4 ms·

Beg to differ, they're viable for basically all local use cases... Groceries? Yep. School? Yep. Commuting? Yep. Etc. They aren't viable for hauling multi-ton

Beg to differ, they're viable for basically all local use cases... Groceries? Yep. School? Yep. Commuting? Yep. Etc. They aren't viable for hauling multi-ton loads, or covering long distances, that's about it.

newsoftheday 9mo ago
Not in Texas, they're not viable for most uses, the parent commenter is completely correct. The same is true for many states in the US, perhaps even most of the US.
- uriegas 9mo ago
  Agree. Texas is pretty bad. In most places you cannot exist without a car. No wonder Mcallen is the most obese city the US.
  - lapetitejort 9mo ago
    Hence the last sentence of my post: > Advocate for safe biking infrastructure in your area. We built dangerous highways. We can build bikeways as well.
willk 9mo ago
Depends on where you live. I live in the sticks. 2 hour rides to the store on a windy road isn't really viable. Moreover, time is a limited resource. Even adding 15 minutes here and there take away time I would have to spend with family, work on a project, etc.
- iamnothere 9mo ago
  Exactly. I love bikes and live near a grocery store, but unfortunately getting to that store (or anywhere really) requires a few minutes of travel on a dangerously busy highway. It’s not safe to bike that road regularly. I once lived somewhere that was half an hour from the store by car. Thankfully that isn’t the case anymore.
  - brewdad 9mo ago
    My in-laws live in a place like that. It's a gorgeous property but day to day errands are a challenge. I also fear the day one of them needs immediate medical care. The nearest urgent care is 20 minutes away and the nearest ER is at least 45 minutes away.
thangalin 9mo ago
> that's about it. Avid cyclist here. * Extreme Weather: Severe heat, heavy snow, or torrential rain can make biking unsafe or impractical without specialized gear and high physical endurance. * Accessibility & Mobility Issues: Individuals with certain physical disabilities or chronic health conditions may find traditional cycling impossible. (This also affects an aging population.) * Time Constraints: For those with "trip-chaining" needs (e.g., daycare drop-off → work → grocery store → gym), the extra time required for cycling can be prohibitive. * Infrastructure: Older adults are more sensitive to "heavy traffic" and "lack of safe places." Seniors don't stop cycling because they can't do it, but because they don't feel safe in traffic. (Good argument for upgrading roadways.) * Care-giving: When parents become dependent on their children, often the children need to shuttle their parents around. A parent with dementia who escaped into the neighbourhood can be rapidly collected and ushered home in a car, not so much a bike. * Theft & Vandalism: I've never had a car stolen. Two locked bikes, on the other hand...
- stonogo 9mo ago
  Severe heat, heavy snow, or torrential rain can make driving a car unsafe as well. Individuals with certain disabilities, chronic health conditions, or a plethora of age may also find driving impossible. For those with "trip-chaining" needs, extra time required for parking cars can be prohibitive. Old people don't like traffic and can escape and run away so fast you have to drive them back? And you're seriously including the idea that car theft is not a concern? These are some tortured arguments. The correct argument here is "if bicycles become the dominant transportation mode, then the government will absolutely mandate kill switches for them too." "Bicycles don't have software" hasn't been true for years. E-bikes and wireless deraillers have been around a long time.
  - lapetitejort 9mo ago
    Bikes without software will be around for the foreseeable future. They're the cheapest and most plentiful version of bike. In the unlikely scenario that all bikes somehow become electric, old bikes are much easier to maintain than old cars. My argument to my own post is that cameras that track cars and license plates could easily be reconfigured to track bikes and pedestrians. In that case there's no transportation mode that will save you from surveillance. The cameras have to go.

newsoftheday 9mo ago

Not in Texas, they're not viable for most uses, the parent commenter is completely correct. The same is true for many states in the US, perhaps even most of the US.

uriegas 9mo ago
Agree. Texas is pretty bad. In most places you cannot exist without a car. No wonder Mcallen is the most obese city the US.
- lapetitejort 9mo ago
  Hence the last sentence of my post: > Advocate for safe biking infrastructure in your area. We built dangerous highways. We can build bikeways as well.

willk 9mo ago

Depends on where you live. I live in the sticks. 2 hour rides to the store on a windy road isn't really viable. Moreover, time is a limited resource. Even adding 15 minutes here and there take away time I would have to spend with family, work on a project, etc.

iamnothere 9mo ago
Exactly. I love bikes and live near a grocery store, but unfortunately getting to that store (or anywhere really) requires a few minutes of travel on a dangerously busy highway. It’s not safe to bike that road regularly. I once lived somewhere that was half an hour from the store by car. Thankfully that isn’t the case anymore.
- brewdad 9mo ago
  My in-laws live in a place like that. It's a gorgeous property but day to day errands are a challenge. I also fear the day one of them needs immediate medical care. The nearest urgent care is 20 minutes away and the nearest ER is at least 45 minutes away.

thangalin 9mo ago

> that's about it. Avid cyclist here. * Extreme Weather: Severe heat, heavy snow, or torrential rain can make biking unsafe or impractical without specialized gear and high physical endurance. * Accessibility & Mobility Issues: Individuals with certain physical disabilities or chronic health conditions may find traditional cycling impossible. (This also affects an aging population.) * Time Constraints: For those with "trip-chaining" needs (e.g., daycare drop-off → work → grocery store → gym), the extra time required for cycling can be prohibitive. * Infrastructure: Older adults are more sensitive to "heavy traffic" and "lack of safe places." Seniors don't stop cycling because they can't do it, but because they don't feel safe in traffic. (Good argument for upgrading roadways.) * Care-giving: When parents become dependent on their children, often the children need to shuttle their parents around. A parent with dementia who escaped into the neighbourhood can be rapidly collected and ushered home in a car, not so much a bike. * Theft & Vandalism: I've never had a car stolen. Two locked bikes, on the other hand...

stonogo 9mo ago
Severe heat, heavy snow, or torrential rain can make driving a car unsafe as well. Individuals with certain disabilities, chronic health conditions, or a plethora of age may also find driving impossible. For those with "trip-chaining" needs, extra time required for parking cars can be prohibitive. Old people don't like traffic and can escape and run away so fast you have to drive them back? And you're seriously including the idea that car theft is not a concern? These are some tortured arguments. The correct argument here is "if bicycles become the dominant transportation mode, then the government will absolutely mandate kill switches for them too." "Bicycles don't have software" hasn't been true for years. E-bikes and wireless deraillers have been around a long time.
- lapetitejort 9mo ago
  Bikes without software will be around for the foreseeable future. They're the cheapest and most plentiful version of bike. In the unlikely scenario that all bikes somehow become electric, old bikes are much easier to maintain than old cars. My argument to my own post is that cameras that track cars and license plates could easily be reconfigured to track bikes and pedestrians. In that case there's no transportation mode that will save you from surveillance. The cameras have to go.