Remember this picture every single time you hear someone in your city say "we're not Amsterdam."
This was #Amsterdam in the 1970s, via @fietsprofessor.
The cities we admire made better choices regarding cars, and are still making them today.
Better choices instead of excuses.
Similar story with Denmark and good changes happening in Paris now.
The first step is always to do something, instead of surrendering to the sense of being over faced by the problem.
I guess the actual first step is to figure out what that first action should be, and who is needed to do it, and do They know that, but "do something " still encompasses all that.
@BrentToderian If we want more bike-centric cities, we need better ways to hold cyclists accountable. We also need better formalised ettiquette than "you just get on with it".
Being unregistered means that a lot of violations that are unsafe or create inaccessible situations (inconsiderate parking) happen, because there is no danger for the dangerous / inconsiderate rider and people are fundametally selfish in mass environments.
"Just add bikes" isn't the solution everyone wants it to be, and that important part of the infrastructure - *how* people use them isn't considered.
I live where bikes litter the streets and cyclists are the most inconsiderate road users. As a primarily pedestrian / public transit user, I should reinforce that I'm not defending cars.
But cyclists seem to think that lining up their bikes along a sidewalk that is only just wide enough for the length of a bike is acceptable, because the store they are visiting is right there. They don't expect, like drivers, to *have* to find a parking spot. They don't expect that red lights should apply to them, and frequently ride out into intersections.
@loops @BrentToderian So what you're saying is, you live somewhere with lousy bike infrastructure. That is not the fault of the cyclists, in exactly the same way a Car Centric Hellscape is not the fault of the people who own the cars.
Issue your venom at the leaders, designers, counsellors, who are not providing what is necessary, not at the people who are trying to do their best in a shitty situation.
@noirlover Just straight nah or qualified nah?
I'm just trying to get at the idea that "just more bikes" isn't a panacea, and peope also need to adapt to moving differently through cities as much as cities need to make it easier to move through them in more sustainable ways.
@noirlover I'm not worried that bikes take up space, nor unconcerned that cars do
I live in a city often cited as great because of bike ridership and infrastructure
I've yet to see a car driver drive right up to the entrance of a business and park on the sidewalk, preventing pedestrians from using the sidewalk when there is an open parking spot at the end of the block. Cyclists do that kind of thing *all* the time.
I'm concerned that greatly increasing bike use and presence in cities without changing our attitude and still acting like they're rare enough to be inconsequential, leaves quite some room for improvement
@noirlover you seem dismissive to me, sorry if I'm reading that wrong, but I've tried to clarify: I'm not complaining about bikes.
I'm concerned that treating "increasing bike use" as the goal can have the unintended impact of making cities less accessible unless done in coordination with re-evaluating how we all - cyclists and non-cyclists - relate to bikes in urban environments.
@loops @BrentToderian Imagine those inconciderate people would all drive and park their car like they do with their bikes.
It's worse
Chosing the way of registration of bikes reduces ridership and worsens traffic and parking situation.
Very good public transport is the answer but people do what they always have done and choose the convenience of a car over fair and efficient transport
@BrentToderian In north america, despite all the research, we're still convinced the way to address traffic is more roads, widening highways, and adding new highways. They can't grok that the moment you make any car trip more pleasant, there are 10x people now ready to make that car trip and then make it an indispensable part of their lives. They just fill right back up again. Sadly, even public transit like subways doesn't work to reduce road congestion (mind you there are other good reasons to build subways, light rail, etc.). Anyone who takes their car off the road to use the subway there's another person happy to put their car back on the road.
Singapore beats the traffic by limiting the number of car owners on the island. That's not a great solution for most other nations. Congestion charges like those used in London do work.
@BrentToderian Amsterdam just gives a good option to choose the bike. Many do so but use the car for longer trips.
But you have the choice to use the most sensical mode to get around in the city
@BrentToderian What's your idea for how mobility-limited people get around in this Utopian car-free city? Because most versions of these I've seen pretend we don't exist.
I can't ride a bike, walk more than about a block (and that only on level, smooth terrain, which is very rare in my region) nor stand for very long. I also can't tolerate hot or inclement weather. Transit is therefore completely out of the question, because there's no way for me to get to or from a stop.
@BrentToderian Before you go there, since most people do, no, door-to-door car services or disabled parking allowances don't work, either. Most places have very narrow criteria to qualify for for those because there are otherwise far too many of us to make serving us all this way practical.
Also bear in mind that urban density means high rises, which are death traps for anyone who can't use stairs.
@textualdeviance @BrentToderian
There are way, way too many people who would need the service if they were no longer able to use their own cars, and the service would therefore be impossible to sustain.You'd be surprised how sustainable systems can become if you set them up right.If my kid loses a Lego up his nose and has to go to urgent care, I'm putting him in my car and we're there in 10 minutes.If a kid has to go to urgent care, or anyone else for that matter, we already have that covered: ambulances. They're even allowed to perform various actions on the road you're not allowed to, and this can save them more time than you ever could. These people are also trained to drive in such scenarios, and are thus much less likely to cause other accidents by doing so.
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