Bike Lane Battle 

Wait til you see the stationary bikes people put in their homes now. Cost as much as a very nice bike, with none of the functionality. It's laughable

@@altriish6683 I've seen those, people will literally buy anything to avoid going outside.

@@GMART50 most of the Time they live in the suburbs and have no were to bike except a 5 mile old railway bike trail

yeah

@@lilsloppynutsack1799 They can cycle on their suburban roads

People stop and shop more on a bike and on foot than in a car as well. These business' complaining about losing on street parking often see a rise in visits when a bike lane goes in. You can park 20 bikes in the space it takes to park 1 car.

@@theepimountainbiker6551 that’s true if you think about it. If I’m going to buy something and I’m in a car, the place I’m going is already predetermined. I’m not just going to stop my car at a random store I happened to see. If I’m walking or biking, I’m more likely to get curious and stop somewhere new I never tried before

Amazing man, keep it up!

City governments are much more progressive in Holland than in North America. Politicians in North America are still in the pockets of big business especially the fossil fuel industry who have no interest in fewer cars. People who want better bike friendly cities have to find a way to vote out the dinosaurs who see cyclists as tree hugging lefty socialists.

@@mikeskor6230 It's not just voting. Did you see the dutch manifestations of the 70s in this video? They were rather radical (and much needed) protests to stop the development of our cities into the car centric infrastructure as it's found in the US. The slogan was "Stop the child murder", and it was no joke. You'll have to organise and be bold about it...

@@mourlyvold7655 I think it's also because of the North American geographical nature as well. Unlike Europe, we are nearly as big as the whole continent. It's like a culture already that is mainly influenced by the US. Cities and towns in NA are quite far from each other and just think about having to cycle for nearly 100km to work, it's already a nightmare since a majority of the NA population live in small cities and towns and most of us work in big cities. If we want to develop more bikes then tiny and small towns have to develop too

I do have to correct you there on max speeds and separation. 60 km/h rural roads in the Netherlands usually have no extra indication for cyclists, or only feature painted bicycle suggestion lanes and do not feature any physical separation. For some extra explaining: bicycle suggestion lanes are basically lanes separated with dotted lines without any extra lawfull meaning. You are allowed to cycle in the middle of the lane if you like and motorists are allowed to stop and park on them, where motorists are not allowed to stop or park on bicycle lanes and the lanes adjacent to them, while cyclists are still allowed to use the road if necessary (this only applies when two cyclists are next to eachother, as bicycle lanes are hardly ever wide enough for 1 cyclist)

@@Hoangggggggggg almost noone commutes 100km and no one goes shopping 100km from their home only because the us has a big desert in the middle where noone lives doesnt mean you have to buldoze you downtown to fit more cars or build car dependet segregated suburbs

A car is about 10 000$ per year

@@unemilifleur Interesting fact.. The first paved roads were compliments of the bicycle associations. There were no paved roads before bicycles.. Bicycles proceeded cars... After selling my car, i bought an electric assist recumbent trike, .17 cents of electricity will take me 150 miles.. My full coverage insurance (velosurance) is only $40 for $10k in coverage. You can't beat the benefits of Ebikes, Etrikes.. I'm healthier today and i have only began cycling 5 years ago.. win win..

@@rdkuless since I now bicycle 90 percent of the time my paycheque lasts me untill next payday . If I was still throwing my money at my car my paycheque would not last very long .

Clear!

Or Groningen. Well all cities are better than Copenhagen, so it doesn't matter where you go in the Netherlands. 😂😂

I think people say Copenhagen because its easier to achieve for car centric cities. Their infrastructure is good but not great (compared to anywhere in the Netherlands really) but for car cities its much better and achievable. I think Malmö (Sweden) is a good city to look at, its very very close to the Netherlands, better than Copenhagen, still achieveable.

@@irrelevance3859 no Copenhagen is promoting it. They do everything to look the best.

