Because there’s no Microcenter in my city.
Murica
Submitted 3 months ago by LifeLemons@lemmy.ml to greentext@sh.itjust.works
https://lemmy.ml/pictrs/image/c8146fd8-611b-4469-b89b-8e1304f60cf4.jpeg
Comments
ColeSloth@discuss.tchncs.de 3 months ago
Cold_Brew_Enema@lemmy.world 3 months ago
Cool let me just bike 30 miles to my job and back everyday sounds good
criticon@lemmy.ca 3 months ago
if entire cities were designed around these the way they are with cars, everyone would be fine with it
queermunist@lemmy.ml 3 months ago
Maybe you shouldn’t have to live that far away from everything?
SupraMario@lemmy.world 3 months ago
Also make sure you get groceries as well, I’m sure a weeks worth you’ll be good to carry back.
BorgDrone@lemmy.one 3 months ago
Why would you need to buy a weeks worth of groceries? Just buy for 1 or 2 days. Make additional grocery trips as needed.
BorgDrone@lemmy.one 3 months ago
Who the fuck takes a job that far from home?
Cold_Brew_Enema@lemmy.world 3 months ago
Maybe you do what you can to survive, fuckwit. Have you thought of that?
Norin@lemmy.world 3 months ago
Y’all would like Ivan Illich.
uis@lemm.ee 3 months ago
Or Vladimir Iliich.
Vivendi@lemmy.zip 3 months ago
My city has extreme height changes on almost every road – you’d have to be a seriously beefy rider to commute with a bike
DavidDoesLemmy@aussie.zone 3 months ago
Ebike?
Vivendi@lemmy.zip 3 months ago
At that point why not just buy an EV
Considering how you have a cabin around you so it’s a lot harder to turn into a meat crayon
Benaaasaaas@lemmy.world 3 months ago
Pedal assist bikes exist, source am heavy ass bike commuter that has to go uphill to work.
satans_methpipe@lemmy.world 3 months ago
Those beefy riders didn’t start out beefy.
Trollception@sh.itjust.works 3 months ago
Lol same. You can’t jog in my neighborhood, well some can. Even walking around is quite difficult going up some streets.
the_doktor@lemmy.zip 3 months ago
Enables people with mobility issues
Allows people to move about farther than just a few miles or so
Allows people to transport a lot of goods (and/or heavy goods) easily
Doesn’t make you exhausted if you have to go up hills
AIR CONDITIONING/HEATER
Fuck your walkable/bike nightmare “utopia”.
Highstronaught@feddit.uk 3 months ago
Lots of disabled people can’t drive, bike infrastructure also accommodates wheelchairs, mobility scooters, hand bikes and other ways disabled people get around.
50% of journeys are 5 miles or less, nobody is seriously suggesting going long distances on bikes (though I have)
You can easily carry a full load of shopping, bits from the diy shop and more, there are even tradespeople who work via a cargo bike rather than van
By cycling you get fitter very quick, you learn to pace yourself but you get faster as you get fitter. E-bikes are also an option too
Can’t fix the air con issue, when I cycled to work I took a change of clothes and got changed there I don’t live in a very hot place though. As for cold, a good set of waterproof mittens, some waterproof overtrousers and a good coat work wonders (and can be used when your not on a bike too)
What about those who can’t drive, how do they get around?
Trainguyrom@reddthat.com 3 months ago
Can’t fix the air con issue
When I started cycling last year I found that I acclimated myself to the hot weather by riding daily (plus once you start moving even if it’s super hot and sticky the airflow as you ride along at 5-10mph really makes it feel far more bearable than one would think, even at 100% humidity!)
I can only imagine how much more bearable it would be on an ebike where I wouldn’t have to fight so hard on hills or starting from stopped
DavidDoesLemmy@lemmynsfw.com 3 months ago
The more people on bikes, the better it is for drivers as there’s less car traffic. People get stuck in traffic jams in their car for hours, yet if they get stuck behind a bike for 10 seconds they lose their shit
the_doktor@lemmy.zip 3 months ago
Traffic jams are a function of the mistake of centralizing people into large cities plus poor road planning. Bikes are just “let’s ride slowly on a road meant for much faster vehicles”, i.e. brain damage.
kameecoding@lemmy.world 3 months ago
I agree with your points, trains are fucking awesome too.
queermunist@lemmy.ml 3 months ago
My ebike has enabled me to take 40 mile round trips, saves me on hills (though honestly once you’re fit it’s not a big deal anyway), helps me carry lots of goods, and since I’m usually going fast the wind cools me down (though a little spray bottle helps keep me cool when it’s really hot). I’m usually warm enough from enough from physical exertion that I don’t really need a heater (unless it’s so blisteringly cold that the fog of my breath turns to ice in my balaclava, but that’s way below freezing.)
