London Deploys Cycle Superhighways Despite "Old Men In Limos" 258
dkatana writes: London's mayor Boris Johnson had to fight its way through stiff resistance to the new Cycle Superhighways to see his vision of a cycling capital become reality.
Detractors included the Taxi Drivers Association (LTDA), which threatened legal action, but ultimately backed away when it became apparent that a judicial review of TfL's plans would simply delay rather than stop the new routes. Property firm Canary Wharf Group had also been vocal, producing an anonymous briefing (which it later acknowledged) that called the planned route "extremely damaging for London." An unnamed borough was threatened with powers to seize control of their roads if cycle superhighways were blocked.
Now the two new segregated bike paths will crisscross the city and open up speedy, safe cycling that will ease pollution and traffic for everyone, non-cyclists, too, Boris Johnson says.
Detractors included the Taxi Drivers Association (LTDA), which threatened legal action, but ultimately backed away when it became apparent that a judicial review of TfL's plans would simply delay rather than stop the new routes. Property firm Canary Wharf Group had also been vocal, producing an anonymous briefing (which it later acknowledged) that called the planned route "extremely damaging for London." An unnamed borough was threatened with powers to seize control of their roads if cycle superhighways were blocked.
Now the two new segregated bike paths will crisscross the city and open up speedy, safe cycling that will ease pollution and traffic for everyone, non-cyclists, too, Boris Johnson says.
wish this existed in silicon valley (Score:3, Insightful)
I drive on heavily congested roads for about 12 miles. My car says I average 22 mph....
If there was a bicycle highway that was uninterrupted for this distance, I could save stress by riding a bike rather than a car, with little cost in time.
Re:wish this existed in silicon valley (Score:4, Interesting)
If there was a bicycle highway that was uninterrupted for this distance, I could save stress by riding a bike rather than a car, with little cost in time.
Looking at google maps, I see there is a rail line running the length of the valley. That would be a the obvious place to build a cycleway - would that help?
There are already decent bike lines alongside sections of the line. Could the rail reserve be used?
Or could you combine bike & train, either folding bike on train, or keep a bike locked up at each end of your commute (unless you can park a car at your local station). Is that a good option in California?
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Boris Johnson is an odd one - on one hand a typical, Eton Tory bully, on the other hand clever and original; a highly unusual combination. I would never vote Conservative, but I rather like him. And his ideas for cycling are spot on.
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22mph is fast, average 'rush hour' traffic speed in London is 9-12mph, my average London cycling commute speed is plenty more - about 15-17mph.
Re:wish this existed in silicon valley (Score:4, Informative)
Unfortunately, US road design means that cycling in Silicon Valley is basically a guaranteed death sentence.
It would require major reworking (like replacing the light junctions with roundabouts so that the roads could be made narrower, and dedicated, separate lanes could be added in the space the roads used to use.
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I don't know man, I tried biking in San Jose once and the main thing holding me back from taking a trip down there again was the monotony of miles upon miles of office parks. There are bike lanes, and drivers generally respect them. That's more than you can say for most American suburbs.
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Roundabouts are bad for cyclists. It is very difficult to devise a sensible solution. So far the best option is to put a bicycle lane around the outside, at good distance from the actual roundabout, forcing the cyclists to stop for the cars when they cross each road. This is reasonably safe but ssssllllloooowwww for the cyclists.
Re:wish this existed in silicon valley (Score:4, Interesting)
"Roundabouts are bad for cyclists. It is very difficult to devise a sensible solution."
I often pass over this elevated bike roundabout. Kind of expensive though...
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wik... [wikipedia.org]
Re:wish this existed in silicon valley (Score:5, Interesting)
Oh, FFS... I am an urban cyclist in Mexico City. Yes, non-bike-riders often tell me I'm crazy for risking my life daily in one of the world's largest cities, with all kinds of expeltives directed at my fellow countrymen... ...And they are all wrong.
Of course, I don't cycle in highways/motorways. Of course, I go out of my way to be sure I am seen. Of course, I know all of the driving rules (and many of the usual wrongs). Of course, I am very very careful. I am not the least interested in making my kids orphan.