@@emiel1976ep they do. But they're not the best. Cars still dominate there unlike in Amsterdam. But it's easier for a country like Italy, Canada or the UK that has really bad or non existent bike infrastructure to achieve what Copenhagen did than what Amsterdam has been working since the 60's

@@irrelevance3859 yes Copenhagen has still that old I frastructure where cars still rule. Its crazy, but Americans and Canadians look ad that and think that as they just do a little bit and keep the cars as it is, it's OK. EU countries look more ad the Netherlands. This because most cities are old and have narrow roads. The cities look like more as the cities in the Netherlands. They are also more willing to block cars from surten parts of the city as they already do. But one thing is surten. Canadian and Anerican cities look ad both countries and still make a mess of it.

Resulting in a twentyfold increase in cycling, in the hottest town of Europe. Mind you, from what I gathered their cycling infrastructure is far from perfect. Slow improvement was chosen to be the second part of the plan. Great strategy!

Shut your dumb@ss up and go make some cookies

@@MikeJones-vi6mx Are you allright, sir?

Not quite, in the Netherlands. Cyclists and motorists are separated where the speedlimit is 50 km/h, 30 mph. Both are mixed in residential streets, where the speedlimit is reduced to 30m kmh / 18 mph. Added bonus children play more on the streets and play safe. In the Netherlands there more bikes than people.

pffft, go back to russia.

I agree. Let's shut down the economy for a handful of humanities students carrying a baguette back to their studio, on a bicycle.

Osiris Malkovich ....yes .. like er hawe in Denmark

Osiris Malkovich I know right? I think it's like a massive conspiracy that Canada is so vast and that all affordable houses are far away from the city center while all jobs are located in the city center. It's like the evil oil corporations want us to abandon hours of sweaty bike rides and drive... even in rain/snow storms (can you believe it?).

Lol visit the Netherlands and it doesn't matter witch city or town. You will see that even NYC is a joke.

@@emiel1976ep Yes have seen video,nice infrastructure ,far too many bikes.

@@cheesyrider6914 it depends where you are. Where I live it's not that crazy as Amsterdam or Utrecht. Lots of space to ride. But I prefer bikes above cars. Way less noice and take a lit less space.

More bike lanes fewer cars please

@Goorpijp Wessel , there are rain jackets. Even in the rain, I get to work drier than most of my co workers who dart from their car through the rain. In the end, if the weather is bad enough to stop me from riding, it's bad enough to stop a lot of drivers too.

@@harshbarj I bought waterproof jacket and pants. Best investment ever. I don't like umbrellas.

@@harshbarj I have a couple of sets of good breathable rainwear. I don't get wet cycling but I do get damp sometimes. Torrential rain is a different thing and I do get wet but it doesn't rain cats and dogs much so I bicycle in the rain without much discomfort.

Amsterdam is the most horribly city for bicycling, the rest of the Netherlands have better infrastructures in place. The only thing Amsterdam has is name of Cycle City. Just, it is just a name bike advocates use because it has 'other' uses. I leave it up to your imagination to what everything I allude. Riding a bicycle is not 'it'.

Groningen en Utrecht steken ver boven Amsterdam uit

PFFF, just Amsterdam?, have you actually seen the rest of the country too? 😂

Vote for Democrats again, save this zero progress!

Californians love their cars with AC. It's not happening because Californians don't want it to happen.

You mean the wildfires, pollution and global warming?

Fact is that in some countries there is a war between cyclists and motorists as they don't respect each other. Especially the drivers hate the cyclists as they (the drivers) accuse the cyclists of being in the way and slow down the traffic. It is just a matter of mentality, in the Netherlands there is absolutely no war between the both, we respect each other. One of the reasons for that is that most drivers cycle as well. And the Dutch, along with the Danes, have had a cycle culture for many years. Cycling is a mode of transport here, and withing cities, and built-up areas in general, the most practical way to go around...

