Hacker News new | ask | show | jobs
by genman 868 days ago
Many people live in places where weather is not favorable. Also in your example these are people who actively prefer physically active lifestyle - it's called selection bias, and I bet that they don't have long commute.

Nothing against bicycles here, just pointing out that it is not a solution for everyone.
2 comments
lucioperca 868 days ago
Weather should work for most places in the world: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=URMQ0d286hY

Well, basically it all comes down to density and infrastructure if people will use other means of transportation. Bicycle accounts for 1/3 of all trips city wide.

Forcing people to active by either (partly) walking or cycling has great benefits for the public.

link
tzs 867 days ago
Careful. Because it works in a very cold place doesn't mean it works in a place that is not as cold.

Here (Pacific Northwest coastal areas) winters don't get cold enough for long enough to freeze the ground. We don't get a lot of snow but when we do it often starts as snow that is barely frozen. It melts and we get a layer of water on top of roads. Then if the air temperature drops to near freezing as the storm progresses that layer of water freezes, and gets covered with snow, We end up with snow on top of big patches of ice.

Compare to places where they get frozen ground and the air too spends a lot of time below freezing. They get snow on top of frozen ground instead of snow on top of an ice layer.

Fortunately we only get days where the air is cold enough to keep the ground heat from keeping the ground clear a few days a year and with plenty of warning so most people can just avoid traveling then.

link
genman 868 days ago
What is their accident rate during winter? Cycling on ice is something I definitely will avoid even when the wheels are spiked.

I have seen this passive/aggressive policing in my city against the car commuters (I'm using public transport mainly) while the main cause of the problem is not the commuters but the city that doesn't encourage enough residential real estate development near the large office hubs.

link
lucioperca 867 days ago
City does a reasonable jobs getting rid of ice and snow. My guess the increase is not higher as with other modes of transportation.
link
jounker 868 days ago
You mean places like the Netherlands?
link
genman 868 days ago
It appears to work for them, but they have also relatively mild weather, much better than in my city for example.
link