I would absolutely love to ride a bike or say, roller skate to work, but as i live in a stroad infested car dependent mess of a town, that is sadly impractical at best and outright deadly at worst.
I share the same sentiment. Something I've realized recently is that people who complain about car-centrism (myself) often fail to identify ways to start solving these problems. To remedy this, I've been thinking of writing a set of practical posts, sort of a how-to, in which I explore ways to solve these problems. Is that something that would interest you?
I've also been contemplating how to use my skill set to further decrease our dependence on car centric infrastructure, or help others engage in reducing it.
There seems to be a very large community of people in the US who are opposed to more cars. /r/fuckcars has gained a large following rather quickly. Clearly there is demand, but how do we enable people to start making change? Money and NIMBYs are hard to challenge single handedly.
I do not like to ride a bike at 0 °C. Buses are fine, waiting for the bus at 0 °C not so. But yeah, owning a car which is only used 1% of it's lifetime is pretty laughable and actually prohibitive.
What's wrong with riding a bike in 0 °C weather? When dressed for the weather riding in the cold weather can be quite enjoyable as long as the roads are clear or your bike has appropriate tires.
> When dressed for the weather riding in the cold weather can be quite enjoyable
Not as enjoyable as sitting on my heated leather seat, sipping coffee, listning to an audiobook and moving my right foot back and forth between the the accelerator and brake while my wipers and heater keep the sleet off the windshield.
Points like the above is pretty much why these sorts of ideas are a dead end in a place with disposable income.
If you objectively think that riding a bicycle with two sets of clothes on your back in the dead of winter is as convenient as driving, you've are either delusional or have never actually been inside of an automobile.
They're also dead ends where you already assume one car per adult. Dropping below that number is intimidating in most American settings, but changes the whole mindset.
If you objectively see convenience in spending 50k on a car, 30k on a parking spot, and 100/mo for insurance just to be able to pay other marginal costs to be able to go to a store and avoid exercise in the morning, you're either delusional or have never considered how that money could buy you better conveniences.
I've never paid anywhere close to that. Virtually no parking expenses, and I've had 3 reliable vehicles all have been around 12-15k and I've gotten 5-8 years out of them with a couple major repairs. Also the grocery store is very far away and dangerous to bike towards, and I would have to rig my bike for storage. American stores are also geared for bulk larger purchases and you save a substantial amount of money, and even if you for simple things like toilet paper or paper towels.
I never claimed riding a bicycle was as convenient as driving, only that riding in 0C weather is quite comfortable. It many ways I prefer it to riding when it's really hot out!
I'd recommend anyone give it a try if there is a safe way to get to work. Especially in 0C, because it's just not that cold and you don't really need bulky layers. You can get away with just a winter coat or a warm fleece and windbreaker. I dress a little lighter than when I go downhill skiing or snowboarding.
I am still wearing a winter jacket and sometimes an extra layer when I am driving to work in the winter, so there's really no difference from that perspective.
Also, if you're traveling by bike in freezing weather, you have to be dressed for freezing weather, and you'll be stuck with that during the entire time you spend at your destination.
Nah. Just dress normally and then put warm clothes on top (gloves, hat, a good coat, possibly some overtrousers for the rain) that you can remove at your destination.
Gloves needed at 0°C are reasonable. Sure, don't take gloves that let the wind go through.
I used to bike without gloves and a hat when freezing. Because I always lose them. The hands hurt, you end up being very cold. With appropriate clothes it's night and day, biking becomes enjoyable in winter.
> Just dress normally and then put warm clothes on top (gloves, hat, a good coat, possibly some overtrousers for the rain) that you can remove at your destination.
Great. I'm going to the mall. How do I remove my clothes while I'm there?
You put them in your backpack (or around your hips for the coat?).
Yes, you need a backpack or some sort of bag. Is it a big issue?
If it's not raining you don't even need the overtrousers and the coat might as well be the one you usually wear when it's cold. This coat probably has pockets big enough that you can put the gloves and the hat in them.
Not being hungry and getting out of the elements are the most ancient goals throughout the history of humans. I think most people would want to avoid biking in 0C.
> When dressed for the weather riding in the cold weather can be quite enjoyable
Not my sense of comfort.
> as long as the roads are clear or your bike has appropriate tires.
I live in a country where we have snow in winter, at least casually. I think driving safety is severely affected when driving single-track? Wouldn't ride my motorcycle in winter either.
Each to their own, of course. You have a better idea of what's safe for you.
That said I live in a snowy country and ride a bike. I absolutely wouldn't ride a motorcycle. Speed is by far the largest reason. On a bike, you can see black ice before you hit it. You can run a foot along the ground for extra traction. You can get out and walk and push your vehicle. You can just jump off if shit really hits the fan.
That said, I also ride slowly when the roads are poor.
Have you ever tried it or are you just assuming you wouldn't find it comfortable?
Where I live, it's not usually safe to ride a bike because of snow clearing. We get huge snowbanks and there is no safe place to ride. I'd be riding if I could though.
We do have off-road trails that are groomed for fat bikes that are a lot of fun. It's a nice alternative to downhill skiing or snowboarding which can get pretty pricey!