No one's outlawing cars, just drastically reprioritizing bikes

Here in the Netherlands, people wanted it. That made that the government changed their policies and went for safety. Their aim is 0 deaths in traffic. It isn't completely possible, but by improving the complete infrastructure, so not only adding a cycling and predestian part, but also change things for cars in and outside the city, made it safer. With that, they chained the education for your driving licence. They not only aimed ad that you know the rules. But also know what the dangers are and how to behave. On schools they started to give children also education about Joe to ride their bikes from and to school. North America isn't there by just adding a bycicle infrastructure, they need to change the complete infrastructure in and outside the cities and teach children on school how to behave in traffic and give better education to people that get their driving licence. It's the complete packatge that makes the difference. Adding a cycling infrastructure lowers accidents but you still will never reach the numbers as they have in the Netherlands.

there is no cycling in winter because there are no maintained safe separated bikepaths with safe intersections if the cycletrack is maintained you only need to wear a jacket and gloves and its fine

You asked: "Why do the children wear head protection, but not the parents? Answer: Because it is mandatory for children under a certain age to wear a bicycle helmet (the age depending on where you live). NB The family now lives in The Netherlands (Delft). Fortunately there no helmet laws in The Netherlands.

I think the Netherlands had the first bike lane in 1890 but i'm not sure.

???

I don't wish to pry into your health Rose, but could you explain why you can cycle for exercise/recreation, but not to the doctors or grocery store? That doesn't make much sense to me. Assuming, as you say, that the route was nice and segregated in both cases, and not too far, why would someone be able to do one but not the other?

What a reach. Children are usually new cyclists. More unstable than adults. They wobble, they're more likely fall. Falling won't usually hurt the head. But children are smaller and have smaller bikes, cars struggle seeing adult cyclists already so children cyclists would be even harder. That being said a car is probably more likely to hit a child too. Therefore helmets. It's just precaution

And to be fair, they aren't going very fast, so it's probably not as big a deal. But say they were going 20mph, then a helmet is probably a good idea.

Snow? ; Looking at the opposite extreme ; I work in Brisbane - Seven months of the year have a 9am temperature above 20celsius, two of those above 25C ; and humidity all Seven of those months is above 60percent at 9am - so people don't ride.

Muzz TheGreat I'm being sarcastic. Canada gets the snow, copying an infrastructure plan from a city in a different climate isn't the most sound idea.

@Goorpijp Wessel wouldn't it make more sense for Canada to model their system after Netherland's then?

@@muzzthegreat people ride in the summer with temperatures above 30c and with an average humidity of 83% people still cycle. and in the ice cold -15C people still cycle. even if it is very windy which is basicaly always people still cycle

It's not illegal in the U.S. it's just not great

Where do you live where it is -10 (Celsius?) 6 months out of the year?

That is the why they don't mention the Bartlett family moving to the Netherlands. To Delft to be exact...

if the city would invest in better transport you could just cycle to the station for 5 minutes and take the train to work

@@burgerpommes2001 now if only I lived withing a 5 minute bike ride of a train station

Maybe the Dutch don't need helmets as much because their cycle tracks are free from cars and safer?

Great comment. Start by banning cars from the roads of the inner cities.

Why helmets? Should pedestrians wear helmets too? And full body armour to defend themselves against aggressive car owners? What do you need to survive a truck driving over your body? Or do you design your city in such a way that children can play safely. older people can walk to the park without worries, sporters can move around jogging. skating or cycling freely? It is up to you which route to take to the future.

In the Netherlands people on citybikes never wear helmets, only on road bikes and ATB's. Safety for cyclists is provided by reducing the risk of collision with a motorvehicle, by providing separated bike lane or car calming. Meaning speedlimit 30 kmh and placing obstacles in the path of motorists, so the speedlimit will be enforced naturally.

Agree if helmets are good for youth why are they not good for adults

It's kinda not your business though, nosey Nelly. They aren't going fast, and all of them are very experienced compared to the average north American, given that they bike everywhere. I don't see it as such a big deal.

clear snow off the bike lanes, people in other countries cycle all year round

Vancouver, and most of Victoria is flat.

