Safe Cycling Showdown - Good vs. Bad City Design - Plus 1 Minus 2
Why Hacker News recommends it
HN recommends the channel for understanding why North American road design makes cycling dangerous and how the Dutch approach differs.
What it is
Not Just Bikes compares the same cycling trip to a hardware store in Calgary and in Amsterdam, using a 'plus 1 minus 2' format. It shows how street design shapes how safe and practical cycling is.
Recommended by 4 HN commenters across 3 different months, 2021 to 2022.
What Hacker News said
Strong rec tdeck · 2021-08 · on ““Does induced demand apply to bike lanes?” and other questions”
> The best option is to just take the lane and follow the rules of the road for drivers of vehicles. You get noticed and you don't have conflicts at intersections. You don't need to be physically fit to do it (other than be physically capable of riding a bike). Most people won't be comfortable doing this for the simple reason that they'll be going slower than surrounding traffic and it will piss of drivers, which is scary when you're on a bike and they have two tons of metal right beside you. If the safest way to do something is mildly terrifying and generally viewed as antagonistic, we can't be surprised that most people will avoid doing that thing. I've really been inspired lately by watch
Recommends Gwypaas · 2021-08 · on ““Does induced demand apply to bike lanes?” and other questions”
Watch the bicycle infrastructure get better as he get out into the Amsterdam suburbs. Cycling showdown, Amsterdam vs. Calgary [this video]
Recommends noahtallen · 2022-01 · on “Tesla Model S Goes 752 Miles with a Startup's Prototype Battery”
Cycling is normally very dangerous in North America (outside of certain urban cores and small towns), due to the road design and zoning laws. This channel is helpful in understanding the problem: [this video]
Recommends gcanyon · 2022-11 · on “The Exceptionally American Problem of Rising Roadway Deaths”
Not Just Bikes on YouTube covers road/pedestrian/bike safety extensively. [LINK] Specific videos: Crossing the street should be safer: [LINK] How to quickly build a cycling city: [LINK] Wasting money on car infrastructure: [LINK] The wrong way to set speed limits: [LINK] Safe cycling: [this video] "Stroads" are dangerous: [LINK]
Cites lolpython · 2021-09 · on “Renting a car will be a pain until at least 2022”
> Most things we take for granted like being able to get a week's worth of groceries home in one trip or going to enjoy a restaurant that specializes in a niche style, or buying cheap goods at a warehouse store, or being able to get to a hospital within half an hour all require automobile infrastructure It's possible to do these things without a car if your city has prioritized making that a reality. The exact mode depends on the city. Some examples: * In the Netherlands, cycling infrastructure is strong enough that you can bike to a big box store outside the city and load up your bike with what you need [0]. You can fit a week's worth of goods in a cargo bike [1] if that's your style. There
Cites Symbiote · 2021-09 · on “Trailerduck is a smart e-bike trailer”
No, 25km/h is the normal maximum speed for a normal person cycling. > On my road bike I sustain 20 mph for most of the ride. A few people manage 32km/h in the Netherlands or Denmark, but only if they have a long commute through the suburbs or a rural area, often for recreation/leisure/exercise. In towns, other people aren't expecting Lance Armstrong to appear, and can step/swerve into your path. You can see from [1] (at the linked point) that there's no way you'll be going fast through the centre of Amsterdam. The path isn't wide enough, there are far too many other cyclists and pedestrians, and the car drivers yielding at the junctions would be startled, at best. The same at 4m32s (a park).