cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ml/post/16133154
Link to original Tweet: https://x.com/DavidZipper/status/1795048724021862898
cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ml/post/16133154
Link to original Tweet: https://x.com/DavidZipper/status/1795048724021862898
The solution for large scale behavioral problems isn’t telling loads of people to do better, it’s systemic change, and in this case that means infrastructure for safe biking. That includes traffic calming measures, separated and protected bike lanes, regulation to reign in vehicle sizes and weight, etc.
The OP is correct wrt powerful e bikes sharing space with pedestrians and normal bikes.
They are a different beast, heavier and noisier. They have much higher speed limit, and require less effort (some models need no pedal power) to travel. This, alongside the rise of delivery services, encourages people to overspeed (more than 20mph).
15mph is roughly the limit of what makes bicycles safe for mixing with pedestrians, but beyond this speed, they aren’t that different from a motorbike in terms of road design considerations.
At least they are better than cars and SUVs
For sure, that is still a big part of this.
But a blanket statement pointing to cyclists as the source of the problem is just ridiculous.