The only thing that really stops me is ice. Any other weather I can handle, but when there’s ice my bike goes inside.
the_doktor@lemmy.zip 3 months ago
Oh bullshit. I couldn’t ride an ebike if my fucking life depended on it.
I don’t know what you anti-car fuckwits think “disabled” is, but it’s not what you think.
Perhapsjustsniffit@lemmy.ca 3 months ago
My only issue is the grocery store is a half an hour drive away by car because we live rural. We shop once a month for staples and stock a lot of things in bulk to avoid making multiple trips. Not everyone does or should live in a city.
latenightnoir@lemmy.world 3 months ago
Because they made a lot of mmmmoneyyyy for their producers.
x4740N@lemm.ee 3 months ago
Collisions can still kill or injure you badly if the other person is driving a car
Also if you accidentally hit someone at speed and their head cracks open on a hard surface they could die
So I’m not entirely sure about that claim
jnk@sh.itjust.works 3 months ago
1- The dangerous vehicle here is clearly the car, not the bike. You literally made a point in favor of bikes. Also next point would make this scenario basically imposible.
2- The claim was worded as “significantly less likely to kill or even injure”, which is factually correct, even with cars into the ecuation. If two cars collide at a high speed, there’s a lot more energy in the crash than if a car and a bike collide. I’ve had quite a few accidents with a bike, some of them including cars and pedestrians, only once I got actually injured on an arm.
Jolteon@lemmy.zip 3 months ago
With the average commute to work in the US being 16 mi one way, The average speed of riding a bicycle in the city being 15 mph, that makes the average commute to work just over an hour long (over 2x the 27 minutes it takes in a car). If you work in a job that requires you to be presentable, then you need to add another 15 minutes to take a quick shower and change (if your workplace even has such facilities).
Obviously, this changes with e-bikes, but there’s not really a practical difference between most modern e-bikes and an electric moped.
Trainguyrom@reddthat.com 3 months ago
That’s 16 miles number seemed odd to me so I did a little bit of digging and it looks like based on the 2 minutes of reading I did that number might be heavily skewed by residents of rural communities and super-commuters. Looks like people in urban areas have a shorter distance to commute which reduces the delta between car and bicycle travel time
This map seems to show that rural/urban devide pretty clearly and supports that, with many larger cities falling into that smallest <30 miles average daily travel category
BuboScandiacus@mander.xyz 3 months ago
Cold, rain etc… And moving heavy things (like heavy groceries)
Demonmariner@lemmy.world 3 months ago
Try this when you are in your 70’s and come back and we’ll chat. And bring a cure for my chronically poor balance on your way over.
png@discuss.tchncs.de 3 months ago
Many 70+ yr olds cannot or should not be driving cars either, because of eyesight/reflexes. Bicycles on the other hand, especially if conditioned throughout life, and later Trikes/Handbikes/Recumbents can be great options for many elders, and cycle infrastructure is perfectly usable for mobility scooters etc for those who really can’t or do not want to bike.
Krik@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 months ago
If the 70 year old has problems with keeping balance there are trikes too. And if the knees hurt get an e-bike or e-trike. 👍
BorgDrone@lemmy.one 3 months ago
Try this when you are in your 70’s and come back and we’ll chat.
70+ year olds cycle all the time here in the Netherlands. My parents included. Most use e-bikes nowadays.
And bring a cure for my chronically poor balance on your way over.
Here you go. Again super common among the elderly over here.
Demonmariner@lemmy.world 3 months ago
I have considered an e-bike. I believe I might be safe on one in some situations, but not as a daily driver. As mentioned, my balance is very poor. I can manage a stand up scooter for short distances. But the penalty for a fall at my age is far too high, and so anything on two wheels is really not going to be acceptable. Thanks for the thoughts though.