But riding a bike in a city not thought for bikes is perfectly doable. And we will only achieve greater visibility and better city design by breaking the balance and becoming more visible. By becoming more cyclists. By being seen so often on the roads that motorists will *expect* us to be there.
I don't need (and often don't want, as they are usually not very well planned nor enough drivable) cyclist-only paths. We are a moving vehicle, and should coexist with traffic. After all, as GGP said, motorists average 22MPH (35.2Km/h). I average 20-25Km/h. It's not that much of a difference.
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Sorry, I'm not going to risk my life driving alongside assholes driving giant pickup trucks that take up the whole lane, and who can't even be bothered to stay within their lanes.
All it takes is one small mistake by a car/truck driver and you're dead. Having more cyclists out there does not change the laws of physics. You're risking your life every time you ride with traffic.
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And your house could be hit by a meteor and crush you instantly at any moment.
Yes, but it's a question of odds and acceptable risk. The odds of being hit by a meteor are literally astronomical (bad pun), but your odds of being maimed by a bad driver while cycling are definitely not. Lots of cyclists get hit by cars, it's not uncommon. It'd be interesting to see what the statistics are for odds of being hurt by miles cycled. Your odds in a car aren't that great either (tens of thousands of people die in
Re:wish this existed in silicon valley (Score:4, Interesting)
Lots and lots of people die in car accidents and it doesn't stop folks from driving.
Re:wish this existed in silicon valley (Score:4, Interesting)
You can reduce those risks by becoming familiar with your route and how motorists behave at different times of day, then adjusting your riding habits accordingly.
To give you an example of what I mean: there is a particular 3-way stop in my city where I always pull over to the left hand side of the lane. This is because the driver's view on one of the streets is obstructed by a large tree, so a cyclist on the right would go unseen. While my first couple of trips through that intersection were scary, because I was sticking to the right, becoming familiar with the intersection and modifying my riding habits accordingly made the trip much safer.
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You can reduce those risks by becoming familiar with your route and how motorists behave at different times of day, then adjusting your riding habits accordingly.
To give you an example of what I mean: there is a particular 3-way stop in my city where I always pull over to the left hand side of the lane. This is because the driver's view on one of the streets is obstructed by a large tree, so a cyclist on the right would go unseen. While my first couple of trips through that intersection were scary, because I was sticking to the right, becoming familiar with the intersection and modifying my riding habits accordingly made the trip much safer.
No offence, but it sounds to me like you're saying anyone riding through that intersection not familiar with it is in a fair amount of danger.
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So cycling basically means you get to play a rabbit in wolf-infested land, with permadeath of course.
Thanks, but I think I'll just take the car.
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I run red lights only when the light is stuck because the induction loop isn't set sensitive enough to detect the rims directly over the crack in the road.
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Oh, FFS... I am an urban cyclist in Mexico City.
Hello, I'm an urban cyclist in what's considered my country's most cycle-friendly city.
Of course, I don't cycle in highways/motorways. Of course, I go out of my way to be sure I am seen. Of course, I know all of the driving rules (and many of the usual wrongs). Of course, I am very very careful.
Where I live you would be 1. Arrested almost immediately, 2. Hit by another vehicle, 3. Fined 4. Hit by another vehicle for not doing so
But riding a bike in a city not thought for bikes is perfectly doable.
Doable, yes. Doable safely, no. People (passengers and drivers alike) regularly kill cyclists because they can't be bothered to look behind them before opening a car door, or stop SMSing their fully sick M8s long enough to check the mirrors of their daddy's BMW while they pull into your l
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I don't understand the opposing argument. (Score:3, Insightful)
The article states that the London Taxi Drivers Association and a couple of other groups are against the bike lanes because they believe the bike lanes will increase congestion - yet the article also states that the bike lanes are entirely or almost entirely segregated from normal car traffic. I just don't see how those two things meet up. The real reason is obvious: that more people riding bikes means fewer people taking taxis and other forms of paid transportation, but they could have at least come up with a better argument.
The street will become half as wide (Score:5, Informative)
They appear to have be creating these segregated lanes by halving the size of existing streets.
