Not Just Bikes
4 HN mentions · mentioned in 3 months, 2021–2025
5:21 · 355K views · Jun 15, 2020
Not Just Bikes explains Dutch bicycle-only roads, which let people travel long distances in and out of cities with almost no car interaction. It shows how this changes cycling from a chore into something enjoyable.
HN commenters use it as an example of segregated bike infrastructure and of how quiet and pleasant car-free streets are.
4 comments from Hacker News
> So make cars pollute less Physically impossible to have them pollute less than methods of mass transportation. Mathematically, even. Just divide the number of people carried per pollution caused by cars vs trains, bikes, or even buses. There's nothing you can do to make cars competitive. > Figure out how to filter microplastics from our food and water "Just figure it out", ok. But even then, an ounce of prevention is worth the pound of a cure. > Figure out what's causing asthma in children A little random but ok. I'm guessing grinding up rubber and metal particles into the air right next to where said children live isn't the best for their lungs. > Not sure how obesity is related. Maybe improve the food supply? 1. Wake up 2. Walk 30 feet to your car 3. Sit as you drive to work 4. Spend 8 hours at your desk 5. Walk 30 feet to your car 6. Sleep 7. Why am I fat?! Maybe improve the food supply?! > A lot of these are solved with electric cars which are increasingly more competitive. Virtually none are, an electric car is still a car, see point 1. > Why force people to regress towards a worse product rather than address these technical issues? Highly dependent on your definition of worse; I'd argue the sort of streets and environments you can find in the Netherlands [1][2][3] are way better than in the US. Not everything is a technical issue that can simply be solved by better engineering. [1]: [LINK] [2]: this video [3]: [LINK]
You're comparing living in a car dependant city vs living in car dependant suburbs. It's not going to be meaningfully different. You mention the constant noise, but what do you think causes it? To see what everyone means by car dependency, you'd need to see the few places that aren't. Here's what a 100% car-free island looks like: [LINK] Here are some progressive European cities that have started to undo the damage that's been done by cars: • Freiburg, Germany: [LINK] • Haarlem, Netherlands: [LINK] • Paris, France: [LINK] Check out these background noise levels: • A very busy mixed-use street in Amsterdam: [LINK] • Exiting the train station in Delft, Netherlands: [LINK] • Cycling streets in the Netherlands: this video . You can even hear birds chirping at 4:29.
> I’m unwilling to have someone who forgot to put winter tires on slide over me and my bike Part of the argument is that traffic should be segregated[1] and infrastructure for bikes should be well-kept year round, regardless of local conditions[2]. If a car can slide in snow and run you over, a distracted driver can do that on ideal conditions as well. If the roads are not in a ridable condition, that means that bike infrastructure is not being prioritized, usually because it is not considered a valid commuting mechanism. [1]: this video [2]: [LINK]
There were towns and cities BEFORE cars this video You can also wave to your neighbours passing by in their cars.