I didnโt know that Tom Flood was in my city. Itโs like he knows exactly how our city council behaves.
Ok but bike lanes are just perpetuating the problem, which is that people need to travel too far to get to things. What we need is zoning reform, encouraging commercial construction in residential neighborhoods.
The point of a city is all the things that you can journey too. If you just want the things in your local neighborhood then you can find that in small towns in the middle of nowhere. However in a large city a short journey of beyond walking distance is the real goal. We need more bike lanes and public transit!
We need zoning reforms because people shouldnโt have to get to go far to get the basics (milk or whatever your culture sees as basics). However that doesnโt change any need for getting people around.
I reject your premise wholeheartedly. Bike lanes are for bikes. Bikes are for any destination. Why walk for 10 minutes when I can cycle for 3?
There are cycles available for almost every type of disability โ itโs actually an inclusive mode of transport that will often act as a mobility aid for people who find walking difficult, people who canโt walk far and even those who cannot walk at all.
Evidence from the Netherlands (and increasingly from the UK, where new infrastructure has been built) shows that high quality cycling infrastructure is often shared with wheelchairs, mobility scooters and other assistive modes of transport.
And in general, cycling infrastructure should go hand-in-hand with other improvements to the physical environment too โ like smooth, continuous footways across side roads, for example.
So in fact the truth is the opposite of the myth โ cycling actually gives people with physical disabilities more transport options and independence, not less.
By all means, build the bike lanes. But my point is that itโs like going vegan by ordering a salad with your steak. Adding bike lanes wonโt make cities less car-centric.
Yes it will. How can it ever become anything else than car centric if you canโt get around without a car? People need to go places, and bike lanes get them there without cars.
Iโm really trying to understand whatโs tripping you up here.
I think youโre being down voted bc of your bike statement, but you are correct that zoning changes are required. It is a multifold solution. If you live in suburban hell and need to commute 20 miles to work as a result, the community wonโt adopt cycling as much as a community that has mixed zoning that puts commercial and residential closer together and residents can walk or bike.
just widen the sidewalks a few feet and let them ride there.
Bikes donโt belong on sidewalks. Dangerous for pedestrians and cars canโt see the cyclist as well
Now if we could just teach this to the general population. The number of times that Iโve gotten yelled at to โget off the road and use the sidewalkโ has me prepared to make a wearable โshare the roadโ sign.
Parking spots = parking meter and parking fine revenue
Bike lanes are proven to increase revenue for businesses in their vicinity. Car parking takes up valuable space in a city which could be used more productively.
I agree but try convincing local politicians of that. They just see immediate revenue disappearing, no long term gains.
Hey New York, howโs it going now that youโve killed the plan for congestion pricing in Manhattan?
Bus and Train service into the city can easily pass $15 round trip even with monthly passes. It was so infuriating to have to listen to people who already pay $600+ for a garage already crying about having to pay $15. If you live in New York City you know the area they wanted to tax has almost no parking before 7 pm except for commercial vehicles, and it is $5+ an hour (based on area, and increasing in cost by how long you stay) to even do that. And to make it worse was how many of those upset would be people from Upstate and New Jersey who only come to NYC 2x a year if that.
I donโt believe this is real and not a still from a zombie outbreak movie.