London is crowded. There is not a whole lot of room to build infrastructure. You can't move the buildings back 3 meters to make room for a bike lane, you have to make the existing street narrower.
If you halve the size of a busy street, you will absolutely increase congestion.
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Unless you also substantially reduce the number of cars on the road at the same time, which is entirely plausible.
Re:The street will become half as wide (Score:5, Interesting)
That depends upon how many people choose to cycle. Bikes take considerably less space both on the road and for parking. In the long term, it may also makes the length of trips for both cyclists and motorists since businesses will find it desirable to be closer to their workers and consumers. Of course, all of that depends upon uptake. Only time will tell.
It is also worth considering that "halve the size of a busy street" is also incredibly misleading. Considering that you can support bidirectional bike traffic in less space than a single lane for motor vehicles and that bike lanes tend to be along corridors (rather than on every street), you are dedicating significantly less than 50% of the infrastructure to bikes. Indeed, it would be surprising if the percentage of the infrastructure dedicated to cycling would be anywhere close to the percentage of the population that cycle.
Re: The street will become half as wide (Score:3)
This is precisely why I dislike the bike lanes in a London. I'll wait and see how these new cross London routes pan out, but I suppose I'll stick with the roads.
The lanes as you describe it are not wide enough. You can't overtake and believe me there are a lot of very slow cyclists in London, and I'm not even referring to the amateurs and tourists wobbling around on Boris bikes.
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Vancouver (Canada) has a few bidirectional bike lanes, and I agree that they are a bit problematic. That's particularly true when making left turns.
As for overtaking other cyclists, just do what you would do on a pathway (or as an automobile would do on a side street or highway): ensure the oncoming lane is clear and pass. Unfortunately, there is not enough bike traffic to justify a passing lane.
For the most part, I prefer riding on roads without bike lanes. But I'm an experienced cyclist who would much
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Unfortunately, there is not enough bike traffic to justify a passing lane.
Then there's not enough bike traffic to justify a fully separated path, either, not where it has to be taken away from the space normally used for cars.
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And I agree that it seems unlikely that it takes you 4 times as long to get to work on a bike. The building I work in like many buildings in the city has very limited parking. Most people have to park somewhere and walk a few blocks. I c
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The damn things are all over the road anyway. This way they have their own lane so you don't have to poke along behind them as they weave along their way. I have to say as a car driver, any thing that gets the bikes off the road onto their own lane so I don't have to worry about crushing someone is a good thing.
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Wish I had mod points... Where I live in the SF Bay area there are bike lanes on nearly every street, excluding the freeways which are off limits anyways, the problem is the bikes won't stick to one medium. They go from Peds on the side-walk, to bikes in the protected space, to deciding to share the space my car is CURRENTLY occupying within 30 feet without a pause or even a look many times. I like riding my bike, and if my employer would provide a shower, and someplace to put my bike I would ride often, bu
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I don't disagree with your opinion, but why do you say "the damn things" about a vehicle used as a serious mode of transport by thousands of people in any given city? If this is the kind of casual disrespect you show people who do things a way you disapprove of, why do you feel you have the right to have your choices respected in turn?
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I say "damn things" because when they're in the roadway they are a constant nuisance. It's frustrating to be motoring at 50mph and suddenly slow to 15 for a half a mile because someone decided to ride their bike on a major roadway and it's impossible to safely pass them. "Damn things" is a sight better than what I say then.
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...Unless, by adding a bike lane, you take current cars out out of the city center. Each cyclist that uses the path is one less motorist. Less congestion.
Re:I don't understand the opposing argument. (Score:4, Informative)
They're probably thinking that segregated lanes will mean fewer traffic lanes that cabs can use, therefore congestion. Space is limited and those new lanes will have to go somewhere. I live on the other side of the Atlantic, but when bike lanes are added in my area, it usually comes at the expense of at least one "regular" traffic lane, sometimes one in each direction. I'm all for cycle lanes though, this is just my guess on what they're thinking.
