6 ms·

Seems like a fine design, but doesn't it require a lot of space? It looks like you would have to widen existing roads by at least 10 ft or so, which wouldn't be

Seems like a fine design, but doesn't it require a lot of space? It looks like you would have to widen existing roads by at least 10 ft or so, which wouldn't be practical for a lot of roads in the city.

angersock 12y ago
So, if more people are on bikes, less lanes are needed for cars.
- redthrowaway 12y ago
  Bikes are not a viable replacement for cars for most people in most cities.
  - deleted 12y ago
    [deleted]
  - ffumarola 12y ago
    They are in the major east coast cities and some west coast cities. I'm sure they aren't currently viable in plenty of cities, but that doesn't mean the infrastructure shouldn't be built to allow for bikes.
    - redthrowaway 12y ago
      Are you going to take your kids to school on a bike? Ride in your business suit? Go to Ikea or Costco? Going to ride in from the suburbs? Bikes work as primary transportation for active 20-somethings who live in cities near work. They do not work for the vast majority of people, and never will. Wanting to make cities bike-friendly is fine. Wanting to do so at the expense of the 80% of the population that needs a car is addle-brained.
      - rustyconover 12y ago
        Your mindset for all of those questions is mistaken. You're thinking that we all live in vast urban sprawl. A lot of us don't live there. Come see what life is like in a functioning city with good planning and density, like Manhattan. 1. Take your kids to school on a bike? If you're living in a dense metro area, your school in within walking distance. So yes. You could bike there, but more likely you'll walk with them. If they go to a further away school, they'll take the subway or a bus. 2. Ride in a business suit? Yes, I see it all the time with Citibikes. Even on Wall Street. 3. Go to Ikea or Costco? Sure you'll go there, but you'll have your items delivered like any sane person who doesn't live in BFE. 4. Going to ride in from the suburbs? People do it every day. You'd be surprised how many showers and locker rooms are right next to corporate bike rooms. Just because you can't imagine something doesn't mean it isn't normal in another part of the country.
        ars 12y ago
        We already know it works just fine in Manhattan, but it doesn't work at all is most other cities. Not everyone wants to live in a dense city like Manhattan (or any of NY city).
      - quinnchr 12y ago
        I live in one of the worst cities for cycling in the US and I do all of those things regularly. I bike to Costco and Ikea all the time, but sure you do have to get big stuff delivered unless you have a trailer (https://www.bikesatwork.com/blog/move-it-by-bike-moving-service https://www.bikesatwork.com/blog/move-it-by-bike-moving-serv...). I used to commute to downtown from the suburbs daily. When I was young my dad used to bike me to daycare/school all the time. If you need to be somewhere in a suit you bike in pants + undershirt and add the rest when you get there. All of these things are possible, admittedly there is a real limitation of needing to live within a 15-20 mile radius of work. The best data I can find suggests about 23% of commuters have a commute of more than 20 miles. So I would say cycling is a perfectly reasonable solution for the majority of people.
        ars 12y ago
  - graublau 12y ago
    Someone should conduct a study asking what most people are doing with their cars in a series of given cities. I'd imagine most people could replace their vehicle with a bicycle but I'm not sure.
- baddox 12y ago
  So why not just ban all cars, and use the existing road infrastructure for bikes? The answer, of course, is that cars are vital to making city life feasible in most cities.
  - andrewliebchen 12y ago
    Banning cars in the city sounds like a great idea. At least, they should have to pay to be there, given the amount of space they take up.

angersock 12y ago

So, if more people are on bikes, less lanes are needed for cars.

redthrowaway 12y ago
Bikes are not a viable replacement for cars for most people in most cities.
- deleted 12y ago
  [deleted]
- ffumarola 12y ago
  They are in the major east coast cities and some west coast cities. I'm sure they aren't currently viable in plenty of cities, but that doesn't mean the infrastructure shouldn't be built to allow for bikes.
  - redthrowaway 12y ago
    Are you going to take your kids to school on a bike? Ride in your business suit? Go to Ikea or Costco? Going to ride in from the suburbs? Bikes work as primary transportation for active 20-somethings who live in cities near work. They do not work for the vast majority of people, and never will. Wanting to make cities bike-friendly is fine. Wanting to do so at the expense of the 80% of the population that needs a car is addle-brained.
    - rustyconover 12y ago
      Your mindset for all of those questions is mistaken. You're thinking that we all live in vast urban sprawl. A lot of us don't live there. Come see what life is like in a functioning city with good planning and density, like Manhattan. 1. Take your kids to school on a bike? If you're living in a dense metro area, your school in within walking distance. So yes. You could bike there, but more likely you'll walk with them. If they go to a further away school, they'll take the subway or a bus. 2. Ride in a business suit? Yes, I see it all the time with Citibikes. Even on Wall Street. 3. Go to Ikea or Costco? Sure you'll go there, but you'll have your items delivered like any sane person who doesn't live in BFE. 4. Going to ride in from the suburbs? People do it every day. You'd be surprised how many showers and locker rooms are right next to corporate bike rooms. Just because you can't imagine something doesn't mean it isn't normal in another part of the country.
      - ars 12y ago
        We already know it works just fine in Manhattan, but it doesn't work at all is most other cities. Not everyone wants to live in a dense city like Manhattan (or any of NY city).
    - quinnchr 12y ago
      I live in one of the worst cities for cycling in the US and I do all of those things regularly. I bike to Costco and Ikea all the time, but sure you do have to get big stuff delivered unless you have a trailer (https://www.bikesatwork.com/blog/move-it-by-bike-moving-service https://www.bikesatwork.com/blog/move-it-by-bike-moving-serv...). I used to commute to downtown from the suburbs daily. When I was young my dad used to bike me to daycare/school all the time. If you need to be somewhere in a suit you bike in pants + undershirt and add the rest when you get there. All of these things are possible, admittedly there is a real limitation of needing to live within a 15-20 mile radius of work. The best data I can find suggests about 23% of commuters have a commute of more than 20 miles. So I would say cycling is a perfectly reasonable solution for the majority of people.
      - ars 12y ago
- graublau 12y ago
  Someone should conduct a study asking what most people are doing with their cars in a series of given cities. I'd imagine most people could replace their vehicle with a bicycle but I'm not sure.
baddox 12y ago
So why not just ban all cars, and use the existing road infrastructure for bikes? The answer, of course, is that cars are vital to making city life feasible in most cities.
- andrewliebchen 12y ago
  Banning cars in the city sounds like a great idea. At least, they should have to pay to be there, given the amount of space they take up.