It's also why we say that cars are heavily subsidized: road maintenance, parking spaces, large bridges... all costs that would be significantly down if urban areas were organized around public transit and active transit.
Car infrastructure is a cost paid by all for the benefit of only a part of society.
The silicon valley ebikes are not cool, I think they are all wired, and spying on us for income as much as actual fees to use them. Everyone, throw your ebikes in the nearest body of water.
We are set to own nothing, if we don't fight back. I own a bike, I don't fucking rent it.
Hmm. My e-bike is an electric motor slapped on a slightly-beefier-than-normal frame. The only electronics besides the motor is a simpler than dirt lcd-screen interface with spedometer, odometer, and buttons for controlling the mode and speed. The device doesn't connect to anything besides the motor, and that's by design.
I have on occasion used bikeshare-style e-bikes when visiting certain cities. Those are certainly tracked. But I feel like the "conventional" e-bikes like the one I described above surely outnumber the bikeshares by several factors.
I biked in winter just fine. There are winter tires for bicycles too, and it’s usually fine unless streets turned into glacier, but cars aren’t much better in that situation too.
The problem isn't the snow. The problem is the ice. If the roads aren't cleaned and snows, the problem is the cold but sunny days. It creates ice. Now this is dangerous. But if you have studded tires and ride slow there should be no problem.
My point was we shouldn't be where we are as a society where transportation is a requirement for literally everything. Like all other mammals we should bunker down during bad weather.
Sounds like they're probably not wide enough, which is pretty typical of a lot of the half-arsed ways many cities implement them. My city has much improved over the last 20 years. We have a pretty effective advocacy group that actually has the ear of council.
Yeah, don't do that. :) I was more referring to car traffic. I generally ride on the road, although my current commute is about 2/3 bike path with a separate path for pedestrians and is nice and wide with loveley views over the river. I feel pretty blessed.
Shared paths are a nightmare at the best of times.
I'm all for biking, but there's no need to sweep the risks under the rug.
The stats are hard to compare - there's some overlap in the types of commutes that are viable for both cycling and driving, and they're going to vary a ton depending on how bike-friendly the roads are in any given area.
Like, do we even consider automotive deaths that happen on the interstate? There's no bikes there to compare to. Or cyclist deaths in car-free regions? There's no cars to compare to. I'm not aware of any comparison that selects only for care-bike shared spaces... but a look at the raw numbers:
In 2024 there were 1,103 pedalcyclist fatalities, accounting for 2.8
percent of all traffic fatalities.
So... 2.8% of traffic fatalities were cyclists. I can't find a credible breakdown of traffic numbers: the important stat being the number of cyclists vs the number of motorized vehicles (or more accurately, the number of people in those vehicles - i.e., a single car with a driver and a passenger is 2). Is the number of cyclists (in 2024) 2.8% of all people on the road? ...I don't have the numbers to answer that, but just by observing anecdotally how often I see a bike vs people in a motorized vehicle, I'd guess it's WAY less than 2.8%.
And if the total number of cycles is infact less than 2.8%, then cycling is more dangerous than driving. Let's say it's 0.5% of total traffic (which still feels way way), that would put cycling at a bit over 5 times more likely to result in dying than driving a car would.
TLDR: the stats I'm finding don't do a great job of accurately comparing the risks of driving vs cycling, but the raw data doesn't paint a very pretty picture from the fatality angle. What I can say confidently is that we need better infrastructure to keep bicycle traffic and 2,000+ lb explosion-powered missile on wheels traffic separate.
Dunno how it is in US but where I am from you can certainly lose your rights to ride a bike. You do jot need driving license for it ofc. But if you got caught dui in a car, you'd be losing rights to any forms of personal transportation including bike. Pretty sure if you get caught driving bike dui, you'd be losing driving license for a car too.
I mean, nobody would stop you from riding bike. But riding it drunk or high would lead you to fines and restrictions for sure.
48 Comments
lemmysmash@piefed.social · 51 pts · 16h
Anarchists:
hemko@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 35 pts · 15h
Also anarchists:
bedwyr@piefed.ca · 10 pts · 12h
Speaking to my heart here.
dadarobot@lemmy.sdf.org · 19 pts · 16h
while biking doesnt need fuel subsidies, paved roads are quite nice.
Naich@piefed.world · 9 pts · 13h
I don't know about anywhere else, but in the UK, most roads are paid for from general taxation.