TimewornTraveler@lemm.ee 3 months ago
well that goes back to one of Anon’s last points: that if cities were designed around it, everyone would be fine with it. because in a city designed around cycling, there would be room for passenger cyclists just as there are passenger cars.
when you think about it, this rebuttle essentially comes down to the plain ole fact that humans have differences of ability. there’s nothing inherent to car-based society that offers disability support that we couldn’t provide with a cycling-based society.
AnimalsDream@slrpnk.net 3 months ago
Bikes are only cheap if you rarely use them, or are just starting out. Spend enough time on them and you will start looking at all the gear, components, and upgrades that can improve your quality of life. There is definitely a point where insurance becomes necessary, but luckily even bike insurance is much less expensive than auto insurance.
Krik@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 months ago
Commuters ride cheap bikes. The most expensive stuff is usually your clothes, they are like Star Trek tech today.
ArbitraryValue@sh.itjust.works 3 months ago
I know a couple of people my age (about 40) who really prefer not to drive, but it’s such a strange preference IRL that I suspect most people with it have just never experienced how much better it is to have a car and live somewhere where driving is convenient.
I know that sounds patronizing but I was a bikes/mass transit supporter myself when I was younger and it was 100% because I never learned how to drive and I didn’t know what I was missing.
dont_lemmee_down@lemm.ee 3 months ago
That’s fun. I was a driver kid and didn’t know what I was missing till I moved to a place with good bike/public transport infrastructure.
I suspect people who claim that they prefer to have a car never experienced how much better life quality is in a place without cars where cycling is convenient.
(The noise pollution alone is worth it!)
ArbitraryValue@sh.itjust.works 3 months ago
Where have you been that both has few drivers and is quiet? The much lower population density that is made possible by driving reduces noise much more than cars increase it.
TimewornTraveler@lemm.ee 3 months ago
I wouldn’t assume everyone who disagrees with you is naive just because you were naive in your past agreement with them. Really, going to bike friendly places with lots of busses, trains, sidewalks, paths, etc… it’s just very nice. Yes there are conveniences to cars, but the biggest convenience a car can ever offer is freedom from the inconveniences of not having a car in a car-based society.
Krik@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 months ago
I drove cars for years until I was fed up that I need more time to clear the windows of ice in the winter than the actual drive. That’s when I switched first to a moped, then to an e-scooter (the small one which you stand on) and then to an e-bike.
It’s such a difference to be out in the open. It’s fun.
I’ll never go back owning a car. They cost a lot more than my bike and I always feel stressed using them (driving = maintaining focus all the time, that is stress).
I now don’t need to go to a gym anymore. Cycling is enough to keep me fit.
rabber@lemmy.ca 3 months ago
God gave man vehicles
GaMEChld@lemmy.world 3 months ago
Human beings literally exhale CO2. This makes me curious what the actual carbon efficiency is when using a calorie to CO2 analysis factoring in the carbon footprint of the diet needed to fuel said travel.
Because IIRC carnivores are only 10% efficient, so this feels like a complicated problem. And then of course the carbon footprint of the manufacturing of various methods of transport and break even points over what periods of time.
BedSharkPal@lemmy.ca 3 months ago
This seems like something Chat Gippity might actually be of some value:
The CO₂ exhaled by a person riding a bike is tiny compared to a car’s emissions. Let’s break it down:
Human CO₂ Emissions from Biking
- A resting human exhales about 0.7 kg of CO₂ per day (~29 g per hour).
- Moderate cycling increases breathing rate, and a cyclist might exhale around 4x more CO₂ than at rest.
- This comes to ~116 g of CO₂ per hour.
- A cyclist at 20 km/h would emit ~5.8 g of CO₂ per km.
Car CO₂ Emissions
- The average gasoline car emits ~200-250 g of CO₂ per km.
- Even efficient cars emit over 100 g of CO₂ per km, which is still far more than a cyclist.
Comparison
- A cyclist exhales ~5.8 g CO₂ per km.
- A typical gasoline car emits ~200 g CO₂ per km.
- A cyclist produces ~30-40 times less CO₂ than a car per km.
Even when considering food production emissions for fueling the cyclist, biking is vastly cleaner than driving.
