Not practical as in we cannot expect everyone to adopt those values. Yes, I find bicycles practical. I don't find what is implemented as bike infrastructure practical. Even if we hit the ideal of bike infra, I doubt people would bother to use it.
For every post that says they cannot become a cyclist due to too much rain, or too much sun - re-read the post. They would like to adhere to a green ideal and pay lip service, but they will never ride to the store to buy a liter of milk. If we are being honest, they don't want to ride at all. They just want to say the politically correct thing.
Similarly, they might say they would like to use public transport, but have excuses. What satisfies their preferences is a high end electric vehicle. It signals green values and social status. A bicycle signals poverty. I'm not defending these social norms, but observing the status quo.
I find half-baked bicycling infrastructure worse than just using a road. I find that many people opine for bike infra, but they are just using the lack of infrastructure as an excuse. Much like, "I would quit smoking, but I'd have to wait until next month because I have too much stress this week" These people cannot be appeased.
The result is often impractical infrastructure built by people who see bicycling very differently. The ideal of overpasses for every crossing isn't economically possible for most areas. Instead a linear park is built. The bike trail has crossings at every block, away from the main intersection. The trail itself is clogged with baby strollers or in-line skaters. You'd be better off riding along the road.
The best examples of a bike trail in the US are often found along a river where bridges already exist.
Before spending on infrastructure, it may make more sense to address some of those cultural norms. People may use safety as an excuse, but take that excuse away and they'll find another. The reality is that bicycling on streets isn't unsafe. I'd wager that it is safer than driving cars on highways.
You can centrally plan infrastructure, but culture grows organically. It doesn't mean that bicycles are impractical, but that the top-down approach is hamfisted at best. You cannot take a specific set of circumstances in a single geographic region and extrapolate it onto the world.
> Not practical as in we cannot expect everyone to adopt those values.
But why? Why could we expect that in the Netherlands, and can't we expect it elsewhere? What's different? How did it grow in the Netherlands and why can't that happen elsewhere?
For every post that says they cannot become a cyclist due to too much rain, or too much sun - re-read the post. They would like to adhere to a green ideal and pay lip service, but they will never ride to the store to buy a liter of milk. If we are being honest, they don't want to ride at all. They just want to say the politically correct thing.
Similarly, they might say they would like to use public transport, but have excuses. What satisfies their preferences is a high end electric vehicle. It signals green values and social status. A bicycle signals poverty. I'm not defending these social norms, but observing the status quo.
I find half-baked bicycling infrastructure worse than just using a road. I find that many people opine for bike infra, but they are just using the lack of infrastructure as an excuse. Much like, "I would quit smoking, but I'd have to wait until next month because I have too much stress this week" These people cannot be appeased.
The result is often impractical infrastructure built by people who see bicycling very differently. The ideal of overpasses for every crossing isn't economically possible for most areas. Instead a linear park is built. The bike trail has crossings at every block, away from the main intersection. The trail itself is clogged with baby strollers or in-line skaters. You'd be better off riding along the road.
The best examples of a bike trail in the US are often found along a river where bridges already exist.
Before spending on infrastructure, it may make more sense to address some of those cultural norms. People may use safety as an excuse, but take that excuse away and they'll find another. The reality is that bicycling on streets isn't unsafe. I'd wager that it is safer than driving cars on highways.
You can centrally plan infrastructure, but culture grows organically. It doesn't mean that bicycles are impractical, but that the top-down approach is hamfisted at best. You cannot take a specific set of circumstances in a single geographic region and extrapolate it onto the world.