Danquebec@sh.itjust.works · 6 pts · 11h
Which is a subsidy.
It's also why we say that cars are heavily subsidized: road maintenance, parking spaces, large bridges... all costs that would be significantly down if urban areas were organized around public transit and active transit.
Car infrastructure is a cost paid by all for the benefit of only a part of society.
LongLive@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 11h
Road Taxes aren't sufficient to offset most maintance?
No_Maines_Land@lemmy.ca · 4 pts · 10h
There may be exceptions, but for almost everywhere: no.
the_q@piefed.social · 6 pts · 14h
They're awful for the environment and are facilitated by our car-centric society.
bedwyr@piefed.ca · 1 pts · 12h
Paved roads suck diseased clit.
jumping_redditor@sh.itjust.works · 2 pts · 8h
I agree, but bikes work significantly better on them. Cars not so much.
akilou@sh.itjust.works · 13 pts · 15h
Requires loan from big bank
MidwestSolarpunk@slrpnk.net · 7 pts · 14h
For real though, get your auto loans through credit unions. Checking and savings there too. And mortgages. Actually, just don't use big banks.
AngryCommieKender@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 13h
I've never bought a car with a loan. That's optional.
whosepoopisonmybuttocks@sh.itjust.works · 12 pts · 14h
Now how do we keep them from outlawing ebikes?
bedwyr@piefed.ca · 3 pts · 12h
The silicon valley ebikes are not cool, I think they are all wired, and spying on us for income as much as actual fees to use them. Everyone, throw your ebikes in the nearest body of water.
We are set to own nothing, if we don't fight back. I own a bike, I don't fucking rent it.
some_kind_of_guy@lemmy.world · 11 pts · 12h
Hmm. My e-bike is an electric motor slapped on a slightly-beefier-than-normal frame. The only electronics besides the motor is a simpler than dirt lcd-screen interface with spedometer, odometer, and buttons for controlling the mode and speed. The device doesn't connect to anything besides the motor, and that's by design.
I have on occasion used bikeshare-style e-bikes when visiting certain cities. Those are certainly tracked. But I feel like the "conventional" e-bikes like the one I described above surely outnumber the bikeshares by several factors.
Axolotl_cpp@feddit.it · 3 pts · 11h
Bikeshares HAVE to be tracked otherwise people are gonna steal them
some_kind_of_guy@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 8h
Yeah that's what it's for if you're being charitable
bedwyr@piefed.ca · 1 pts · 11h
I am sorry, the city I am in sometimes 98% are city bike company or whatever they are called, (shittee-bike.)
Self owned ownes are the ideal. Fucking yes.
akilou@sh.itjust.works · 7 pts · 15h
Need to pay mechanic to fix vs fix yourself in living room
DarrinBrunner@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 16h
But also, this:
https://youtu.be/ViaDwkkXzC8
ivan@piefed.social · 6 pts · 12h
I biked in winter just fine. There are winter tires for bicycles too, and it’s usually fine unless streets turned into glacier, but cars aren’t much better in that situation too.
jumping_redditor@sh.itjust.works · 0 pts · 6h
are there any studdded bike tires (I would love them for my ebike)?
CactusEcho@piefed.social · 1 pts · 10h
The problem isn't the snow. The problem is the ice. If the roads aren't cleaned and snows, the problem is the cold but sunny days. It creates ice. Now this is dangerous. But if you have studded tires and ride slow there should be no problem.
the_q@piefed.social · -4 pts · 14h
Humans shouldn't be out in that weather.
aquovie@lemmy.cafe · 8 pts · 14h
Are you kidding? I'll take that over 40C summers any day. Get a coat for yourself and studded tires for your bike. Done and done.
the_q@piefed.social · 2 pts · 7h
My point was we shouldn't be where we are as a society where transportation is a requirement for literally everything. Like all other mammals we should bunker down during bad weather.
jumping_redditor@sh.itjust.works · 3 pts · 13h
humans shouldn't live most places, we will anyways.
bedwyr@piefed.ca · 3 pts · 12h
I agree, yet some municipalities do demand registration, and enforce it when they want to get you on something but have nothing.
Almacca@aussie.zone · 3 pts · 10h
You never get stuck in traffic on a bike.
M0oP0o@mander.xyz · 4 pts · 9h
? Happens all the time for me, what am I doing wrong?
