tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8908461644259659419.post2717969447205814177..comments2024-03-28T14:04:01.556-07:00Comments on Midlife Cycling: Bike Lanes Don't Make People Ride MoreJustine Valinottihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10852069587181432102noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8908461644259659419.post-73337621291070540762012-03-06T18:00:24.027-08:002012-03-06T18:00:24.027-08:00Steve, I won't speak for you or Khal. But mor...Steve, I won't speak for you or Khal. But more than a few people have told me I have an "abnormal inclination"! It certainly makes life interesting sometimes.Justine Valinottihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10852069587181432102noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8908461644259659419.post-79788306254476428042012-03-05T17:22:32.756-08:002012-03-05T17:22:32.756-08:00I do not know of a single person who whines about ...I do not know of a single person who whines about there being no bike lanes that I believe would actually ride to work if there WERE bike lanes. The excuse would merely change. It is a combination of convenience, cost, social norms, and inclination that are the key. Obviously, the three of us have an abnormal inclination.Steve Ahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13650405341304401203noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8908461644259659419.post-73098017317213966082012-03-05T14:35:40.434-08:002012-03-05T14:35:40.434-08:00Khal--Thank you for your comments. You seem more ...Khal--Thank you for your comments. You seem more familiar with research methods than I am, and you hit the nail on the head when you said, "In order to bike, biking has to work for that same person's lifestyle choices better than driving." That is the challenge here in the US, even in cities like New York: So much of the physical infrastructure, as well as the social and economic construction of this country, is skewed toward the automobile. <br /><br />In Europe, homes, workplaces, schools and stores are closer together than they are in the US, and gasoline is actually subsidized to a greater degree in America than it is in Europe or Japan. Unless those things change, cycling won't be as "convenient" as driving for most people, save in a few urban enclaves.Justine Valinottihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10852069587181432102noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8908461644259659419.post-55326003924660396692012-03-05T08:14:27.543-08:002012-03-05T08:14:27.543-08:00It has to work for people better than driving work...It has to work for people better than driving works. Bike paths or lanes are only one potential element of what a person needs to take up cycling. I keep going back to an essay written more than a decade ago by Cliff Slater in Honolulu, "Why We Commute by Auto". Simply put, people drive because it works for them better than the alternatives. In order to bike, biking has to work for that same person's lifestyle choices better than driving. I am sure there are a few people whose ONLY objection is being traffic averse, but that might get you from 0.9% to 1.2% mode split. One has to add other drivers, such as inconvenient or nonexistant parking, high costs of driving, close enough range, and a lifestyle that doesn't seem to require a car. Or, people who just want to ride a bike.<br /><br />"Build it and they will come" is a gross simplification. <br /><br />Good essay. Thanks.Khalhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11866897914538110672noreply@blogger.com