It’s an issue of political will, because it’s perfectly possible to keep cycling possible even in those conditions, but yea as long as that isn’t there you can’t always.
Comment on Pros / cons of riding a bike?
akwd169@sh.itjust.works 2 weeks agoTry that out in Canada though, it’s not going to work out. 15cm of fresh snow with ice underneath and it’s still coming down, while the sidewalks haven’t been cleared yet? Good luck biking to work then…
You have to use transit for about half the year here
LwL@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
HenriVolney@sh.itjust.works 2 weeks ago
Would skiing be an option?
pumpkinseedoil@sh.itjust.works 2 weeks ago
In Austria I’ve already seen people cross country skiing through the city in extreme conditions (but usually streets are cleared quickly so it isn’t needed)
TranquilTurbulence@lemmy.zip 2 weeks ago
Can confirm. Especially wet snow/sleet can make bicycling completely impossible. A few centimeters is only a minor annoyance, but 10 cm is a serious problem. Fortunately, it doesn’t last long where I live, since the streets get cleared fairly quickly. During one of those mornings you better take a bus/train/subway instead. It also really depends on how well your town takes care of the streets and what public transport options are available.
MonkRome@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
Realistically it’s only those 1-2 days after snowing when things are still being cleared that it’s an issue. I bike commute 52 weeks a year in Minnesota and there were only 3 days this year I regretted biking. 2 snow days and one heavy cold rain. I can always supplement another option on those days.
Curious_Canid@lemmy.ca 2 weeks ago
My city plows the bike paths at the same time it plows the emergency routes. We’re in Wisconsin, but a startling number of people still commute by bike all year long.