Almacca@aussie.zone · 1 pts · 8h
Geez! How bad is the traffic around there? I've always been able to find a gap.
dermanus@lemmy.ca · 3 pts · 7h
The bike paths near me get really busy, I sometimes get stuck behind a slow poke.
Almacca@aussie.zone · 1 pts · 1h
Sounds like they're probably not wide enough, which is pretty typical of a lot of the half-arsed ways many cities implement them. My city has much improved over the last 20 years. We have a pretty effective advocacy group that actually has the ear of council.
M0oP0o@mander.xyz · 2 pts · 4h
Well I could try running down the child/dog/walker....
Almacca@aussie.zone · 1 pts · 2h
Yeah, don't do that. :) I was more referring to car traffic. I generally ride on the road, although my current commute is about 2/3 bike path with a separate path for pedestrians and is nice and wide with loveley views over the river. I feel pretty blessed.
Shared paths are a nightmare at the best of times.
DigDoug@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 14h
As much as I agree, you're far less likely to get killed by a psychotic motorist in a car than on a bike.
perishthethought@piefed.social · 2 pts · 11h
Lol, not true. People die in cars every day. We're just really used to ignoring the numbers we've heard our whole lives.
https://www.bts.gov/content/transportation-fatalities-mode
Murse@slrpnk.net · 3 pts · 10h
I'm all for biking, but there's no need to sweep the risks under the rug.
The stats are hard to compare - there's some overlap in the types of commutes that are viable for both cycling and driving, and they're going to vary a ton depending on how bike-friendly the roads are in any given area.
Like, do we even consider automotive deaths that happen on the interstate? There's no bikes there to compare to. Or cyclist deaths in car-free regions? There's no cars to compare to. I'm not aware of any comparison that selects only for care-bike shared spaces... but a look at the raw numbers:
(US) https://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/#!/PublicationList/19 (2024 Bicyclists and Other Cyclists Traffic Safety Facts)
So... 2.8% of traffic fatalities were cyclists. I can't find a credible breakdown of traffic numbers: the important stat being the number of cyclists vs the number of motorized vehicles (or more accurately, the number of people in those vehicles - i.e., a single car with a driver and a passenger is 2). Is the number of cyclists (in 2024) 2.8% of all people on the road? ...I don't have the numbers to answer that, but just by observing anecdotally how often I see a bike vs people in a motorized vehicle, I'd guess it's WAY less than 2.8%.
And if the total number of cycles is infact less than 2.8%, then cycling is more dangerous than driving. Let's say it's 0.5% of total traffic (which still feels way way), that would put cycling at a bit over 5 times more likely to result in dying than driving a car would.
TLDR: the stats I'm finding don't do a great job of accurately comparing the risks of driving vs cycling, but the raw data doesn't paint a very pretty picture from the fatality angle. What I can say confidently is that we need better infrastructure to keep bicycle traffic and 2,000+ lb explosion-powered missile on wheels traffic separate.
Still TLDR: Fuck cars, but not data.
DigDoug@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 11h
Of course people die in cars. I'm just saying that if I'm getting hit by one, I'd prefer to be in another car than on a bike.
motionofethre@piefed.social · 2 pts · 3h
BIG GOVERNOIMENT IS KILLLING US WITH THERE WOKE CARS!!!! 😱😱👿👿
Axolotl_cpp@feddit.it · 2 pts · 11h
I mean, if no one uses a car then there is no motorist
DigDoug@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 11h
Yeah, but while there are motorists, biking around is fucking terrifying, at least where I live. I have no idea how I did it when I was in school.
imetators@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 1 pts · 1h
Dunno how it is in US but where I am from you can certainly lose your rights to ride a bike. You do jot need driving license for it ofc. But if you got caught dui in a car, you'd be losing rights to any forms of personal transportation including bike. Pretty sure if you get caught driving bike dui, you'd be losing driving license for a car too.
I mean, nobody would stop you from riding bike. But riding it drunk or high would lead you to fines and restrictions for sure.
LocalAreaMan@lemmy.world · -3 pts · 11h
I get the Saudi flag, but the Soviet Union? Lame.
lntl@lemmy.ml · -4 pts · 16h
Союз нерушимый республик свободных...
LocalAreaMan@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 11h
I just stood up so straight and so tall that my erection got an erection.