utility cycling
π΄π² Welcome to the Utility Cycling Community! π²π΄
Are you a passionate cyclist who believes that bicycles can transform the way we move around our cities and towns? Are you interested in exploring the world of utility biking, where bicycles are a tool for practicality, sustainability, and adventure? If so, you've come to the right place!
The issue with bicycles is bad infrastructure and not price. You can easily get a decent new one for 1000β¬ and second hand they often can be had for nearly nothing. Unfortunatly most will not ride bicycles in car traffic for very real safety concerns. So it is much better to build proper protected city wide cycling infrastructure and promote it especially towards students.
I think by getting more bicycles on the road will drive demand for better bike infrastructure. It will show people what they can do with the existing infrastructure and show where I can be improved. I assume it's cheaper to get more bikes out there then change infrastructure.
In America, money set aside to increase bike use would have to be spent on road and path improvement to undo the anti-bike infrastructure before spending much of anything on helping people afford the actual bikes.
I am in the camp we need both infrastructure investments and bike subsidies in the short term. I think people will start demanding more Bike infra after they experience an ebike. And for much of suburban America utility biking without electric assist is really difficult due to terrain, climate or distance.
Bikes, electric or not have been subsidized for ages.
We're not in the US of course.