New research shows a holistic approach, combining infrastructure, educational programs, and financial incentives, can transform Australian cities into sustainable and thriving communities.
The vast, VAST majority of current car drives can best be replaced by PUBLIC TRANSIT, not walking or cycling.
The anti-car fixation on cycling is actually doing a disservice to the necessary transition away from cars. Cycling at its heart is and always will be a leisure activity for the vast majority of people. Every dollar currently spent on cycling infrastructure and lobbying could do an order of magnitude more good if it was spent on better public transit instead.
When public transit is good, it naturally makes cycling more likely. But that’s a side benefit. Public transit itself should be the focus.
How are Americans privileged? Most Americans live in poverty (pay check to pay check, struggle to afford nutritious food, struggle to afford healthcare), they don’t have the freedom of walkable cities or quality public transit, they live in constant fear that they can be fired without warning or cause, etc.
Americans don’t even have a democracy or the freedom to unionize (without being fired and blacklisted). All we had was cheap consumer junk and nice national parks, but Trump is ruining both
Was talking about the privileged 20% of Americans for whom none of that is an issue, who ride fancy bicycles to their coffeeshop remote jobs and who imagine that what works for them personally is a replacement for proper public transit.
True, my statement applies to anywhere public transit is lacking, which is most of America (and many other countries). If your country already has good public transit, it doesn’t apply.
This is exactly right. Americans need to ask why nobody is driving in big European or East Asian cities. It’s not because they’re all on bicycles! It’s because they’re on subways and trams which come every 90 seconds.
As far as I’m aware there are literally TWO small weird exceptions to this rule (Netherlands and Denmark - developed countries where people really do cycle a lot). America needs to forget about them and look at the vastly more common situation in countries where people don’t drive, like China, Japan, Germany, France and so on.
Hot take: you DON’T.
The vast, VAST majority of current car drives can best be replaced by PUBLIC TRANSIT, not walking or cycling.
The anti-car fixation on cycling is actually doing a disservice to the necessary transition away from cars. Cycling at its heart is and always will be a leisure activity for the vast majority of people. Every dollar currently spent on cycling infrastructure and lobbying could do an order of magnitude more good if it was spent on better public transit instead.
When public transit is good, it naturally makes cycling more likely. But that’s a side benefit. Public transit itself should be the focus.
American commentThis came off kinda rude, I didn’t mean for it to be. I’m gonna leave it in the interest of transparency though
On the contrary, it’s countering a misconception of privileged Americans.
How are Americans privileged? Most Americans live in poverty (pay check to pay check, struggle to afford nutritious food, struggle to afford healthcare), they don’t have the freedom of walkable cities or quality public transit, they live in constant fear that they can be fired without warning or cause, etc.
Americans don’t even have a democracy or the freedom to unionize (without being fired and blacklisted). All we had was cheap consumer junk and nice national parks, but Trump is ruining both
Was talking about the privileged 20% of Americans for whom none of that is an issue, who ride fancy bicycles to their coffeeshop remote jobs and who imagine that what works for them personally is a replacement for proper public transit.
True, my statement applies to anywhere public transit is lacking, which is most of America (and many other countries). If your country already has good public transit, it doesn’t apply.
This is exactly right. Americans need to ask why nobody is driving in big European or East Asian cities. It’s not because they’re all on bicycles! It’s because they’re on subways and trams which come every 90 seconds.
As far as I’m aware there are literally TWO small weird exceptions to this rule (Netherlands and Denmark - developed countries where people really do cycle a lot). America needs to forget about them and look at the vastly more common situation in countries where people don’t drive, like China, Japan, Germany, France and so on.
There are cities in Europe where 30 to 50% of the population ride bikes to train stations or even directly to work
Yes, in the Netherlands and Denmark, as I mentioned. Nowhere else in the whole world.