• SubArcticTundra@lemmy.ml
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    3 months ago

    I imagine bikes will be very useful in making US cities walkable. The streets have been built very wide to make space for cars, which would make walking more tedious, but bikes are the perfect solution to this bc they let you cover more (flat) distance with just the power of your legs.

    • delirious_owl@discuss.online
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      3 months ago

      Every two lane road has enough space for four lanes of bicycles (one passing lane for ebikes and one lane for normal bikes going in each direction)

      • ninjaphysics@beehaw.org
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        3 months ago

        I love this. It’s a simple way to train an open-minded carbrain that there are easy ways to convert existing infrastructure on the cheap!

        • delirious_owl@discuss.online
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          3 months ago

          Due to the pandemic, people needed more outdoor space in cities (since its unsafe to eg eat indoors), so NYC closed roads to cars and turned them into basically public parks.

          When the shops started opening again, they city got a lot of pressure and they made a campaign to close I think 25% of the city’s roads to cars in some years

          Unfortunately, still not car free

          • ninjaphysics@beehaw.org
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            3 months ago

            Pressure from businesses and the auto industry lobbyists, I presume.

            Imagine if NYC didn’t give in! Imagine if we didn’t give in to corporate interests on the regular. Imagine if we came together to fight for good community-building things…

      • whotookkarl@lemmy.world
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        3 months ago

        The only thing keeping me from regularly using bikes or ebikes for short distance travel are the cars and trucks sharing the same space that ignore bike lanes and try to get as close as they can to you when they pass you, and if I try to use the largely unused sidewalks and dip into the street to avoid the occasional pedestrians I get a ticket.

        • vividspecter@lemm.ee
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          3 months ago

          ignore bike lanes and try to get as close as they can to you when they pass you

          That’s why protected bike lanes are the ideal, preferably grade separated from the road. Remove the problem via infrastructure, and more people will bike.