Re:I don't understand the opposing argument. (Score:4, Interesting)
München is planning exactly this, a citywide network of elevated cycle freeways:
http://www.wired.com/2015/07/m... [wired.com]
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Re:I don't understand the opposing argument. (Score:5, Informative)
He's pretty much got it right.
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When you close massive amounts of lane-miles, then of course your decision to massively increase congestion will increase congestion. Of course the bike riders want that to happen. They want to make the lives of those of us that have to drive for a living here even more of a living hell. They hate us.
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He said "all but essential".
Old European city cores are god awful for car traffic, limiting traffic to the core to ambulances and supply trucks (usually during very early morning) is common for a lot of busier shopping streets or in some cases entire city cores. It's simply a huge economic gain for the area, better shopping, better tourism and yes ... more pleasant living for the rich folk who can afford it. Regardless of car access working class people can't live in London city center.
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Your increasing congestion that impacts ambulances. I've driven in NYC with full lights and sirens you still can not get anywhere as people have no way to get out of your way.
I will say full lights and sirens skidding up to grand central gets you odd looks from the vendors from then on.
Old fashioned conservativism... (Score:2)
I figure the taxi drivers see 'anything' as a threat and thus oppose it.
Still, looking at the graphic, they're turning a space that could be a 4 lane road into 2.
Still, more bicycles SHOULD equate to more taxi rides - more people ditch their cars for bicycles 'except' for xyz, which then logically leads to more cab rides.
Self driving cars should be what they're really worried about.
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The article states that the London Taxi Drivers Association and a couple of other groups are against the bike lanes because they believe the bike lanes will increase congestion - yet the article also states that the bike lanes are entirely or almost entirely segregated from normal car traffic. I just don't see how those two things meet up.
Because they take away lanes from cars to build them? Because they could add a lane for cars if they have room to build a separated cycle path? Because Boris Johnson's bus lanes are horribly underutilized, and in fact did cause additional congestion?
Re:I don't understand the opposing argument. (Score:5, Insightful)
As someone from the UK who's recently moved to the US, I can safely say, cyclists in the UK are a lot better (not perfect, but much better) at keeping to the rules. Cyclists in the US really genuinely seem to think that absolutely no rules apply to them at all.
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To be fair, so are the drivers. Seems to be something wrong with the general population.
Re:I don't understand the opposing argument. (Score:4, Insightful)
Just because you ride a bike, doesn't mean you can ride in the road and ignore traffic lights, ignore stop signs, cut the lane in between cars and have the gull to grab onto a car and use it as a speed booster.
Indeed it doesn't. And I don't know about where you are, but in the UK most of those things are likely to get the cyclist a hefty fine if caught. Sure, some cyclists try it on anyway, but how many motorists can say they've never exceeded a speed limit?
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Just because you ride a bike, doesn't mean you can ride in the road and ignore traffic lights, ignore stop signs, cut the lane in between cars and have the gull to grab onto a car and use it as a speed booster.
Indeed it doesn't. And I don't know about where you are, but in the UK most of those things are likely to get the cyclist a hefty fine if caught.
So? That doesn't stop them from doing them. That statement was a total waste of electrons. Punishment doesn't prevent crime.
Sure, some cyclists try it on anyway, but how many motorists can say they've never exceeded a speed limit?
Wow, you're really going to equate exceeding a number which was chosen for the purpose of producing revenues with completely ignoring traffic laws to the detriment of all? That's why people hate cyclists.
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I agree with half of your message. And –as an urban cyclist– violently disagree with the other half.
YES, cyclists should share the road with motorists.
But, YES, cyclists are driving a vehicle, and thus subject to driving regulations.
People often honk at me when I'm just standing waiting for the light to turn green — Well, guess what? The traffic light also applies to me on my bike. I expect to ride on the center of the rightmost, non-parking available lane AND RESPECT ALL TRAFFIC INDICATIO
Right turn only (Score:2)
I expect to ride on the center of the rightmost, non-parking available lane
A couple weeks ago, a cop gave me a hard time for riding my bike in the right half of a street's only through lane when the lane to my right was marked right turn only. "Get over to the right or use the sidewalk." Do you expect to go straight in right turn only lanes?