E bikes will flatten any hill instantly. If your old and cant make it up the hills anymore then you are a good candidate for an e bike . I have severe back and shoulder problems so i stopped riding until i discovered e bikes . now i'm back in the saddle and getting fitter by the day. 🚵‍♀️ .

Sick of hearing this excuse. Never wondered why the Netherlands is famous for windmills? Because it's very windy there. Plus it rains a hell of a lot and sub-zero temperatures are normal in winter. The difference is that people there are brought up to be "stoer" ie tough, even little girls and old grandma's cycle in rain, snow and ice.

And that is still no reason why it shouldn't change. There are places that aren't flat ad all and have also a cycling infrastructure.

Lumber dog ok now check on the numbers of people killed in car crashes. Where I live and cycle every day 85% of crashes involving cyclists it is the driver at fault.

Not my nuts!

@@declanfaughey8471 who cares who is at fault/ What matters is who is dead!

Just more evidence of why cars need to be further regulated and penalized.

vanquish Cycling is an extremely safe activity. Do you wear a helmet when you walk?

***** You're kidding right?

vanquish do you even know how to ride a bike?

***** Then what are bicycle helmets for jackass?

vanquish What are water wings for idiot?

Why wear a helmet for commuter cycling? If you are so afraid of hurting your brain why don't you promote wearing a helmet when driving or walking?

If they refuse it on that age, it means they've come to their senses

please try to argue ageainst them

+Krispin Gord Ever heard of e-bikes? Electric supported bicycles? ;) I live in Switzerland, even here in Zurich are lots of hills, that is why i commute with my speed pedelec.

There are bikepaths all over the Netherlands and not all of it is flat, sure it's not very hilly and even the hills that they do have aren't that high, but that doesn't make a difference. Having a flat country or area is a BENEFIT it's not a REQUIREMENT to have bike paths, having a flat area helps, but just because you don't have a flat area doesn't mean bike infrastructure is not possible. Actually Uber and taxis in general are a HORRIBLE solution for traffic problems, because most of the times those vehicles only have 2 people in them, but they take the space of 8 people, buses and trams or vehicles like those are much better for solving traffic problems, those vehicles are built to use the space they have very well and with good planning from the people running the public transport their on board capacity can be much closer to their space capacity then normal cars, Uber or taxis.

Calgary isn't. Neither is Montreal, Halifax, St John's, NL, Edmonton, Kelowna, Kamloops . . . . . All cities where cycling is enjoyed. Even in the winter. You have no idea what you're talking about.

Krispin Gord Unfortunately Uber increases congestion as it doesn't reduce the numbers of people letting their car at home and ride share, but mostly people use it that would have taken public transport or walk. A big portion of trips is in walking distance.

No it's not. It tells me your bicycle infrastructure is unsafe, dangerous even.

Cyclists safety is better provided by bike infrastructure, not helmets. Preventing an accident is better than provinding head protection. Watch the cycling infrastructure videos of www.bicycledutch.com.

do parents also set a bad example when they smoke or drink alcohol in front of them? are parents supposed to live like a child?

What ever you do in front of your children you are setting bad example to them for when they are growing up.

+Zi ad Why? I ride in Toronto, family of 5, year round. Montreal and Calgary have rapidly growing # of cyclists too. May be different in rural areas but most Canadian's live in cities and statistics show most trips made by Canadians are under 5km. Obviously that's not true for the minority outside of cities, but for most us it is true. We've been car free for 6 years and my family is fit, healthy and happy. Right tool for the right job. Most Canadian's are using cars for minor trips. It's overkill and a waste of families resources and making us sick. I see more and more families going car free in Canadian cities (not just in BC). We CAN do this.

+motherintoronto Google "average temp in Edmonton", and "average temp in Toronto". And you'll understand. Not to mention snow and other climate factors. Also lets not forget the issue of time. When you live in downtown Vancouver it's easy for people to talk, but lets take everywhere else in the country into consideration. My commute to work is about 45 minutes in a car and would probably take around 3 + hours on a bike.

