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Re:A New Bike Lane That Could Save Lives and Make Cycling Mo... by arjie on Monday June 23, 2014 @03:21AM (#7930642)
When I lived in Berkeley, I used to longboard part of the way and take the BART the rest. This transit experience is unmatched. I had half an hour of guaranteed reading time every day, and another twenty minutes in one of my hobbies.

When I drive, I suddenly realize what a waste of time it is. And it's not really fun because of traffic either.

I actually miss public transport. I also imagine that cyclists do similar things. The trouble in this argument is that maybe the cyclists also enjoy cycling like I did skating. To most people who solely drive to commute, it's a thing they don't particularly enjoy.

Re:A New Bike Lane That Could Save Lives and Make Cycling Mo... by bane on Monday June 23, 2014 @08:01AM (#7931414)
No, I don't particularly enjoy driving. I try to go out of my way to avoid it most of the time. I'd much rather walk, public transport, bike to work, but the reality is that, for most of the world, local practical issues make those alternatives far more inconvenient than driving and no amount of bike lanes in the world will change those conditions.

It can be subtly simple things, like, working in a job where you have to go across town to a customer site 3 times a week during the middle of the work day and can't afford to take 2.5 hours out of your day to bike there and bike. Or living in a place with lots of hills, or having no place to clean up once you get to work.

All those issues have to be solved long before bike lanes becomes part of the discussion for biking to become a practical choice. A few people who are really into biking, crazy spandex outfits and all, might be willing to ignore those practical considerations, but if you want to get the average citizen up on a bike like in the Netherlands, you have to solve the rest of the issues.