Bicycle Rush Hour

warwick.hoy · #1 08-12-2010, 04:39 PM

I find this video fascinating.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-AbP...layer_embedded

elgecko · #2 08-12-2010, 05:02 PM

That's crazy! I wonder if finding a place to lock up your bike is ever a problem.

Here's some cycling that'll give you a rush for hours!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wAqt141eJAU

fdeck · #3 08-12-2010, 06:28 PM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9kis...ext=1&index=14

**jmattbassplaya** · #4 08-12-2010, 06:52 PM

That title reminds me...

What's the deal with all bicyclists deciding to go for a ride during rush hour, and what compels them to only ride on heavily populated roads that see a ton of traffic?

elgecko · #5 08-12-2010, 07:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jmattbassplaya

That title reminds me...

What's the deal with all bicyclists deciding to go for a ride during rush hour

Commuting to and from work?

Quote:

Originally Posted by jmattbassplaya

and what compels them to only ride on heavily populated roads that see a ton of traffic?

That's the way to and from work?

**jmattbassplaya** · #6 08-12-2010, 07:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by elgecko

Commuting to and from work?

That's the way to and from work?

Nope. These guys are in full racing entire and have no baggage on them besides a helmet, wrist watch, and water bottle and they are in racing groups (I assume in training). You'll see one or two of these guys early morning or late at night, but you only get the big groups (4-10+ riders) during the 12-2 and 5-7 rush hour time slots. It's the most asinine thing I've ever seen.

username n/a · #7 08-12-2010, 08:03 PM

Why isn't America more like this?

fdeck · #8 08-12-2010, 09:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by username n/a

Why isn't America more like this?

We have:

Cheap gas, and lower transportation taxes in general
Longer commutes
Complex commutes that involve transporting kids to school or day care
Bike-hostile urban planning
Less public transit
More dangerous biking conditions
Less free time
Seasons of bike-hostile climate in many areas

From what I read on another blog, many Dutch folks combine bikes and public transit for their commutes, for instance by renting bikes at transit stations.

warwick.hoy · #9 08-13-2010, 12:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fdeck

We have:

Cheap gas, and lower transportation taxes in general
Longer commutes
Complex commutes that involve transporting kids to school or day care
Bike-hostile urban planning
Less public transit
More dangerous biking conditions
Less free time
Seasons of bike-hostile climate in many areas

From what I read on another blog, many Dutch folks combine bikes and public transit for their commutes, for instance by renting bikes at transit stations.

Looks like they are on a Multi Use Path as there is pedestrian traffic as well as a few scooters. Notice no one is wearing a helmet.

As far as the gist of fdeck's post he's pretty much right on. There are some bike friendly cities but it's more of a recreation here than a way to get around like in European Cities.

The Chinese video is nuts, all that bicycle congestion combine with the motor vehicle congestion. Complete chaos.

elgecko · #10 08-13-2010, 01:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jmattbassplaya

Nope. These guys are in full racing entire and have no baggage on them besides a helmet, wrist watch, and water bottle and they are in racing groups (I assume in training). You'll see one or two of these guys early morning or late at night, but you only get the big groups (4-10+ riders) during the 12-2 and 5-7 rush hour time slots. It's the most asinine thing I've ever seen.

Many commuters leave their work clothes at work so they can travel light. 5-7pm crowd is commute time...We don't have a mid-day rush hour but the 12-2pm crowd is probably people riding on their lunch hour with coworkers.

CrispyDelicious · #11 08-13-2010, 01:19 PM

I love Nederland. Every major city in the west in within biking distance. It's like someone took a country the size of Germany and squeezed it to 1/5 the size

EDIT:

I remember when I was on a student exchange there, the father of the house I lived in was one of the top brass in Shell, and he would ride his one-speed bike, full suit and all, to work in Rotterdam. I was hilarious.

Username, the biggest reason so many people bike in Nederland is that it is a flat, flat country in which biking is easy, and everything is so close together. Like, SO close. You don't realize it till you go there. That, combined with the cost of gas (like, double what it is in north america), is a great incentive to bike.

chicago_mike · #12 08-13-2010, 02:18 PM

I thought this was another Chris Tucker movie...

link wray · #13 08-15-2010, 12:53 AM

I am 37 and have commuted by bicycle all my life. I didnt even own a car untill this week. Commuting by bicycle is promoted here in NL and commuting by car is discouraged so many people choose the bicycle.
In my hometown many streets are not open to cars or one way traffic for cars but not for bicycles: so a bike is actually a lot faster in town.

A tourist was also intrigued and wrote a big blogpost on cycling in amsterdam: http://www.ski-epic.com/amsterdam_bicycles/

BassXgirl · #14 08-26-2010, 12:55 AM

It almost looks like a Critical Mass ride

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KH6u8...eature=related

I wish it was more bike friendly here.
LA is a pretty horrible place to commute on a bike. Drivers seem to actually hate cyclists here. I get yelled at all the time for something as simple as waiting for the light to turn green! hah Between the bad distracted drivers, the cyclist-hating drivers, and the many pot holed roads, cyclists in LA are practically cheating death every time they make a safe trip around the block.

I have noticed one thing though, the people who seem to be the most aggressive towards cyclists always seem to have one thing in common, they are almost always overweight! If they would get out and ride a bike even one time, they might know what it's like and would probably chill out a little.

MadMan118 · #15 08-26-2010, 01:18 AM

As intresting as the bicyclists are I could help but notice how efficient the buses and trains were.I could cut my current commute by more than half if the public transport ran that well here. To be honest I HATE owning a car for traveling around the city.

Munjibunga · #16 08-26-2010, 01:50 AM

This is from Lyon, France. They have 'em in Paris, too, only gray.

BassXgirl · #17 08-26-2010, 02:06 AM

Is this a bike share? I've never seen one. If we had something like that here, they'd be all graffiti'd up and stripped in about 2 seconds.

Munjibunga · #18 08-26-2010, 09:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BassXgirl

Is this a bike share? I've never seen one. If we had something like that here, they'd be all graffiti'd up and stripped in about 2 seconds.

Yeah, you put in your credit card, then take the bike for the allotted time. Then you turn it in at any other rack. They had 20,000 of them in Paris. Now they have 13,000. Seven thousand of them have been stolen and taken to northern Africa.

fokof · #19 08-26-2010, 10:58 PM

There is the BIXI uphere in Montreal. There are +5000 units that you can take at any station and leave at another station.
This concept is now in Paris/London and other cities.

http://montreal.bixi.com/news

MadMan118 · #20 08-26-2010, 11:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fokof

There is the BIXI uphere in Montreal. There are +5000 units that you can take at any station and leave at another station.
This concept is now in Paris/London and other cities.

http://montreal.bixi.com/news

Those are actually pretty good rates. Why does the have to suck so much sometimes.