Zi ad There are places as cold as Edmonton that cycling infrastructure. And I specifically talked about the *vast majority* of trips that have been studied that *are* under 5km. Who gives a crap about your 45min commute as it relates to this conversation?

***** October to April?

BRAVO ACTUAL More like December - February here in Toronto... where do you live?

***** Lol. That explains alot. I'm way north of Toronto bub.

BRAVO ACTUAL yes, that's my point.

BRAVO ACTUAL This isn't about converting an entire population into cyclists from motorists. It's about understanding the positives that increased levels of cycling unlock in cities. Some 80-83% of Canadians live in cities in this country. 1 in 3 Canadians live in the greater Vancouver, Montreal, and Toronto regions alone. 1 in 3! Cities like Toronto and Vancouver are relatively mild and snowstorm free most winters, and they plow their roads quickly and efficiently. You need to change your thought process. Stop thinking about barriers, and start thinking about opportunities. That's how you build a better country.

Brian Vandorp I bike in the rain and the snow. Proper gear makes it possible. Bikes reduce congestion, proven fact through research. You'll almost never be stuck behind a cyclist if bike lanes are present

searchoverload8 sure it makes it posible, walking 5 miles to work is possible too, but it sure isnt popular, which is the whole point of bike lanes in the first place. and anytime you remove a vehicle lane foe a bike lane you will most certainly cause more congestion.

Rubbish. Studies have been done on the subject for years and the conclusion is unanimously the same: Bike lanes REDUCE congestion and IMPROVE traffic flow. More lanes don't always reduce congestion; and especially not when the extra lanes have to merge back down into fewer, where more vehicles having to merge makes the process take longer, undoing the benefit initially gained. LESS cars on the road is the BEST thing you can do.

Bikes are vehicles. People getting around on bikes are traffic. More lanes for cars do not alleviate congestion.

Yippee, I just moved home to Ontario after 15 years in Vancouver. There's 180 days of rain in Vancouver annually and 60 inches of rain!

they never even mention any suburbs in this video lol theres like no bike lanes anywhere else in BC, nobody's going to want to bike anywhere if it takes them more than 40 minutes

yes but the geography of your cities were decisive factors in this success. Very compact. As opposed to most north american urban areas. Ultimately, it was the right choice for you. For others, I'm not so sure.

Jacob Conell The suburbs do need more attention. I ride about 6 miles in a suburban Texas area...takes me about 30 minutes. It's do-able, but not as safe or comfortable as it could be.

Electric bikes become more popular, and they can up to 30 km single trip. Get recharged during working hours and drive 30 km back. A serious alternative for the car.

You are right Jacob Conell. The gouvernment can not force it's citizens to cycle, but instead can make cycling more attractive. By making the routes for cyclists shorter and let motorists take a detour. At shops cyclists can park in front of the door, motorists have to walk from the carpark. What are one way streets for cars, are two way streets for cyclists. Visit Amsterdam or any Dutch city. Cars drive at 10 mph, just as the cyclists. But then you have to find a parking sport, hard to find. Pay 4 to 5 bucks per hours. Cycling is so much easier and cheaper.

I think part of the point is to encourage fewer cars, and less car access is the way to do it.

No, I still bike. Its surprisingly warm when youre moving. Its no colder than when you go ice skating or skiing, if anything biking makes you warmer than those activities.

I go on a bus Plus everyone who live south of Edmonton probably has experienced only -20 it’s never called in Toronto I’m from yellowknife and you guys are 🤓

If you have to bike at walking speed on a sidewalk it's not worth bikig anyway. Just go on foot then.

