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this post was submitted on 13 Jun 2023
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Not really sure how well bikes would work where I live. The winters are harsh, and its steep hill after steep hill.
Its surprising how well bikes can work in harsh winter conditions, if the infrastructure is well build. Not just Bikes has a video on Oulu in Finnland that does this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uhx-26GfCBU&t=1s
A valid concern. Bikes are good for fair weather and close proximity. Not all of the world is set up for this. Trains and busses have been around for a long time and can help reduce emissions and work in bad weather. Trains could require costly new infrastructure but busses can use existing roadways. The big goal should be to move away from cars. Ten people on a bus use less emissions then 10 cars on thier own.
Out of curiosity, could you clarify "close proximity"? Because I certainly agree a bike is not viable if you are in the countryside. However having switched to bicycling and no longer driving my car recently, it has shrunk the world around me far more than driving ever has.
Well for me about 1-3 miles would be a distance I would be fine biking as a commute or to go to the store for a few items. In a compact major city this could cover everything you could need, grocery stores, doctors, liquor store, post office, yoy name it. In some suburbs you might have to drive 5-10 miles to get to some of these things and a bike become more time consuming and more of a physical activity.
Can you expand on that? What do you mean bicycling shrunk the world, it seems counterintuitive?
Understandably so, I think haha. But for me, abandoning my car has made me actually realize distances in my city. Relying on a car, I barely even considered the distances I was traveling, and how necessary or not they were. I was more concerned about where I could park the thing than how far I was traveling just to do errands. But on a bicycle (and just walking), the first thing I do is consider the route, and distance, and I came to realize a lot of the distances I thought are best driven are... extremely walkable, or bikeable. And the distances that are a little far for a bicycle (in my current shape), I questioned why I even need to go that far. Especially if you're in a city, there are a ton of businesses everywhere, it was easy to look for and find closer alternatives.
So I guess for me personally, it really helped me contextualize the distances I was actually traveling, and helped me more concretely view my city and what's around me, compared to just driving through liminal spaces until I reach whichever destination I was headed towards.
Ah, it's like it allowed you to view where you lived at a new scale. You previously viewed it at car scale, now viewing it at human scale.
Absolutely, that is a far more eloquent way to put it! It's very freeing in it's own way.
I had the same experience, biking made me appreciate travel over distances I can't bike. It really is very eye opening.
Bikes + trains (or even a bus, if bike racks are on them) are such a great combination for traveling between cities (or even countries if you’re in Europe, I suppose)
Agreed. they are so expensive let alone bad for the environment.
Problem is so many civic gov'ts have mandated that transit MUST be self-sustaining and profitable without any investment. My own city's ideology is like this and our transit is one of the worst in Canada. I've stood in -40C waiting for a bus that just doesn't show up. :/
E-bikes can definitely solve the hill problem. As for staying warm, there’s the option of bundling up in some winter rated clothes. Think clothes for skiing or winter hiking, etc. I’ve even seen jackets with usb rechargeable heaters inside of them that motorcyclists use, though I haven’t tried that myself.
When the weather is nice you could ebike.
e-biking RULES. You don't even have to pedal if you don't want to, the throttle works just fine (although it eats your battery life if you don't augment it with pedaling)
This kind of e-bike is not allowed (or it is, but with big caveats, more akin to motorcycles) on public European roads. Regular ebikes can't have a throttle and are heavily restricted on top speed (20 to 25km/h depending on the country. Can go faster but you're not helped by the motor over that speed).
We have similar laws in America, but they're not as strict. Ours can go 35km/h (or 22 mph) before it gets called a Class B e-bike, which you need a driver's license for and can't go on bike paths/trails.
Do you need a license plate and (I suppose, depending on the state) a helmet for those bikes as well?
No license or helmet required afaik, although I always wear mine. Thing goes fast and my skull doesn't like concrete so much.
Well, i commute by bike in northern austria. All year. About 500m of climbing per day. Weather is solved by clothing. Icy roads are solved by studded tires.
As a bonus i pretty much can eat a lot of crap without gaining weight ;-)