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[deleted] t1_j63t5ci wrote

[deleted]

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RedditOR74 t1_j64bpq3 wrote

>This is such a cool thing. I can only hope the US can create infrastructure like this in my lifetime

There is not much of a chance. DFW is 75 miles across east to west and that is just the heavily developed portion. US cities incorporate much more private housing and as such have a much larger footprint. As much as efficiency is a goal, not many of us want to give up a home and private residence in lieu of an apartment. There are some, but definitely not the majority.

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King-of-Mars t1_j64wzg6 wrote

it's very doable, suburban sprawl costs local governments more to upkeep than it would to develop more dense housing. Just think of all the needless tarmac and intersections and carparks that need to be continually maintained. Not from the US but from what I understand, many, many young people over there want to live in apartments which are in mixed urban centres. There is a reason why they are so expensive right now.. The problem is lack of zoning for mixed low rise, and commercial. You don't need to drive 75 miles across the city if your work, shops, bars etc are a mile away. If zoning was changed, with improvements to public transport and road design (less lanes, no stroads, more pedestrianisation etc) US cities could change in a couple of decades.

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alc4pwned t1_j64htpk wrote

Not to mention the fact that, unlike most of the US, the Netherlands is extremely flat and has a pretty mild climate.

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Fetty_is_the_best t1_j64t38b wrote

California has a dozen cities just like that, aside from SF which is hilly (amazing climate though.) California’s three largest cities have some of the best weather in the US and all of them are mostly flat in the densest areas. They would be perfect.

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CityHawk17 t1_j651vbm wrote

Ok, and the other 49 states? Lol we are not just California.

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Fetty_is_the_best t1_j653wwy wrote

Uh, the US is massive so these types of things are generally state issues, not national ones. Urban California and rural Mississippi have very different needs. Having a national pro-biking policy would never work. Heck, this is more of a city issue than a state one to be honest. I never stated this is a national thing. Some places will never have proper biking infrastructure by default.

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CityHawk17 t1_j654w6r wrote

So, original comment mentioned the "US".

You narrowed it down to California for your point, but now it's the entire US? Well which is it? I'm confused.

I can tell you this would never work country wide. Hence my comment. In some states, maybe. Not as a country though. Too big. Basically, pick the big cities that stay warm, those are potentially your only options.

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Fetty_is_the_best t1_j656owz wrote

I merely used California as an example of where biking could work . I’m aware that in much of the US it wouldn’t work. Biking will never be a viable form of transportation in low density/low population areas. But in regions where a huge percentage of the US lives, it absolutely would work. Your last paragraph is my point, we are in agreement. I think rather than just looking at the US as a whole, individual regions should be the focus for these kinds of things.

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CityHawk17 t1_j65dkq1 wrote

>Your last paragraph is my point, we are in agreement.

Absolutely! Sorry for my confusion.

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DeTrotseTuinkabouter t1_j686xle wrote

The fact that California hasn't done it goes to show that it's not just a matter of climate.

For a lot of the other States better bike infrastructure and public transport are possible too I reckon. Especially with the popularity of e-bikes.

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Reddit-runner t1_j658bn7 wrote

Then tell me why Finland has amazing bike infrastructure even close to the Arctic circle?

And it's well used all year round!

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Graega t1_j648xz6 wrote

That won't happen. "But mah lifted 20" truck with custom rims and paint job 47 trump bumper stickers and a jeebus fish!" is the next thing out of the yokels' mouths, right after, "But mah freedumbs" when anyone mentions gun control, separation of church and state, or gender reveal parties not killing the parents and 18 guests plus four bystanders who just happened to be in the area.

Our great great grandchildren won't even have a cycle culture at this rate.

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gertalives t1_j64ak3j wrote

Let’s zoom out and then back in a little on the US. It’s an enormous country, and a lot of those yokels live where it’s many miles between anything of interest. Those folks still don’t need lifted trucks in most cases, but bikes aren’t a viable solution. If we look at dense cities, absolutely, bikes and public transit make a zillion times more sense than a sea of individual autos clogging the roads. Those cities are where the infrastructure push makes sense.

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AccordingLifeguard49 t1_j64cqh8 wrote

Hard to ride a bike in 4 feet of snow at -31. In addition some cities & towns are just too darn big for this to work. There are a few chuckle heads with lifted trucks and stickers of course. However, bike travel only works like 3 months out of the year in MT. And I've seen I snow in July. I dont know of many towns where bike travel is so feasible they could restructure for it.

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azimir t1_j64gr8p wrote

And yet, Finland has managed to do just that: bike in the snow.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uhx-26GfCBU

It requires cities to build and maintain bike infrastructure and not just hope that people manage to bike over snowplow drifts.

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feauxtv t1_j652gqq wrote

That was a very enjoyable video to watch!

*A Texan that recently moved to Amsterdam and now only owns a bike and LOVES it!

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InGenAche t1_j65j510 wrote

Yeah but I bet you have that bike jacked on monster wheels and rims right?

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feauxtv t1_j65kclj wrote

Hahaha, no. It's a beater bike, all rusty and has several working/non-working lights, and a kid seat in the back that we wipe down with a wash cloth when it's wet - cuz that's whatya do.

There is a big F150 truck in our neighborhood and we just laugh at thinking about them trying to find parking. And it's only a 150. Doofus.

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azimir t1_j65bhr9 wrote

Do you have a pile of spare bedrooms for a visiting family? :-)

I'm glad that you've found a great place. My visits to Amsterdam have been very nice and it looks like the city is continuing to invest in positive change over time.

The Not Just Bikes YouTube channel has lots of great material on cities and city design. He's got a great one on why he's not a fan of Houston.

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feauxtv t1_j65fkmu wrote

Haha, we live in the city so definitely no "piles of spare bedrooms." 😅

The kiddo loves it and is a fully Dutchy now, so we're sold. And yeah, we ended up watching a few of his videos, they were great! I'm from Dallas, so no real love for Houston from me either. 😜

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alc4pwned t1_j64i63j wrote

I'm sure you can do it. I just don't want to lol. I'm guessing not many people in the US would choose the bike over a warm car during the winter.

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ObsceneGesture4u t1_j65375m wrote

And this is why things never change and we’ll be the deaths of ourselves

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alc4pwned t1_j65kj97 wrote

Because we don't want to bike in the snow? That's a bit sensationalist.

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ObsceneGesture4u t1_j65mked wrote

Is it? We’re currently in the midst of a climate crisis because people refuse to make changes that are inconvenient to them.

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alc4pwned t1_j65nxku wrote

You have made those changes though? Do you eat meat? Live in single family housing? Spend a meaningful portion of your income on nonessentials? Have energy intensive hobbies such as PC gaming?

Those are the kinds of sacrifices I'd expect someone who is saying "not wanting to bike in the snow will be the end of us" to have already made.

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XKSS_ t1_j64fron wrote

It surely never snows in Finland huh.

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Guson1 t1_j64i803 wrote

I can see why you’re in uplifting news because it seems pretty miserable in that box you’ve put yourself in, but please don’t drag the rest of us down with you.

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