Lalon SanderOct 18, 2025
"Humans aren’t very efficient movers—until you put us on a bicycle, when we become some of the most energy-efficient land travelers in the animal kingdom.": https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/a-human-on-a-bicycle-is-among-the-most-efficient-forms-of-travel-in-the/
Show threadmatOct 18, 2025

@lalonsander

How about the energetic cost of creating the road for this "human on bicycle" ?

Serious and real question.

Show threadKevin Boyd (he/him) 🇨🇦

@mrv @lalonsander

1) It looks like your image is showing the construction process for an automobile road, not a bicycle trail

2) When it comes to bike lanes, which I think is what you're talking about, we only need those because of cars having seized and earmarked that space

3) In many places, the natural terrain is fine for riding without being modified. And when modifications do become needed, a dedicated bike trail requires far less effort to construct than a road for vehicles.

Oct 18, 2025 at 2:57pmWeb
Show threadWesDymOct 19, 2025
@kboyd More to the point, a surfaced roadway for bicycles (including motor-assisted) requires a far shallower preparation, little or no reinforcement, and suffers less weight-caused distortion or damage (such as potholes) over the same time. So it uses less material and energy both initially and over time.