Like most cyclists I know, I also have a car (and a class 1 licence), but riding on the sidewalk is not only illegal, but extremely unsafe; even on a multi use path you will find people walking 4 abreast, someone walking a dog with dog on one side of the path, owner on the other, with leash across path. Also check on google maps, for example, Fraser Highway eastbound from 168th street; one has the choice of riding in the bike lane, scary close to traffic that is far exceeding the speed limit of 70 kph (which is about what a fit cyclist can pedal down that hill if they're spinning a big gear), or one can ride on the "greenway." As much as I prefer a separate bike path, one big problem is every time you reach a roadway or a driveway you risk either people turning from the main road onto the street you're crossing without noticing you, or, and this is a pet peeve, motorists often don't stop at the actual stop line, but instead race up to where the roads intersect before stopping, and are then completely blocking your path (Like at Fraser Highway and 170th). The airlines would shut down if suddenly even a fraction as many people were dying in plane crashes as they are in car crashes. It should be much harder to get a licence, and much easier to lose. Cars may have gotten safer, but drivers ( and others) have become even more distracted by gadgets. My 1952 GMC was not a "safe" vehicle, but maybe the fact that you had to concentrate fully while driving it helped. I can think of at least two relatively recent local events where people died after being hit by a car while waiting at a bus stop, and one just near my home where a single mother of a girl with Down syndrome lost both her legs below the knee. When I'm driving I often see people driving down the road with the driver's side wheels on the road, and both passenger side wheels in the bike lane, so yeah, I guess staying between the lines does seem the be a challenge for some - maybe they should practice with a colouring book first. Cars are nice to have if you have lots of stuff to carry, and can be fun on a twisty road through the mountains (though those are often the most fun places to cycle too), but too many people use them way too much.

PipenFalzy allot of u.s states it's illegal for a bicyclist to ride on the sidewalk. And please understand u.s constitution protects bicyclist to be able to travel on any public roadway as a right to travel. Any automobile is a meer privelage to use the roadway . So technically the bicyclist have more right to use the roadway then any motor vehicle. As long as they also follow the same road laws as everyone else. You can find proof if you do your research into u.s constitution of the United States. So plz if you drivers want to use the road simply share it.

Says the lazy, fatass who cant walk 200 m to the store.

You are right about one thing: Cars are dangerous.

Michael Zupo That is untrue. General property taxes contribute to the majority of municipal roads. Yes, some gas tax helps, but it's important to understand that many cyclists are also motorists as well, and automobiles actually create more of a financial burden on our roadways than bikes ever could. Your car is heavily subsidized and you should be appreciative of that. You wouldn't want to pay what you actually should for driving on our roads. Look at gas tax comparisons around the world, Canadian motorists get some of the biggest breaks at the pumps compared to other industrialized nations. If you want to talk about fair share, increase gas prices.

Michael Zupo 1. Maintenance of bike lanes is virtually free compared to the costs of upkeep of car infrastructure. 2. Cycling lowers health care costs 3. etc, etc. When car drivers start paying the ACTUAL cost of their driving (pollution, effect on health), then you can start demanding cyclists do the same. You need to look beyond your limited bubble before you start demanding money from others.

Michael Zupo Completely untrue. Please check your facts before posting.

Michael Zupo Ooooh look, another dead horse trotted out.

+Michael Zupo Sorry, but you're wrong. All property owners pay taxes for the upkeep of roads. It's the people that use the roads the least that are subsidizing the people who use them the most. It's also doesn't cost $2-3B to replace a 4 lane bike bridge. Bike infrastructure is incredibly inexpensive and if you noticed in the video the health care savings more than covered the cost of the bike infrastructure in Portland.

I'm not certain if you actually LISTENED to this story, however several things are obvious. 1) you don't live in Vancouver. If you did, you would understand that there is perhaps 6 weeks of snow on the ground in any given year, making it one of the most inviting cities to ride; 2) Cyclists have been subsidising cars on roads for generations; 3) There is a three-fold return on investment in the form of lower stress on the healthcare system by increasing cycling lanes. There are other points, I'll just leave it at three.

More pseudo-intellectual claptrap from an alternative facts universe sloping forehead.

I'd like to call you a Drumpf Republican, but you would probably misunderstand the comment and think it was a compliment.

operationcwaI789789 Biking isn't that hard, you should learn how to bud

Sounds good. I don't drive during snowstorms or while I'm having a heart attack anyway, so shouldn't be too hard.