert 1y ago
  There is a brand called bakfiets.nl but there are many different brands. I have an Urban Arrow.
adastra22 1y ago
Fwiw I’ve never seen that word before
DonHopkins 1y ago
It's not anglicized, just misspelled. ;) And awkward to pluralize (bakfietsen? bakfietses?) The fit parents and delighted kids I frequently see riding bakfeitsen in Amsterdam are always so happy and healthy and safe that I am envious I wasn't born here myself. They effortlessly ride through busy city streets, wander through parks, and trek across the countryside, all with well maintained bike paths, and gather together to have picnics and play, which you can't do with an SUV. Also dogs love riding in them, and they're great for shopping and hauling too. An electric bakfiets with an Enviolo continuous stepless automatic shifting hub is ideal and safe for kids, because you don't have to worry about shifting gears or even preemptively shift down before you stop at an intersection or unexpected obstacle. It can shift when you're stopped and even while you're accelerating, and it automatically and smoothly shifts up as you accelerate. You just dial in your preferred cadence and it does the rest. So you can concentrate on the traffic and kids and scenery instead of your gears, even in stop-and-go city traffic. I love the one on my normal eBike, it's a joy to ride, and I'll never go back. I have no affiliation, it's just a fantastic piece of technology. They're a Dutch company, so many Dutch brands of bike, bakfiets, and delivery bikes use them, but they're available worldwide. https://www.koga.com/nl/elektrische-fietsen/e-nova-evo-pt-automatic-flex-accu https://www.koga.com/nl/elektrische-fietsen/e-nova-evo-pt-au... They have special heavy duty bakfiets motors and hubs, and smooth quiet indestructible carbon fiber belt drives instead of clackety chains and derailleurs. Silent, reliable, maintenance free, and greaseless! Enviolo fully automatic stepless transmission for e-bikes: https://enviolo.com/products/#tab_automatic https://enviolo.com/products/#tab_automatic >No distractions: Liberate your attention >Enviolo Automatic is a “set and forget” system that adjusts to you – set your preferred pace and you’re ready to go. Focus your journey in bustling cities, relaxed countryside rides, or when travelling with kids. Cargo L Cargo Line: https://www.urbanebikes.nl/cargo-l-enviolo-automatic https://www.urbanebikes.nl/cargo-l-enviolo-automatic Rave reviews on reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/CargoBike/comments/1f0rsu9/enviolo_manual_or_automatic https://www.reddit.com/r/CargoBike/comments/1f0rsu9/enviolo_... Enviolo Automatic - Never Shift Again (check out the beautiful scenery and bike paths and parks of Amsterdam: it's really like that, on purpose!) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQrgKBQrkag https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQrgKBQrkag Carqon Classic Enviolo | Elektrische bakfiets met stijl https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z2gWJvolBjg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z2gWJvolBjg Is enviolo the best internally geared hub for eBikes? (This is a nerdy technically detailed deep dive!) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vob5Rb4IKsw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vob5Rb4IKsw I Tested The Boujiest Cargo Bike You Can Buy (Monster Bakfiets!) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H7w57U3ijHY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H7w57U3ijHY
OJFord 1y ago
They must have meant the brand Bakfiets. 'Cargo bike' is what they're known as, in my experience in the UK anyway, and 'bakfiets cargo bike' would be redundant if not meaning the brand.
- gazook89 1y ago
  At least here in my city in the US Midwest, I hear mostly bakfiets to refer to bikes with a front box, to distinguish from cargo bikes which have the rear rack that supports one or two kids on the back.

sleepychu 1y ago

I'd love to get a cargo bike and use it for kid transport. I would be worried about collision safety though, I am not going to persuade everyone in my neighborhood to stop using cars in a hurry and there are not bike routes between me and school, library, shops, ...

awongh 1y ago
This is the classic urbanist anti-bike tragedy of the commons that is referenced often. People use cars because they are (rightly) concerned about safety. People avoid using bikes because there are so many cars. It’s very hard to ban cars or restrict car usage because it seems like no one wants to use bikes, but it’s a self-reinforcing system.
- HPsquared 1y ago
  Solution: make cars safer (as in, less likely to harm others) through road design, and things like automated emergency braking and self-driving. Then the cars are safer both for the occupants and pedestrians/cyclists, so paradoxically people might be more inclined to walk or cycle.
  - fluoridation 1y ago
    Well, while we're talking sci-fi: personal teleporters.
    - HPsquared 1y ago
      I mean it's happening already, cars are getting safer aren't they? Driver assistance features are gaining adoption. It takes time.
      - fluoridation 1y ago
        I assume by "getting safer" you mean that they're getting safer than they used to be, which, I suppose I agree. I don't know what you therefore think is "happening already", though. I see no indication that autonomous cars will ever be safer than human drivers.