Why Cities Need Cycling Infrastructure? Does Anti-cycling Mentality Exist?

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The thing that people don't get is that the people who need to use a car are the ones that will most benefit from cycling/walking infrastructure. The less need to drive short distances the more road space for the people who actually need to drive. It sounds wrong but it is what has happened all over the world.

A way to say it as an visitor of the USA is: "it's weird that in the land of free, you're not free to move in a city unless you have a car and in the land of the brave, the brave ones are those who cycle despite all those disadvantages"

We have anti cycling attitude in the American South. I just moved here from California. They don't even have bike lanes here in suburban New Orleans....It's incredibly irritating.

That Cyclepath is moving far more people per hour then the cars on the road beside it. And the people it is moving are relaxed and enjoying the day. I hear no shouting, no Angry Words, no horns being honked, and no loud exhaust. Possibility of tell me again why we shouldn't continue to dedicate so much public space to empty metal boxes?

I always appreciate the excuses. It implies that before 1950 there was no snow, rain, or hills.

Thankfully here in my county in Central Florida, cycling infrastructure is steadily coming to fruition but we still have a long way to go, at least our city officials and county council members are acknowledging the need for cycling and pedestrian infrastructure…

I live in the UK. Cycling infrastructure has improved in city centres but outside of there it’s sporadic and rarely joined up means part of a journey might be safe but part is alongside HGVs rendering it all pointless. I cycle 2km to drop my kids at school. We have to cycle 90% on the pavement because the roads are not safe for a 5 and 7 years old. I’d love to see rat run side roads blocked off for through traffic so vehicular traffic is directed to use the main arterial routes. School drop off traffic accounts for a huge amount of peak congestion. Make it safe to do as active travel instead and congestion could actually drop.

Cycling, is not only quicker then walking. You can often do it for longer durations. Today nobody walk an hour to work but i know plenty of people that take a bike for an hour to work or other places.

Only have 186 miles on my Toyota Tacoma since the first of January. Ride over 100+ miles a month on my bike. Did 12 miles today. Tomorrow I will ride to the store and take the "long way home" for 6 miles.

In my opinion, the lack of a well-established, heavily frequented bicycle highway to the city center is to blame. Instead of scattered, small paths with car noise, what's important is for people to experience (and feel) what it's like to ride a bicycle in a tight-knit group, like a wave of fast-paced individuals who understand each other well and trust one another.

I keep thinking if I could use my bike for most of my needs, I could, but only with a resonable good infrastructure. I drive my daughter to dance lessons 4 times a week, I can easly bike the way, she is phisically capable of doing it, but the traffic is simple prohibitive.

I've also heard the argument that cycling infrastructure is only for 'fit people...' which is absolutely not true, as making roads, sidewalks/paths, and cities overall more accessible for non-car forms of mobility (as cyclists will have to walk, people using wheelchairs or mobility scooters will need similar road design to cyclists for safety, etc) benefits a wide range of users

In regards to the weather, Not Just Bikes also had a video about the Bahamas, perfect weather yet barely any cyclists because the infrastructure is missing.

I live in Houston, one of the most car dependent cities in the world. I cycle every day of my life. If I can do it here, anyone can cycle anywhere.

Cities need to be walkable with a good public transit and cycling infrastructure. Everyone will benefit from less traffic and drivers probably most. I am a public transit user but for me public transit and cycling go hand in hand as alternative to driving. It is better for overall well being for everyone if they walk or cycle whatever they can do or preferer to do.

I live in the Midwest US and it is so-so for commuting on a bike. It can be a bit risky. What really gets me is the size of vehicles people drive. Seems like so many people drive these huge full size trucks, but don’t actually use them for anything other than driving like a normal car. Talk about a waste of space.

There are basically two sources of anti-cycling mentality: 1. The belief that cycling is merely a recreational activity. People may respond that the public doesn't need to subsidize peoples' hobby (or not any more than it already does.) 2. The idea that cyclists ride dangerously. (Usually meaning in a way that a driver might accidently hit them.)

The lack of any secure bike parking puts people off in the UK (amongst a plethora of other reasons). Also, our trains no longer allow bikes to board - well, maybe 2 per train. It's absolutely rubbish. Each train used to have a guards carriage into which 20+ bikes could be stashed. British politicians just don't want to solve this. Boris tried in London and to be fair rental bikes in London, Birmingham and Manchester do seem to be popular judging by the empty racks I have seen in those cities recently but if I wanted to get from my rural, central England location to London or Edinburgh, I've no choice than to drive. It wouldn't be a massive change to equip buses with carriers, trains with bike space, and bike parking in the cities which takes up FAR less space than a car park (but it really must be SECURE bike parking). So because I can't reasonably ride to work, I ride AFTER work which is pleasant enough but it's such a waste of time when I could get my exercise done in my commute with relatively small changes to our infrastrcture.

Sweet to see pictures of Stockholm as a good example. Stockholm is a fun example of excellent individual projects yet with a missing bigger picture plan for biking.