[whydoyoucare]

I bet no one in major European cities requires to bike like ten miles each way. The point is the size of American cities is vastly different to European ones, so what works that side of Atlantic rarely translates "as-is" here.

(I am disappointed about this oft thrown around comparison, since my city reduced one lane on several major roads and created bike paths. Sadly, we now have major traffic jams and hardly any utilization of the bike path. Turns out someone on the city council wanted to turn it into Denmark)

[lmm]

> I bet no one in major European cities requires to bike like ten miles each way.

15km is on the outer edge of normal (my bike commute was 11km). But yeah, we can build more densely because we don't require massive amounts of car storage everywhere in the city. The best time to start densifying was 20 years ago, but the second-best time is now.

> my city reduced one lane on several major roads and created bike paths. Sadly, we now have major traffic jams and hardly any utilization of the bike path.

Try counting how many humans use the traffic lane and the bike path per hour. You might be surprised.

[nerdbert]

> I bet no one in major European cities requires to bike like ten miles each way.

I am in Amsterdam, and lots of people bike 15km each way, including many students at the high schools my children attend.

[ses1984]

Part of the problem is in america if you want to bike that far, you probably have to take some route designed for cars. It’s very stressful and in many cases very risky.

Local climate is a problem, too. It’s not fun to bike to work some days when it’s very hot and humid, and then in the other half of the year, deal with freezing rain.

[shiroiuma]

This is a valid comment. Many times, when the US makes "cycling infrastructure" (scare-quotes intended), it's just awful: painted lines on a busy, dangerous road, or at best a path immediately parallel to such a monstrosity. Little wonder people don't want to ride a bike next to a bunch of giant SUVs speeding at 75mph.

And it is true the weather in many US cities tends to be less mild than in Amsterdam, but that can be worked around with proper clothing.

[earthling8118]

I am vehemently on the side against cars, but I will wholeheartedly refute that our summer weather can be worked around with clothing. It's far too hot and humid for that to do anything.

[nerdbert]

When I lived in a hot American city, the saving grace was that at both office jobs there was a shower available. After breakfast I'd stuff my work clothes in a backpack, bike to work in shorts, take a quick shower, and arrive at my desk the most clean and refreshed person in the department.

[Aerroon]

Doesn't Amsterdam have pretty mild winters though? Or does the ground become covered in glass ice with large amounts of snow regularly?

I think winter makes a huge difference in how bikeable a city can really be. Western Europe tends to be mild on that front.

[adrianN]

If it's too far to bike or the weather is lousy you can always take public transport. Bikeable cities are easy to cover with public transport.

[enaaem]

The idea is that most of the time you don’t need travel 10 miles and if you have to, public transport will cover you. I live in Amsterdam, and I can do all basic errands within a 10 min walk and in around 10 min cycling I have access to endless amount of shops, restaurants and museums.