How to Build a City Around Bikes, Fast

Around the world cycling lanes are popping up and bike shops are selling out. As the coronavirus pandemic means people need to avoid subways and buses the bicycle is having a renaissance. And it could have much bigger repercussions for the health of our cities long into the future.

#Biking #BloombergCityLab #Cities
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[Calum_S]

It's not just cycle lanes that are needed, the amount of places to lock bikes up needs to be expanded too.

[peter]

Lesson from the Netherlands: when an old city street is too narrow for a bike lane, it is certainly too narrow to have a car lane.
Conclusion: make the entire street a bicycle street.

[matkowalewski]

As a cyclist in London, I must say that it’s getting better and better and I truely enjoy cycling in the city as my primary way of commuting. That said, potholes and confusing cycle lanes with dangerous switches to the opposite side of the road like in Blackfriars Bridge need to be fixed! NOW!

[danielmwendwa]

In Kenya, Nairobi City is currently providing bike lanes for cyclists
There's some backlash but the number of cyclists has gone up slightly and the general pedestrian is appreciating the clean air

[cristiansoutside]

This also needs to happen here in America. Cars are so prioritized I have no bike lanes to even get to work. Working on making this issue relevant to the city council

[JustaReadingguy]

I have been waiting 50 years for this. Bring it on.

[jaridkeen]

I sold my car over 3 years ago and ride a bike everywhere. I am always slightly made fun of by others because i dont use a car. But i just make fun of them for being poor and owning a depreciating asset.

Update: Been 5 years now and i saved over $100, 000 not owning a car and I bought a second home in Hawaii :)

[frogery]

after my city added bike lanes to this one road i was able to turn a 30-45 minute drive stuck in traffic into a simple 30 minute bike ride to work. best change ever.

[emthegem]

Awww yeah go bikes, there are so many benefits and so few downsides: its healthy, has smaller area than a car or truck, no pollution, no electricity and also one of THE most efficient machines made in history!!! GO BIKES!!!

[sidwinus]

This is easiest thing govt can do to improve lives of ppl.

[tOmzzvideo]

As someone who cycles as my main mode of transport (both short AND long distance -- think city-to-city), I've largely ignored cycling 'infrastructure' here in UK due to how awfuly poor it is. I'm often slowling myself down and putting myself at greater risk by using this 'infrastructure' (i.e., few disconnected and poorly thoughout out road markings) than by simply cycling among motor vehicles...

After 5 years of extensive cycling experience and continued interest in the subject here's my personal checklist for ideal cycling infrastructure;
- Segragated from motor vehicles (road markings are bare minimum)
- Interconnected network to permit long & short, safe journeys for all capabilities
- Safe storage locations
- Water refill stations
- No sharp turns/permanent fixtures that appear out of nowhere
- No potholes
- Minimal or no stop lights
- Direct & easy access to key destinations (i.e., travel hubs, office complexes, markets/shopping centres)

PS. Thank you for continuing to keep the spotlight on this wonderful opportunity to VASTLY improve our cities! I'd love to visit London by bike again

[FinancialShinanigan]

Soon people will be yelling at drivers to get off the bike lanes.

[jung.k]

I just started biking again after almost 20 years!
Its fun and i feel healthier especially with not many cars around to hit you i feel like it can be considered an option

[baseendje]

Non Dutch: "Amsterdam is one of the best cities for cycling in the world". Dutch: "Almost any other city in the Netherlands is a better city for cycling than Amsterdam". =')

[stijn]

It sometimes annoys me that so much focus is laid on the amount of kilometres of cycle path, while the quality is maybe even more important. The spanish sociologist was very concious about this. Cycling space should not just be a marked area on the road, but a safe space from which people of all ages can make use.

[Certago]

Adding ebikes into the mix makes cycling far more accessible to more people.

My commute is a 34 mile round trip, I ain't doing that on a normal bicycle because I'll be exhausted by the time I reach the office or get home and I'd stay home / use the motorcycle whenever the weather isn't great. On my ebike none of that matters, I can gear up for rain and cycle with relative ease.

[Snowboundless]

The benefits of practical cycling literally cannot be overstated. You get aerobic exercise, don't have to stress out driving in traffic, and save lots of money (even if you still own a car). Oh, and it's a lot tougher to swing through the drive thru after work. ;)

[maxnewts]

Sometimes it’s not the cycle lanes that we need more of, we just need some of them to connect with each other and be PROTECTED. I WOULD LIKE ALL OF THE SUBURBAN NEIGHBOURHOODS IN UK TO IMPLEMENT SIGNAGE AND IMPROVE THE PAVEMENTING. WE DONT NEED TO ADD SOMETIMES, WE JUST NEED TO IMPROVE.

[pokemonfreaky]

Yes! Go for it! Greetings from the Netherlands.

[KC-epsg]

I hope the US follows this example- we need more sustainable infrastructure and could benefit from the health aspects of biking as well. The main problem I see us having to overcome though is politics, and making sustainability out to be a partisan issue. It could also be unrealistic in areas where urban sprawl makes biking too impractical, in places where a person's commute to work is already 30 minutes to an hour by car. But in urban areas, we could definitely benefit from more biking