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"Over here (NL), that's actually the rule: cyclists have to keep to the right at all times except in cases where there is a special bike lane. "
Fortunately car drivers are also trained to keep at least a meter distance when passing a cyclist. It seems that the problem in the US is that automobilists pass too closely and that because of that, cyclist claim the whole lane out of self-defense.
"At traffic lights, cyclists wait at the right side of the road even when going straight. Cars turning right have to gi
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It seems that the problem in the US is that automobilists pass too closely and that because of that, cyclist claim the whole lane out of self-defense.
It seems to me that the problem in the US is that bicyclists ride too far into the lane. You give them a lane of their own, then they won't ride in it. They ride right on the line, then they complain when you pass to close to them. Well, know when I'm behind you, and get the fuck over into your special lane like the law requires.
They complain about there being sharp stuff over there, then they put on tires that are made of kleenex which can't handle any sharp stuff. If I put tires like that on my car, I wou
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You really don't see it? They're going to create these bike lanes by taking a car lane and walling it off. Thus, more traffic and it sucks for everyone but bike riders.
I know that a lot of bike riders think of this as a positive, which is unfortunate. You can't ride a bike unless you're physically fit, which rules out the disabled, the elderly, the young, and much of the poor. Also to people who sweat a lot, and entirely genetic problem. It's like a giant middle finger to everyone in society. The attitude seems to be, "tough, now it's time for YOU to suffer!"
How physically fit do you need to be to ride a bike? It's not that hard and the beauty is that if you're not that fit now, you can get more fit by riding.
How does it hurt the young? If they're too young to ride there are lots of options for the parents to bring them along on a bike (via trailer, bakfiets, or whatever). The young certainly can't drive.
The poor? They're too poor to ride a bike, but they can own a car, pay for fuel, and for parking? Sorry, that doesn't make sense.
It's not like the roa
Trailer weight limit (Score:2)
If they're too young to ride there are lots of options for the parents to bring them along on a bike (via trailer, bakfiets, or whatever).
I shopped for trailers designed for carrying children, and the one I found had a maximum weight of 50 pounds or 22 kg per child. This leaves a gap between when a child becomes too heavy to carry safely in the trailer and when the parent deems the child mature enough to negotiate city streets on a bicycle. I had to look up "bakfiets" and it's apparently Dutch for a freight bicycle, which I've never seen in operation in my home town despite a growing cyclist presence. How large of a child can be carried in on
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I shopped for trailers designed for carrying children, and the one I found had a maximum weight of 50 pounds or 22 kg per child. This leaves a gap between when a child becomes too heavy to carry safely in the trailer and when the parent deems the child mature enough to negotiate city streets on a bicycle.
Nobody who understands both physics and love puts their child in a bike trailer and negotiates city streets, dude.
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Again, I'm not
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In fact, most normal bicycles are designed for a maximum weight of around 120 kg with some safety margin, so they manage to hold their own against somewhat higher weights.
Cracking the frame - yep, that can happen. But it takes time, so it is maybe a new frame every one or two years. Modern aluminium frames are inexpensive so it is not a big deal. A chromoly steel frame is much more difficult to crack. But bending the sprockets wouldn't happen. Professional cyclists exert much higher forces on the sprockets
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You can be physically unfit for walking long distances, and use a bicycle instead.
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Utility riding can absolutely be done by the young and the elderly and the poor.
* For the poor: There are cheap bikes, Craiglist, Freecycle, garage sales etc. which are perfectly suitable for utility cycling.
* For the elderly: You can travel at 9mph on a bicycle for the same energy expenditure of walking at 3mph. A person on a bicycle is the most efficient way on Earth to move around.
* For the young: The fastest and best cyclists are the young! Most of the worlds best cyclists are under 40 years old.
* For t
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It is not a zero-sum game. Each bike rider not driving a car clears space for other drivers.
Foolproof (Score:3, Interesting)
Of course the plan includes building locker rooms for all those people who will now get to the office covered in sweat, rain, snow and whatnot.
Otherwise it's the entire office that will smell like a locker room.
