Of course there are outliers and places/people it wouldn't work for but the vast majority should be absolutely fine.
Even if it's not practical right away, that's just a reason to vote to put people in charge who would make it practical and convenient.
It's also possible to join a non-profit that engage with the public and local governments to make bicycle-friendly infrastructure happen.
It is questionable though in most states in the US atleast. Not sure how someone who lives a 20 minute drive from the nearest town in the middle of nowhere is supposed to ride a bike around. The whole world isn't urbanized
You're right that currently it's hard many places in the US thanks to suburbs, terrible zoning, car focused laws and so on.
But it's not like biking itself is the issue here, it's that you are in dire need of better infrastructure, zoning, public transport and laws.
Again this is semantics. But this isn't true. Look at the entire state of WV or any state that is mountainous. Unless magically millions of people get in much better shape there isn't an obvious solution. I'm all for better infrastructure and public transport.
If could enable this 80% to use bicycles and public transportation we'd experience a massive shift in public health, energy efficiency and reduced emissions...
Yep, I'm not debating that point. I'm 100% in favor of doing that. I'm asking about solutions for everyone else. This debate is usually framed as "all we need to do is" when that isn't the case for everywhere or everyone. Just diving into it a little bit more.
Yeah a solution for the remaining 20% would be great, but we (the US) are not even addressing the urban 80%. I live in the SF Bay Area. It's incredibly dense here, yet riding a bike is impossible/suicidal. It takes me 20 minutes to get to work by car, but 2 hours by bus. This needs to be fixed first before worrying about small town Montana.
There will always be trips and distances for which a car is the best option. It's fine to take a car then. The call is to take a bike when a bike is feasible, which is way more often than currently. Not for all people, but for a whole lot.
Then different solutions can be put in place in these places and/or you start with cities and figure out the country side later.
I think the bigger issue you have in the US is the sprawled neighbourhoods, I'm not sure how you can get back from that, maybe recreate small centers in the middle of them.
What are the different solutions? Genuinely asking. Seems like a large aspect to skip since it represents the majority of the US LOL
The practicality isn't questionable.
Of course there are outliers and places/people it wouldn't work for but the vast majority should be absolutely fine.
Even if it's not practical right away, that's just a reason to vote to put people in charge who would make it practical and convenient.
It's also possible to join a non-profit that engage with the public and local governments to make bicycle-friendly infrastructure happen.
It is questionable though in most states in the US atleast. Not sure how someone who lives a 20 minute drive from the nearest town in the middle of nowhere is supposed to ride a bike around. The whole world isn't urbanized
You're right that currently it's hard many places in the US thanks to suburbs, terrible zoning, car focused laws and so on.
But it's not like biking itself is the issue here, it's that you are in dire need of better infrastructure, zoning, public transport and laws.
Again this is semantics. But this isn't true. Look at the entire state of WV or any state that is mountainous. Unless magically millions of people get in much better shape there isn't an obvious solution. I'm all for better infrastructure and public transport.
According to the 2022 Census 80% of US population lives in urban areas.
If could enable this 80% to use bicycles and public transportation we'd experience a massive shift in public health, energy efficiency and reduced emissions...
Yep, I'm not debating that point. I'm 100% in favor of doing that. I'm asking about solutions for everyone else. This debate is usually framed as "all we need to do is" when that isn't the case for everywhere or everyone. Just diving into it a little bit more.
Yeah a solution for the remaining 20% would be great, but we (the US) are not even addressing the urban 80%. I live in the SF Bay Area. It's incredibly dense here, yet riding a bike is impossible/suicidal. It takes me 20 minutes to get to work by car, but 2 hours by bus. This needs to be fixed first before worrying about small town Montana.
Yes, but even in the US, most trips are so short in distance, they could easily be done by bike.
There will always be trips and distances for which a car is the best option. It's fine to take a car then. The call is to take a bike when a bike is feasible, which is way more often than currently. Not for all people, but for a whole lot.
Then different solutions can be put in place in these places and/or you start with cities and figure out the country side later.
I think the bigger issue you have in the US is the sprawled neighbourhoods, I'm not sure how you can get back from that, maybe recreate small centers in the middle of them.
What are the different solutions? Genuinely asking. Seems like a large aspect to skip since it represents the majority of the US LOL
80% of Americans live in urban settings