A list of all kinds of uninformed reasons people give for not making it safer and easier to bike, with rebuttals. This is exactly the kind of thing the internet is useful for!
It's available in many languages, and you can help translate it. The content is CC licensed. It's great!
Thanks to the fantastic podcast Bike Talk for letting me know about it!
1000 out of 1200 kids in this school in #Oulu, #Finland, arrive by #bicycle, even in winter. 100-150 walk, rest by ski, kicksleds and car. This day it was -17°C, some days it can be colder than -30°C.
Note that this is only one of the four bicycle parking areas of this school 🤗
There is something delightful about riding a bicycle. Once mastered, the simple action of pedaling to move forward and turning the handlebars to steer makes bike riding an effortless activity.
If you #bike in #Baltimore, you might be interested to know that Margo Bruner-Settles's anti-bike-lane billboard truck ran a red light in front of me today.
THE BICYCLE IN 1993.
How the Wheel May Look One Hundred Years From Now.
The bicycle of 1993 will be built on very much the same lines as the safety of 1893 i. e., with two small wheels very nearly of a size. This was the plan of the first machine built in 1817, and now after a lapse of 76 years we have come back to the original design...
Then by the use of some alloy of greater tensile strength, weight for weight, than steel, and by filling the tires and the tubes in the framing with hydrogen instead of air, the weight of a road machine will be reduced to 10 pounds or less...
The roads will be prepared especially for bicycles, the grades being very slight and in fact only sufficient to provide proper drainage. The surface will be hard and smooth, the outer edge of all curves being raised as on a race track...
Railroads will be used for the transportation of freight only. Every individual will own a bicycle...
my network here is fairly small but this is worth a try.
Anyone in the Quincy, Massachusetts (US) area looking for a bike buddy? 20 miles or less as a rule (for now anyways). Slow pace for sure. I work a 9-5 schedule so best to.assume weekends...
I've been saying this for some time now. Never thought I'd see a US department say the same — but the NYC Department of transportation just did! And it's not the first time I've seen them post some really good stuff about bikes. This gives me hope.
I've been seeing lots of #bike toots & discussions in my feed lately and thought I'd describe my experience as a #disabled bicyclist who lived in one of the most bike-friendly regions (the Netherlands) but moved to a very different bike culture (Belgium). This is a long one! 🚲
Growing up in The Netherlands, I started cycling as a small child and always owned a city bike. I biked to school, to hospitals, to anywhere. Everyone I knew owned at least one bike. Even if you own a car, if the distance is small, most people would use a bike.
Everywhere is flat so cycling isn't intense physical exercise, unless it rains or is very windy. Many cyclist lanes are separate from roads used by cars or pedestrians, so there isn't a lot of fighting over space, except in very busy city centres.
Even though I have muscle/joint problems and limited stamina, I did everything with my bike. I could manage getting anywhere within 5 km at least 2 - 3 times a week.
This all changed when I moved to Belgium. 🇧🇪
The problems I've encountered the most here (and I expect these will be the same for many people living anywhere but NL) :
Everything is hills, nothing is flat. I can't get anywhere beyond 2 km. Combining this with bad road quality makes cycling incredibly intense. I switched from a regular city bike to an #ebike to at least have a chance at arriving anywhere without physically crashing.
Most areas don't have separate cycling lanes. I have to share the road with cars and many HATE cyclists, because they're slower and in the way. Cars will rush past you dangerously close. It's stressful and accidents happen. Sometimes you have to share the road with pedestrians, and suddenly you are the aggressor trying to pass them dangerously close because they are slow and in the way. It's drama all around.
One thing worse than sharing with cars and pedestrians is sharing the space with other cyclists. To survive as a cyclist you turn into an apex predator and it shows. There is a permanent war between these parties, ordered by speed: speed pedelec bikes (>30 km/h), professional speed cyclists (>25km/h), ebikes (>20 km/h), cargo bikes (15-20 km/h), school children on city bikes (15 km/h), parents cycling with children next to them on tiny bikes (anywhere between 1 and 10 km/h).
There is not enough space for all of us and someone's always trying to pass you by in a ridiculous way. People will yell and bully. It was getting normal for me to be screamed at often. Somehow using your bicycle bell is the biggest faux-pas and people will stop and try to fight you if you use it. You will learn the hard way.
The country's infrastructure is just not made with bikes in mind. Roads suddenly stop, the absence of cycle lanes, traffic intersections where cars and bikes cross at the same time... There are even officially named 'dangerous intersections' because an above average amount of cyclists keep dying there. Yes, the government is very concerned, they will change the layout by... 2030? 2035? 2100?
Suddenly biking was a political thing. In the NL a bike is just a thing that gets you from place A to place B, no matter who you are. Here, bikes are Progressive. People think you either use a car or a bike and you better be in the right team. I've seen quite a few bikes with a little sign on the back of their saddle that says "This is one less car on the road!". In regions where tensions are high, car owners will destroy traffic signs meant for cyclists and 'reclaim' the road. It's NUTS.
I don't know if this specifically concerns cyclists with a #disability, but there is barely any parking for bikes. If I get anywhere with my bike, I still have to go kms beyond for a parking area and walk back. I have to bend my back in difficult ways to get to low parking spots. Some spots even expect me to lift the front half of my bike up in the air to park it!!! Some parkings are underground without an elevator, I have to push my bike up and down besides stairs! I can't manage it!
So, tldr, I took driving lessons and now I use a car 90% of the time and a bike 10% of the time. Public transport is too risky because of #covid in this ongoing #pandemic.
It sucks and I have a lot more understanding now, both for people struggling to bike and for people just not able to do so and using a car.
Let’s get personal, shall we? I’ve been here a while now, and as I’m feeling quite comfortable at Mastodon, I’d like to share a bit more about myself beyond my passion for the climate and the environment.
To begin with, I’m a male, he/him, hetero, strongly supporting LGBTQ rights. I’m a baby boomer, born at 312 PPM 🌏, a United Statesian, although I lived in Europe (mostly Hungary) for several years, and traveled extensively for work before retiring in 2012. I’ve never been good at sustaining long-term romantic relationships, and I’ve finally settled into comfortable singlehood.
I like to say I’m made of contrasts.
For example, I’m rather funny and quite personable, but I don’t enjoy small talk and I hate parties. I currently live in the Bible Belt, but I’m an outspoken atheist. While I can easily fit into most social situations, I don’t feel comfortable around large groups and prefer being alone most of the time. I live near two huge military bases, but I detest the USA’s militaristic, troop-worshiping culture. I’m almost always cheerful, which masks my deeply felt existential nihilism. I’m a neat freak, but also rather lazy, preferring fun over work.
I’ll finish up with some hashtags to add flavor...
Bicycled to the library
Bicycled to a garage sale
Bicycled to the store (solely to buy snacks for the pet rabbits 🤔)
Saw some fitness cyclers
A few kids on bikes
No adults doing any utilitarian cycling
Eight bazillion cars (Nobody walks/bikes in LA!)
Annoyed the clerks in a store asking them where the nearest bicycle rack was (answer: nowhere nearby)
Observations: Although it's great the city here has added bicycle lanes, I personally think putting bicycle lanes on ALTERNATE ROUTES (not primary routes) would be a better way to entice people to ride. I find I am taking parallel (non-car intensive) routes INSTEAD OF BICYCLE LANES (on very high speed, car intensive routes) almost everywhere now. #bicycle#cycling#policy#infrastructure#BikeTooter
Bicycle (ciechanow.ski)
There is something delightful about riding a bicycle. Once mastered, the simple action of pedaling to move forward and turning the handlebars to steer makes bike riding an effortless activity.