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San Francisco, 10:56 AM
Sun Nov 8
10 posts in the last 24 hours
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09/18/09
Where I live though if I tried biking to work I'd probably get killed. I take the train in to work though and honestly I think America's solution to these problems lie more in vastly improving their train/bus service.
I was raised without a car either so I've never gotton the appeal of one. My mother would throw us out of the house at 7:30 in the morning to walk to school 30 minutes (and it actually WAS uphill both ways) rain, sun, snow, sleat. Hell, I had to walk home in a hurricane once in HS. So, I don't know. All I'm saying is cars aren't the end all be all and there really are some more honest options beyond biking.
09/18/09
I can't let my kids walk 10 minutes to town because they would have to step into traffic at least 30 times on their way there.
Nobody else even notices this. When I walk with my kids we are the only people outside. Everyone else is cocooned in their houses or cars.
09/18/09
09/18/09
Although I do feel that some of that attitude has been brought on by cyclists themselves. I see dozens of those lycra-wearing uber-riders clogging the roads every weekend, riding 3 abreast in a lane, not stopping at intersections, and just generally ignoring traffic laws. And then they get pissed when a car honks its horn at them. Most of the non-cyclists I know HATE these folks.
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09/18/09
Part of what forced me out of LA though was whenever I'd go ask for a job they'd see my bike parked outside and scoff and claim that they couldn't trust me to get to work on time, etc, etc. People in LA are really odd about that sort of thing.
09/18/09
The worst I saw was two of those bastards on narrow, winding, hilly CANYON roads that don't have a bike lane (b/c they're too small), wobbling their way between WINERIES!
Yes, they're on a narrow road, so drunk they can barely stay upright, in their lycra.
They were more dangerous to the drivers (and themselves) than vice versa.
09/17/09
09/17/09
In my current domicile of HK, the population density is astounding if you compare with most US cities. Lots and lots of residential highrises. Think Manhattan on a much bigger scale. The advantage is that there are few long journeys. We live in what could be thought of as a suburb. My wife works "downtown", but it is still only a 15 minute drive/25 minute bus ride.
The problem with car centric cities is that the costs are enormous. Even discounting the cost of individual cars, just think of the maintenance on all the asphalt in residential developments, asphalt which sees extremely little use.
09/17/09
09/17/09
It USED to be that I lived in easy biking distance of work. Then the office moved locations fifteen miles away to the other side of a lake. What was I supposed to do: shrug, sell my home and move to a tiny apartment in a part of town I didn't want to be? Or just concede the point and get in a car? (Or the bus, but that really did turn a twenty-minute drive into an hour-plus trek, and my time & sanity were more valuable in the end.)
Besides, sometimes all the planning and good intentions in the world won't save you from the fact that NOTHING STANDS STILL, and you might get laid off next Tuesday, and the only employer you can find is, surprise, an hour's drive away....
09/17/09
09/17/09
In the US, new developments are created without any thought to public transport. In Hong Kong, this would be impossible. Public transport must be an integral part of the plan. Rail systems course through most of urbanized Hong Kong (the entire territory, not just HK Island). The vast majority of people live within easy walking distance of a bus, subway or suburban railway stop. No one is forced to take a car wherever they move or their workplace moves.
It's a completely different way of building a city. Of course they underlying society is different. You couldn't just remove the car from US society.
In our case, we do own a car, but it is not used daily. It is mostly for weekend excursions with the whole family. All work commuting is done by bus or taxi.
An interesting side effect is that cars here tend to be rather high-end. I have never seen as many BMW, Mercedes, Maserati, Porsche and so forth in my life. This is because the lower class and most of the middle class don't own cars. These tend to be bought by the upper middle and upper class.
09/18/09
Or that everyone is thrilled to live in expensive high-rise apartments in a crowded, noisy city.
Or that you'll be perfectly happy staying in that studio apartment in a crappy school district when you get married and have kids.
Or that your employer will always stay in business and always keep you on, or you can up and move instantly any time the company either moves or goes out of business.
Or that the transport runs promptly at any time when you might need to get to and from your job or jobs. And the transit hours/routes won't ever change.
Or that you can find a place to live that is equally convenient to the jobs of everyone in the household.
Or that you'll want to change jobs for a better life.
Or that the weather's always conducive to walking or biking.
Or, pretty much any individual choice or circumstance.
09/18/09
09/18/09
I lived in Aarhus for 8 months and have now been living in Copenhagen for the last 2.5 years.
Something that surprised me here is how many older people ride their bicycles - lots. So, the argument about having to be in shape doesn't quite apply here. Besides, what you probably don't know is that Denmark is quite flat, so it's really easy to bike here.
And the weather isn't a factor for most people here either. If you live here, you rather quickly get used to the fact that it rains and/or gets windy quite often. That doesn't stop people from biking. It's common for people to wear a protective "suit" over their regular clothes, when the weather is bad.
09/18/09
09/18/09
You always have a choice. It's not like you can't drive. It's just that it's more convenient to bike. If you're injured or too old, drive.
If we put the needs of the many ahead of the needs of the few, or the one, for a minute, however, fewer people in cars is a good thing.
As for expensive high-rise, I don't agree. In HK high-rises are the cheaper option. Lowrise and townhouses are the more expensive modes.
Individual choice still exists. But it shouldn't be a suicide pact. If gasoline ever hits 12 dollars a gallon, I wish the inhabitants of Dallas the best of luck.
09/18/09
Having said that, I wouldn't cycle in Glasgow (though I do use public transport or walk), but if I was in Denmark, I certainly would.
09/18/09
09/18/09
I think this is a great solution for Copenhagen (though I don't see many 80 year olds with severe arthritis, or people with cerebral palsy using this). Healthy Danes on bikes are quite attractive in many ways. ;)
It's not going to work in Edinburgh, Calgary, etc. etc.
09/18/09
You're perfectly free to live in a city and elect people who will make more bike lanes. I love pedestrian mall-type areas in cities.
I'm perfectly free to live with a few feet between me and my neighbors -- and still walk or ride my bike or take the bus to the store. Or the symphony. Or the various ethnic restaurants. Or...
09/18/09
14,000 feet/4300 meters is a mountain.
09/18/09
" But most bike/urban fanatics insist that theirs is the Only True Way and the Path to Salvation, and that no one SHOULD have a choice. They hope and pray the suburbs ALL die."
Well, I don't agree with THAT! I think, as in all human endeavor, there's room for diversity. I just think that cities with more public transport and bike lanes make a lot of sense, especially considering rising oil prices.
Another thing I have found nice about living in a "dense city" is that I meet my neighbors more. Personally I like that. But it's not for everyone.
I guess to each his own. I'll choose to live in a place like HK. You make your choice. Peace!
09/19/09
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09/18/09
The service stations can have air and chains in the summer and dog food and sled runners in the winter.
Although a pack of dogs takes up a lot more room in your house than a bike... guess they'd have to have doggie livery stables.
09/17/09
09/17/09
But it would require massive change socially, and molly-coddling parents who drive their kids everywhere (even when they're 25 and still living at home) are never going to just jump on a bike...
09/17/09
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09/17/09
I can't imagine a Coruscant type city-scape, that totally displaces these structures. A group of 10 citizens will stop it from happening.
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09/17/09
Which explains the entire layout of Boston.