[Video] Are Dutch Cities Really that Different? Debunking Cycling Myths
[Video] Are Dutch Cities Really that Different? Debunking Cycling Myths
Whenever urbanists point to Dutch cycling infrastructure as a model to follow, skeptics respond with a list of reasons why Dutch cities are just too different to be relevant elsewhere, especially the U.S. and Canada. “This is all great if you live in a flat, tiny, crowded country without a real wint...
The "flat" argument made sense a while ago in my opinion. As someone who live in a very non-flat region, biking, especially "daily life" biking was not a good solution.
This argument is now dead with the rise of electric bikes.
I live in Montana in a city that is extremely bike friendly relative to nearby states. Still the little bits of friction make choosing to bike difficult. My work commute is 3 miles with a bike path most of the way, and then a bike lane for most of the rest. I biked to work every day this last year (even through the snow) and I loved it, but it made me bitter to how much cars are preferred.
Some of the crosswalks I use are parallel to a 45MPH stroad and I hate crossing them. Cars barely have to slow down to take the huge turns and they never are looking for pedestrians/bikes. I always stop and wait for a gap in cars because the chances I'm seen are just too low. Not Just Bikes has a good video on making crosswalks safer and I wish my city would take notes. One of my friends has been hit by a car 3 times because he's more reckless on crosswalks than me - I hate saying reckless because it should be a place that's safe for him to cross - no injuries ever.
In winter the bike paths were sometimes plowed, other times they'd just wait until the next storm. Snow drifts never were plowed. Studded tires are a must. The unreliability was a huge pain. I remember one snow storm came in while I was working and I had to walk my bike most of the way home.
Some of the lights make pedestrians wait an entire light cycle to cross so I'll leave the bike path to ride in the road just to save time. I know they do it in the name of safety so that bikes cross right when the light is green and are more visible, but it's hugely punishing to bike commute times, and I would argue that it's no safer. Cars aren't going to see bikes either way. I've complained to my city twice about one particularly dangerous intersection on the bike path and was told they have a 7 year plan to make it safer. No details how. I hope for once it involves slowing down cars.
Also, for the small section of my commute in the painted bike lane, I've been pushed off the road twice by cars. Both times on their cellphones. So I don't see painted bike lanes as offering any protection at all.