València is AMAZING (especially for bikes!)

I had intended to make a video about how Valencia, Spain became a world bike capital, but then I got here and it seemed as if half the vehicles taking up space in the vast network of protected bike lanes were not bikes, but e-scooters!

So this became a video about how a city can have the right conditions (weather, flatness) and make the right moves (tons of investment in protected facilities), but they can't necessarily control how people use the infrastructure.

This video is broadly about the importance of advancing micromobility of ANY kind, but dives into important distinctions between bikes and e-scooters, and aims to help you think about...how to think about new micromobility, if that makes sense. Safety characteristics, interactions with other public space users, personally owned vs. app-enabled dockless rentals, etc.

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Previous CityNerd Videos Referenced:
- None! But go watch them anyway

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Music:
CityNerd background: Caipirinha in Hawaii by Carmen María and Edu Espinal (YouTube music library)

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[Mecknificent]

I deeply appreciate your on camera delivery. It's dry and perfectly witty. Ignore the haters. Keep pumping great content. Thanks!

[carlinthomas]

City Nerd's delivery of dry wit is one of the things that attracted me to this channel, and great content of course.

[DiogenesOfCa]

As a San Diego resident, this breaks my heart to see what we could be.
The NIYMBY's yell the loudest here against even one bike lane.

[todddammit]

People mock your style?! I find it hilarious how dry and straight-faced you can deliver punch lines. It makes the jokes even funnier. Never change!

[cdroz]

I am a traffic engineer and recently found your channel. I truly appreciate your takes on these topics. Please keep up the good work.

[davidharris]

I loved the line "I play a nerd on YouTube, but make no mistake....I am a nerd in real life." - LMAO

[sergiobasilio]

Gracias por poner a España en el foco de la cuestión. Tenemos mucho trabajo que hacer aquí respecto a la lucha contra el automóvil, pero espero que poco a poco los ciudadanos vayamos recuperando nuestras ciudades y nuestras regiones.

[MrBoooooring]

I live in France and have bought an e-scooter for one crucial reason: it fits in the TGV (high speed train) right with the luggage. I travel every week between Paris and Bordeaux (500km) and it feels absolutely amazing to be able to dash to the station, spend 2h in the train, and then dash to my workplace. The whole trip takes less than 3 hours door to door. Perfectly reliable, perfectly confortable, and perfectly green (about 2kg of CO2 per trip).

[quico]

tears in my eyes as I see my favourite youtuber visiting my city. i'm a daily cyclist here in valència and we continue to push for more anti-car policies and tactical urbanism. still loads of street space dedicated to cars and parking but we've definitely made some good progress considering we're the 3rd largest city in spain

[mayam]

Thanks for being aware of not becoming one of those youtubers who just hates on American cities! I do understand that Europe has better infrastructure and city fabric than us. I just hate how pessimistic they can be and how they make it seem like everything is so static. It's not. Cities were changed to look like this and they can change again. Hope and believing that things can change are necessary for people to actually get out there and do things and I dislike how some youtubers put people doing their best down.

[carsoncoin]

I lived in Valenica for a year and am planning to move back! Super exciting to hear you talk about this criminally underrated city that opened my eyes to the greatness of bikeability and excellent public transport. The 30 euros for a year of Valenbisi was one of the biggest steals of my lifetime.
I'd be happy to answer any questions you have.

[johnmetermaid]

City nerd is the Bob Dylan of youtube hosts. The unique quality of delivery lends itself to the well-timed jokes, making the researched material even more digestible. Don't change anything.

[courteneyskye]

I lived in Valencia for 3 months and it’s wild to see you talk about an intersection I walked by every single day

[gamble]

Everyone who is on an e-scooter is one more person who chose not to bring a 2 ton metal box with them. That is admirable- very considerate not to inflict noise, danger and asthma on everyone when you travel.

[erynpimentel]

EScooters get a bad wrap, mostly because of their association with people who are tourists or people that don’t live there renting them or them being left in the middle of sidewalks or piled up somewhere. But they are a great way to get around a (particularly flat) city. They are smaller and easier to take with you into buildings or on mass transit, especially if they are collapsible. They’re more maneuverable and have a smaller footprint. Bikes are awesome but EScooters definitely have their place for many people as well. Valencia looks like a cool city!

[pachocleproplayer]

As a Spaniard, I usually think how underrated Spanish urbanism is compared to other European countries (even by us, Spanish people). I’d say that the fact that most of our non motorised transport is done by foot rather than by bike is a big influence in the way people see our mobility. While we have similar levels of urban car use to other renowned European countries like the Netherlands, the fact that it is done mainly by foot can subtract from our image as a sustainable mobility country (as we don’t have as many shiny bike infrastructure). I’d also say, although this is just a personal opinion, Spaniards have not been historically good at selling ourselves and usually have an inferiority complex when we compare our country with others. This is not a problem for other countries that are much more prone to see their way of doing as the best (I’m not going to name any specific country, but I’m sure you can think of some xdd)

I also want to thank you for not limiting yourself to the usual cities and countries and add to the conversation with less talked about places like Spain. I’m just fed up with Americans (also Canadians) in Europe saying how an specific way of doing something of the Netherlands is much superior to the rest of the world (like, for example, once I saw an absolutely stupid video on how street garbage bins are so groundbreaking. Maybe I wasn’t the target but those exist al around the world wtf xdd)

[flora]

i’m a recent e-scooter convert. i was skeptical because yeah, they do get left in bad places on sidewalks, but the benefit they provide is immense. my city’s very very limited bikeshare network is not really suited to the kind of neighborhood-level trips i make, and not having to find a dock at the beginning and end of my trips is ideal. it’s eliminated a ton of car trips for me, especially to places like my gym or my favorite bar that are over 20 minutes on foot. it’s so convenient in fact that i recently sold my bike and bought my own e-scooter off my coworker. maybe that’s insane, but i’m not someone who likes working up a sweat while running my errands.

[GalpsPGH]

All this time, I had no idea I was participating in Spanish culture by taking evening walks through the city with my dog after work and before dinner 😂 Me encantan mis paseos nocturnos!

Another great video! I'm a shared scooter user myself. They're great when you want to get somewhere with no physical exertion and also don't want to leave your bike locked up somewhere unattended for hours. For example, I rode one downtown recently to get to a concert. It was a more formal concert so I had a suit on and didn't necessarily want to bike, but renting a scooter was the perfect solution. My friends who I was meeting commuted an hour into the city to get to the show and it took longer for them to get from the edge of downtown to a parking garage and then walk over to the venue than it did for me to scoot down from my apartment (a 1.5 mile scooter trip for reference). I actually made it back home after the concert before they even got out of downtown and then they had another 45 to 50 minute drive after that once they got out 😂

P.S. The change of scenery from Las Vegas to Valencia is a welcome one. I'm sure even more so for you haha

[IlCaroSassone]

I lived in Valencia for a year. Extraordinary city! It DOES get pretty hot in summer though!

[AaronLance]

I like your deadpan delivery and dry humor. It's perfect for the topic. Keep up the good work!