Re:Foolproof (Score:4, Interesting)
Yeah, most offices these days have showers. I think all new ones are required to.
The UK isn't particularly hot though, so you'll likely sweat only on the three days a year of what passes for summer. Rain can be dealt with by simply wearing waterproof clothing, like people do in the Netherlands and Denmark, both drizzly countries that have long since figured out how to set up bike infrastructure.
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It's not the heat, it's the humidity, and UK is a lot hillier than Denmark or (especially) the Netherlands. Cycling in the latter is almost effortless compared to UK, apart from the Norfolk Broads where it is equally flat and the biggest slope you'll encounter is in a supermarket car park thus requiring a 4 wheel drive SUV for the 1 in 75 incline...
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I commute to work about 4 miles each way by bicycle, in Dallas, in August. It was 104 here last Friday, and ~85F by the time I arrived to the office, but I don't sweat too much getting to the office. I wear typical business-casual riding in to the office, leave my shirt + undershirt untucked, and unbutton the top button, then tuck everything in when I arrive. I use a fan for when I first sit down but most people aren't even aware I cycle to work. The ride home on the other hand is a bit warmer. In London it
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I commute to work about 4 miles each way by bicycle, in Dallas, in August. It was 104 here last Friday, and ~85F by the time I arrived to the office, but I don't sweat too much getting to the office.
I had a coworker like you. I smelled him every time he came to the office.
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That's the point of having a body odour and a sense of smell?
I dare say that smells better than male perfume.
The very idea that all real odors have to be neutered and optionally replaced with a few chemicals is disgusting.
Even showering everyday isn't really needed much of the time, you can wash feet and face.
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That's the point of having a body odour and a sense of smell?
I dare say that smells better than male perfume.
It doesn't matter what you smell like, if someone can smell you from more than a couple of feet away, you stink.
I'm a naturally stinky person. I know people don't want to smell me. So I clean myself. And I don't try to go to work on a bicycle when there's no shower available.
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It depends upon the commute. One of the sites I work at is a 10 minute ride with a small downhill stretch. I'm not covered by sweat, and I doubt that I smell any different than I normally would.
Another job is a 25 minute ride with a 60 meter high hill at the end. I sweat. Oddly enough though, people only notice when they're uncomfortably close to me. The obvious solution to that is to respect my personal space.
As for the rain and snow. Dress for the weather. Or do what a lot of cyclists do: bus or dr
Buses do not operate on Sundays (Score:2)
Or do what a lot of cyclists do: bus or drive during bad weather.
Buses where I live take nights, Saturday evenings, Sundays, and major holidays off. (Source: fwcitilink.com) Bad weather on a Sunday means you now have to pay for driving lessons (thousands of dollars if your state has adopted mandatory supervised driving), a car (thousands of dollars), parking, fuel, and insurance.
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Then bike in the rain. I frequently do since the transit in this city is very poor, though not quite as poor as your city.
I don't drive either, but the majority of adult cyclists do. Hence the suggestion.
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That's stupid. A gentle cycle is as much exertion as a gentle walk. Except you sweat less from the cycle because it takes less energy for a given distance
A vigorous cycle is as much exertion as a vigorous run.
There's noting magical about cycling that makes you sweat more.
No AC on a bike (Score:2)
There's noting magical about cycling that makes you sweat more.
Other than the alternative being a car with an air conditioner in 90+ degree F (32+ degree C) weather.
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This is London we're talking about, further north than the entire continental US. It gets to 90+ about 3 days a year. At morning commute times, it's more like 60 degrees (15C) even on a day that's going to end up hot.
Re:Foolproof (Score:4, Insightful)
Otherwise it's the entire office that will smell like a locker room.
No, it actually doesn't work like that. The keen cyclists like to tear around fast and get hot and smelly. I like doing so. Once you have enough people cycling, you get the more normal people. They put about as much effort as walking, only being on a bike it's about 2.5x the speed. Much like normal pedestrians, they arrive at their destinations basically pretty fresh.
They also tend to ride nice upright bikes which emphasise comfort over speed.
