CrowfanNov 23, 2022
Brent Toderian
“If we all rode bikes like the Dutch, annual global emissions would drop nearly 700 million tonnes. This mammoth figure exceeds the entire carbon footprint of most countries, including the UK, Canada, Saudi Arabia & Australia.” Via @euronews
#ClimateCrisis #climateEmergency #ClimateChange #bikes #cities #Dutch #bikelanes #transportation
https://www.euronews.com/green/2022/08/19/on-your-bike-if-we-all-cycled-like-the-dutch-global-emissions-drop-nearly-700-million-tonn
Cycling like the Dutch would slash the world’s carbon footprint 

If everybody cycled like the Dutch, we could offset Canada’s entire carbon footprint.

euronews
Nov 21, 2022 at 3:02amWeb
Show threadcensored for “transphobia”Nov 21, 2022
@lightweight @BrentToderian That’s somewhat interesting but the problem is it’d be borderline impossible for rural folks. It would be more interesting to see what the figure is if all city dwellers switched to cycling.
Show threadDr*in-Ing. KlimagöreNov 21, 2022

@koherecoWatchdog @lightweight @BrentToderian
It only seems to be impossible because cars killed all other infrastructure. Of course there need to be more public transport and decentral groceries and stuff. But they vanished because of the car, so it can be undone again.

Anyhow, most people live in cities, increasing tendency. So, we can start there. And Netherlands also has small towns and villages - connected by great bicycle infrastructure :-)

Show threadJoey Smith🇵🇸Nov 21, 2022
@koherecoWatchdog @lightweight @BrentToderian fortunately places that have the worst car usage have small rural populations. The US population is only about 14% rural for example
Show threadAuthorNicoNov 21, 2022

@koherecoWatchdog @lightweight @BrentToderian We have lots of small towns, and it’s not uncommon to bike one town over, or to the nearest city. I could bike to amsterdam in under an hour ( but i have high speed rail) but my covid vax and other thinsg meant biking next village over.

cargo bike, separated lanes make it work. for everything that doesn’t fit on a bike, delivery.

where i grew up in canada was a very small town, we biked everywhere.

Show threadDave Lane  🇳🇿Nov 21, 2022
@koherecoWatchdog the vast majority of us are urban or suburban. Prime territory for cycling and other active transport. @BrentToderian
Show threadWalter Spicer 🇨🇦(ウォルタースパイサー)Nov 21, 2022

@koherecoWatchdog @lightweight @BrentToderian

While the post is focused on #Bikes it's also about rail between towns and cities. This is why public infrastructure is so important versus private

Show threadDerek VandivereNov 27, 2022
@koherecoWatchdog @lightweight @BrentToderian I think e bikes are going to make a huge difference there,.
Show threadcensored for “transphobia”Nov 27, 2022
@dersk @BrentToderian @lightweight My 1st bike as an adult was a pedal-assist e-bike. It didn’t really give me more range but it effectively made the hills disappear. So it’s like riding flat even if it’s hilly. Then I went to a muscle bike (like I had as a kid) & realized it’s not too bad to tolerate some hills.
Show threadcensored for “transphobia”Nov 27, 2022
@lightweight @BrentToderian @dersk I think e-bikes are good for getting people to transition to cycling who are adverse to a bit of excercise.
Show threadDerek VandivereNov 28, 2022
@koherecoWatchdog @lightweight @BrentToderian Over here in NL a lot of people are using them for the daily commute. Specially e bakfietsen (cargo bikes) to schlep the kids to school. Its not so much a gateway to 'real' bikes as much as extending the range and load.
Show threadLilly EvansNov 21, 2022
@BrentToderian They have much more posture user friendly bikes! For some reason they were named “sit and beg” in England!
Show threadFavourite shoes 💛🇺🇦Nov 21, 2022
@Alheri @BrentToderian sit up & beg bikes were all there was back in the 50's & 60's. That's the old style. Wonderful !
Show threadLilly EvansNov 21, 2022
@Colleen @BrentToderian With baskets!
Show threadbrentcphotographyNov 21, 2022
@BrentToderian I would love it! My guess is cities would have to make a lot of major changes before it could even be close to feasible.
Show threadAlistairNov 21, 2022
@BrentToderian great idea but have you ever been to Netherlands? It’s flat, like a billiard table, no hills, easy riding.
Show threadVeloNitramNov 21, 2022
@alistairgbarron @BrentToderian 🥇for the most stereotypical reply possible. Answer’s everything I need to know about you experience cycling in windy conditions
Show threadAlistairNov 21, 2022
@VeloNitram @BrentToderian I am old enough to have cycled in most weather conditions and many topographical ones too. The point is using the Netherlands as a good example is daft when most of the world lives amongst hills and isn’t going to take easily to cycling everywhere. Electric bicycles may help but they have an expense that most can’t afford and nasty chemistry batteries that are just another ecological problem.
Show threadChantalNJNov 21, 2022
@alistairgbarron @VeloNitram @BrentToderian Riding an e-bike is a hell of a lot better for the environment than driving a regular car. And a lot cheaper, too. Sure, the purchase is expensive, but not as expensive as a car. Cars have batteries, too, you know.
Show threadDerek VandivereNov 27, 2022
@alistairgbarron @VeloNitram @BrentToderian Wait til you do a 40 km circular route from Amsterdam with a strong headwind the whole way!
Show threadAuthorNicoNov 21, 2022

@alistairgbarron @BrentToderian I’ll say what i’ve said before: 90% of the cities I’ve been in are “flat as a pancake” or low sloping.

