Posted on 05/11/2020 5:48:04 AM PDT by Oldeconomybuyer
FRANKFURT/LONDON - Bicycles could play a central role in more major European cities as governments scramble to get commuters back to work without crowding buses or trains after coronavirus lockdowns are eased.
Britain, a laggard compared to its continental neighbours when it comes to cycling to work, is now encouraging people to get in the saddle as part of a 250 million pound ($308 million)emergency active travel fund announced last week.
And in France, home to the world’s most famous bike race, the government plans to invest 20 million euros ($22 million) to develop and subsidise two-wheel travel, which like Britain will include temporary bike lanes.
While Amsterdam in the Netherlands and many cities across northern Europe are geared up for cycle commuting, in other countries a lack of infrastructure has limited bike usage.
British transport minister Grant Shapps said Britain’s road infrastructure would be changed to accommodate more cyclists and added that e-scooter trials would be brought forward, with the potential for rental vehicles on British roads as early as June.
(Excerpt) Read more at reuters.com ...
my dad toured Europe on a bike when he was a teenager
We were in Amsterdam and a few other European cities last year.
Bikes are more common there than in the US, but the number of them in Amsterdam was astounding. Hundred and hundreds of them, stuffed and jammed into bike racks everywhere.
And they get upset if you get in their way. If you hear a bike bell jingling, look around and get the hell out of the way.
And...... the place is flat as a board
I saw a doofus wearing a bandana over his nose and mouth whilst pedaling his bike (the wrong way) down the two lane highway in the middle of nowhere. And no it wasn’t to protect from the chilly temperatures.
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Fashion statement?
😉
And was built out before the advent of the automobile, so it’s much more compact than U.S. Sunbelt cities. This matters if we’re talking bicycle transportation.
Bikes are remarkable efficient. If your commute is under 10 miles, and you live in a relatively flat place you can get to work on a bike about ten minutes slower than driving, and you’ve used no gas, taken up less space on the road, and can park right by your door, for free.
Well there is that issue of coming into the office drenched in sweat if the temperature is 90+ degrees with 100% humidity.
I was in Amsterdam in September. Didn’t like it at all. The people seemed kind of short and rude with us. We had just came from Scotland where everyone was super friendly so it was quite a contrast.
Great - now we need cars for everyone who travels to/in Manhattan. Super idea.
That IS an issue. Also, if there’s not decent bike lanes and enough other cyclists around it is more dangerous. Still, in some places it can help with traffic flow if you can get people onto less bulky forms on transit than “1 guy in a Suburban”.
I was in Amsterdam in September. Didn’t like it at all. The people seemed kind of short and rude with us. We had just came from Scotland where everyone was super friendly so it was quite a contrast.
Capital cities are usually like that it in Europe. They get plenty of short term tourists and do not cater to them. Secondary cities are pretty much always more fun/interesting, IMO.
We had a bartender who must have been having a bad day and was less than friendly. Store clerks, waitstaff and such weren’t overly friendly but they didn’t qualify as rude, really.
We want to go back there because we were only there for a day and a half and there were a lot of things we wanted to see that there wasn’t time for. Had to catch our cruise boat heading up the Rhine.
People stop jogging and riding bicycles in the Phoenix area between May and November.
I have a feeling that bike theft is going to go way up in NYC. I suspect a lot of those bikes that get ridden to Manhattan will end up in Harlem, the Bronx and Queens.
Maybe the timing on all those stupid pink, yellow and green rental bikes from a couple of years ago was just a little early. Remember the pictures of hundreds of these cheap Chinese bikes piled up in junk yards? They showed up in major cites across the globe a couple years ago like the scooters. A few months later, the mayors had to outlaw them because they were left everywhere. Not to mention the amount of physical injuries showing up in the city ER’s daily.
We overnighted there before catching a plane home. My traveling buddy had always wanted to go to Amsterdam so we flew from Glasgow to Amsterdam for 1 day before heading home. We didn’t do anything but walk around and sightsee. She wasn’t impressed. lol
What happens when it snows this Winter?
Probably because it rains a lot in Britain. Bicycling in the rain would be a miserable experience.
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