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Once you have enough people cycling, you get the more normal people. They put about as much effort as walking, only being on a bike it's about 2.5x the speed. Much like normal pedestrians, they arrive at their destinations basically pretty fresh.
A lot of us are just sweaty people. If we walk, we'll stink. If we bike, we'll stink. Out of all the places I've worked, only one had showers.
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Utility riding doesn't mean you have to race around at the speed of Chris Froome.
Cycling at 9mph takes the same power as walking at 3mph, plus you get a lot more airflow.
Where are the old men in limos? (Score:2, Informative)
Re:Where are the old men in limos? (Score:4, Informative)
I was also confused, but from some Googling it looks like it's a phrase that's frequently been used in this particular fight, by supporters of the cycle-route plan, to ridicule opponents of the plan. Possibly okay to assume your reader would recognize the phrase if this were a London newspaper, but on Slashdot less likely.
The phrase "old men in limos" with acronym "OMILs" appears to have been coined by Chris Boardman [wikipedia.org], an Olympic cyclist, as a riposte to the term MAMIL [wikipedia.org], or "middle-aged man in lycra".
It was later picked up by Boris Johnson's administration, e.g. here's [road.cc] an article from June in which London's cycling commissioner says,
Re:Where are the old men in limos? (Score:4, Informative)
Compare that to CSPAN. We really got ripped off in our congressional system, at least as far as entertainment value goes.
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Amazing (Score:5, Informative)
I did read through the whole tread and I am astounded that so many readers spell doom and gloom for a city that introduces proper bike infrastructure. Distorted reality, eh...
I have news for you. Let's take the obvious case - the Netherlands. Do you believe the countries exists? Yes? OK, so how come it has not collapsed to the bottom of the economic ladder if businesses cannot deliver their goods, customers cannot go to shops and employees cannot reach their work [all those are claims I found in the tread]? Reality check : FAIL!
I live in A'dam and work in Delft [bike-train-bike]. I have regular visits for business, medical and personal reasons to Maastricht, Leiden, Njimegen, Eindhoven, Hilversum and Leeuwarden. Check google maps to see what this means. Never owned a car. Never needed a car except when I shop furniture or tons of materials and tools for home renovation [but that can be delivered by the retailer, I can rent a car for a day or ask a friend with a car to help]. Trains and bikes can get you everywhere in this country and I do mean everywhere. You can go between cities [separated bike lanes that go usually through nice scenery double the road network].
What do I win and what society wins:
No costs for a car
1.5 hrs per working day reading books/magazines and meeting people in the train. Nice, clean trains that are used by all segments of society [so you don't have reasons for the old idiotic Clarkson retort that public transport is used only by junkies who will puke on you]. In fact traveling in the morning to the work you meet all the students that go to Leiden and Delft [university centers]. Did I mention the females are more in the NL than the males and the gays are more than the lesbians [there is a shortage of men here]? Hell, for the last nuclear summit in NL where Obama landed with the plane, shook hands with the king and then immediately disappeared in a helicopter [escorted by 2 others and hordes of bikes and cars] - btw, most dutch thought that was ridiculously paranoid, unnecessary and plain rude - the prime minister of Belgium took the train [high-speed line Amsterdam - Brussels - Paris].
No need for cardio in the gym so I can focus on power training. When I stopped going to the gym for 6 months after I started again the only exercise I could more of compare to before the break was legs [so it helps the power training too]. Because the infrastructure allows me to ride the bike as an exercise as well - very fast with rapid acceleration and braking.
General health benefits for all cyclists [to mention again those mythical [for /. ers] creatures, called women - any idea how riding a bicycle shapes women's legs. No? Thought so...]. Contemplate what this means on a country scale - MASSIVE saving due to healthier population [lower health cots, higher productivity ect.]
Environmental benefits [no need to elaborate I hope]
Convenience. Going out in Amsterdam with a car is idiotic [OK, if you go to the opera with 10 000 euros worth of clothing and a hair-do for 500 you might need a car but I am talking about the 99% here]. It takes me 10-15 min on the bike to go to the hearth of downtown, no need to pay huge costs for parking [if you find available place that is], you can drink [or smoke] and can go back home at any moment in the night independent from any transport.