The city I live in is actually a weird tangle of under and over passes for cars, bikes, people. there’s some upslopes. we manage.

Show threadAlistairNov 21, 2022
@AuthorNico @BrentToderian not everyone lives in a city on the flat but travel throughout the land. Even in the Netherlands cycling isn’t limited to Amsterdam.
Show threadAuthorNicoNov 21, 2022
@alistairgbarron @BrentToderian I know that. I live in a dutch city that has plenty of not hills, but bike/car/ped overpass and underpasses. flat? Not entirely.
But largely, every city I’ve been in around the world, aside from parts of seattle and a chunk of SF, are relatively, speaking quite flat. with the advent of ebike, it renders most moderate hills easy as flat-land riding.
People say “the netherlands is flat” as if we don’t have gravity, either.
Show threadStacy CashNov 21, 2022
@BrentToderian @alistairgbarron I used to think that until the wind hit me 😅😂 Dutch wind on that table top is +/- the hills I had back in the UK. Only it’s constant 🥵
Show threadThijmenNov 21, 2022
@alistairgbarron @BrentToderian How about e-bikes? With those, even riding up hills is a breeze.
Show threadJoe  Nov 27, 2022
@alistairgbarron @BrentToderian , ebikes remedy the problem with hills, etc.
Show threadElisabeth TuckeyNov 21, 2022

@BrentToderian but also if we rode like the Dutch we’d probably have a lot of broken bones and skulls. Have you seen how they ride in Amsterdam? 🤣😳

The amazing thing about the bike culture in Europe is the huge range of interesting e-bikes. We are only seeing the top of the iceberg here. Bring on a bike-first future

Show threadRev.Hans Nov 21, 2022
@BrentToderian Good to see you here!
Show threadKlaske Wijkstra 🌻Nov 21, 2022
@BrentToderian A lot of activism is needed in order to get cycle paths. In NL are cycle paths everywhere. There is a network of cyclepaths all over the country. These paths have numbers. You only have to know which numbers you need if you want to go to a certain place by bike.
This did not come out of the blue, it is a tradition of years to grant cyclists space.
Show threadMarieke de la CroixNov 21, 2022
@BrentToderian But if you all keep the amount of life stock like we do, life on earth would end within 2 years. Human life. Not 1,5 but 3 or even 4 degrees global warming. In no time.
It’s absurd, the amount of life stock we have in this tiny country. It’s destroying our nature. Our birds (what birds?), insects etc.
Please don’t use our flat, mostly under sea level, country as an example.
Also; biggest polluters hardly pay any taxes here.
Show threadrk 🇧🇩🇨🇦Nov 21, 2022
@BrentToderian These conversations often lead to "we need bicycle friendly infrastructure in the city." I'm aware that many city planners, architects etc. are genuinely interested in this. So what can the people do to enable them?
Show threadErich SchulzNov 21, 2022
@BrentToderian it would also be great if all places were cool and flat. This is my excuse!
Show threadCat WestNov 21, 2022
@BrentToderian If we were all young & fit, didn’t work 30 miles or more from home, it would be ideal.
Show threadTina UpstateNov 21, 2022
@BrentToderian People need to remember that at any point roughly 20 to 40% of the population cannot drive - age, disability, lack of financial ability to own a vehicle or even vehicle repair. In our small city / town, my kids are independent. They bike and walk everywhere, and only need rides from an after school sport that they are bused to. My parents are in a rural area and are trapped. My mother cannot drive. Happiness is car independence and choice.
Show threadRachel J GravesNov 21, 2022
@BrentToderian who is “we all”. Car drivers? Or does that include public transport too?
Show threadPeter 〓〓 Peter 〓〓Nov 21, 2022
@BrentToderian Of course it helps that the bicycle club, ANVB (Algemene Nederlandsche Wielrijders-Bond) is highly integrated into running the road system
Show threadCarolineCherryNov 21, 2022
@BrentToderian This is amazing as someone that has recieved death threats for promoting a local active travel scheme in U.K. wish we had greater appreciation of climate change. It’s as if in U.K. cars & parking are holy relics.Then again we have a barking Alt right government. Even local mp called for council ‘to kill’ the policy.
Show threadFrank Inserra 🙌Nov 22, 2022
@BrentToderian Probably feel and sleep better too.
Show threadStrange by Nature PodcastNov 23, 2022
@BrentToderian Currently 18° F outside. Bike is parked for the winter.
Show threadcodearNov 24, 2022

@BrentToderian Technically correct, but then, one must recognize that Netherlandes (mainland, not the Carribean Netherlandes) is a very flat country, with the tallest "mountain", Vaalserberg, being just about 300m above the sea level.

But it is still a good thing to consider e-bikes and e-scooters where elevation and inclination is less encouraging...

Show threadTweetingTechnoNov 27, 2022
@BrentToderian It would be a better world, but may I please catch the bus, because I don't want to die? This is where I live.
Show threadCarine AldersNov 27, 2022
@BrentToderian follow @modacitylife for tips and insights on how to get there!
Show threadDerek VandivereNov 27, 2022
@BrentToderian Ride bikes as often as the Dutch, not *like* the Dutch. I almost get hit by jerks running red lights on a daily basis here in the center of Amsterdam.
Show threadThatcher UlrichNov 28, 2022
@BrentToderian Dutch cycle culture is great and we need the switch for quality of life. It's only 2% of emissions though. Total energy transition needed, and Netherlands could probably reduce car usage even more.