Issues:
Cyclist can be nasty and sometimes dangerous on the road - just like everyone else. No surprises here. To claim that somehow there are more asses among them than the rest of the population is moronic at best [I saw that "argument" here as well]
What else? Oh, yes - when you arrive at work you stink of sweat [I see this retort often here]. Actually no. Really, really NO. With good hygiene [and diet!!] your smell is barely noticeable and with enough exercise you can bike with decent speed without breaking a sweat. Besides, at work we have this amazing thing, it's called "running hot water" and "a shower". Check it out!
Less space for ca
addendum (Score:5, Interesting)
Small addendum - the bike lanes can [and are] used by senior citizens in those nice little cars that can only go 40km/hr or so. Old folks needs motorized transport sometimes. Would you prefer them to ride regular car and endanger themselves and the others [you know they are more dangerous than the young drivers]?
Oh, and the lanes are used by small motor bikes [again if you have some health issue that prevents you from cycling]. The pizza delivery guys use them too [those people are in fact the most dangerous participators of the traffic and their behavior should be sanctioned] Electrical motor assisted bikes are on the raise too...those are better since they don't make noise.
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- a fellow (albeit North American) cyclist
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Interesting you mention Clarkson (Score:2)
Top Gear pointed out how useless Boris' bus lanes are by showing that they aren't actually used. And they aren't. They carry virtually no buses. They freed up all this capacity for buses, and then forgot to use it. Whoops! Actually, it's worse; they freed up all this capacity for buses, and then forgot, no one wants to use them!
I hope this is different. I hope these cycle lanes are filled up all the time. But if they aren't, what will you say next?
Boris the mophead, done good. (Score:2)
However the air is polluted in London [point a], many parts are medieval, twisty and narrow [point b], many journeys are a couple of miles [point c] and it's pretty flat in the centre [point d]. It's not flat in Hampstead, Muswell Hill or many places at the edges. So, as they say, two wheels good. People are getting killed by tipper trucks and we need this to encourage people onto cycles.
Finally revenge! (Score:2)
After 200 years of waiting, we can revenge the battle of the nest, and Copenhagenize London!
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Why is London's mayor incorrectly referred to as an "its" in the first half of the sentence, but as "his" later on in the sentence?
Jamming two sentences together for length and insufficient editing explains it rather neatly.
Something like "London's mayor Boris Johnson is finally seeing his cycle superhighway becoming reality. The project had to fight its way through..."
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I would only note the slashdot summary was written by someone not quite equalling your towering intellect
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If you don't believe me, wait until next winter.
London winters are not that cold, snow is rare. And summers are mild. Its better for riding than, say, Germany, or most of the US. You keep warm enough riding.
Better cold than too hot. Hopefully the paths are gritted if there is any chance of ice.
London is mostly flat and not too windy, so its a good place to ride, aside from the drizzle.
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I think the GP was refering to rain, which would make cycling uncomfortable.
I've never been to London but I hear it does rain a lot there, even if they don't have a real winter.
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I've never been to London but I hear it does rain a lot there,
Not really, only about 50mm/month . Much less than where I am in Australia in Winter.
A bit of drizzle never stopped me riding, you just need to dress for it.
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The south east of England (where London is) is actually relatively dry. I lived in the SE for a few years, droughts weren't all that uncommon.
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You might be thinking of the High Line in New York. They converted an unused section of elevated rail line into a scenic pedestrian walkway/park: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_Line_%28New_York_City%29 [wikipedia.org]. Looks pretty cool. Cycling isn't allowed, but the same concept would work for bike paths.
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A few such raised pathes may be really nice, but with bicycles we want to get to buinesses, stores, bars, housing etc.
So we need to ride and walk on the ground anyway.
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we have a new 1.7 mile biking/walking path added to the existing one through town, but one of the "pluses" justifying its construction was its ability also for police to use as shortcut for their cruiser autos. Yup, a four door sedan comes barreling through every hour among the bicycles, young mothers with strollers, joggers, etc. fucking hell!
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We're talking about London here. The streets were made before combustion engines existed.