GaMEChld@lemmy.world 3 months ago
Good idea, thanks for that! I really need to do that more often. I do it sometimes, but still keep forgetting I have that handy. Took me a while to remember I had Google in my pocket when smart phones came out too.
frezik@midwest.social 3 months ago
This is an argument for ebikes, though not the strongest one, I think. The carbon output per mile traveled on an ebike is actually a bit lower than a regular bike because the food you eat has a carbon output. Yes, this includes charging the ebike from a coal power plant.
It does output more CO2 during initial manufacturing, though. Never does quite catch up with a regular bike over their expected lifetime. Both are better than cars and it’s not even close.
GaMEChld@lemmy.world 3 months ago
Interesting, I never knew that was an argument for ebikes, but as you say, if they never break even it’s a moot point. Unless… Perhaps having the ebikes promoted more cycling over driving, then perhaps it changes it enough.
Redex68@lemmy.world 3 months ago
You do need to take into account however that biking might reduce the need for other form of exercise which would counteract the increased emissions. But either way I’d bet that per km biking is vastly more efficient, as in orders of magnitude more efficient.
roguetrick@lemmy.world 3 months ago
The only important carbon part is the carbon used in transporting and growing the food in the form of fuel. We’re not releasing trapped carbon when we’re eating food as the only way we would save carbon in that situation is if we grew the food and buried it. Worrying about raw energy efficiency gets nonsensical because soon you’ll be factoring in the solar energy conversion efficiency between growing and eating plants vs growing and burying plants to turn them into oil.
The better point is just that a bicycle is an incredibly efficient machine for moving a person in terms of energy input to work done compared to the hunks of metal cars are.
GaMEChld@lemmy.world 3 months ago
Well the meat industry is a large source of emissions isn’t it? So if our meat consumption increased due to increased caloric intake, that should have a carbon impact right?
Tiefkuehlkost@feddit.org 3 months ago
“carbon footprint of the diet needed to fuel said travel”
This only works under the assumption that people would only eat as much as they need to, looking at the increasing overweight problems in developed countries this is clearly not the case, most people would have eaten that much annyway.
GaMEChld@lemmy.world 3 months ago
The reason I didn’t discount it entirely was I recently saw a Townsend’s episode on Pemmican and it discussed how the proliferation of that calorie dense food did literally fuel the manpower for entire industries whose productivity can be traced to Pemmican. But that’s old times and I’m sure diet no longer conforms to that reality.
missandry351@lemmings.world 3 months ago
Because people with disabilities and chronic illness exist, and because depending on the distance it’s not possible to go by bike and depending on the terrain it’s also no possible. Oh and the weather I forgot the weather… oh and in some roads, like highways, for example, these can’t even drive there:…
bathroomconnoisseur@lemmy.ca 3 months ago
Bikes aren’t the perfect transportation method for everyone all the time but they are a good option for most people most of the time. Also, I have a chronic illness and I ride year round in a place that regularly hits -40
Mud@sh.itjust.works 3 months ago
These are great arguments for one not to cycle for routine trips of daily life.
Good cyclist advocates don’t shame one for not cycling for everything. They know why people don’t do it. It’s because they feel like they’re gonna die! And they’re not totally wrong in feeling that way.
Good bike advocates lobby for better infrastructure to mitigate these concerns.
E.g. winter weather in particular is addressed just by keeping bike routes paved the same as car lanes. Places that do this see negligible drops in cycling rates even at below freezing temps.
GOOD bike infrastructure is always worth it. It always reduces car trips. Every mile one bikes or walks instead of drives is taxpayer money saved.
Car infrastructure is very limiting to people with disabilities, more so than cycling.
Lemjukes@lemm.ee 3 months ago
ITT: people who don’t understand how geography works.
IDKWhatUsernametoPutHereLolol@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 months ago
Green Mario’s most loyal companion
LH0ezVT@sh.itjust.works 3 months ago
The one downside is that a lot of people I know have had some nasty accidents and broke a bone or something. Sure, in cars you are also at the risk of kissing a tree at highway speed, but bike accidents feel a lot more common and have a lot less protective metal involved
empireOfLove2@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 months ago
Try riding a bicycle 105 kilometers to your parent’s house and see how that feels
rovingnothing29@lemmy.world 3 months ago
Unregulated? I got ticket for an unregistered bicycle in 2011.
stebo02@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 months ago
Unfortunately if you live in a city it will get stolen at least once a week and that gets pretty costly pretty quick
Matriks404@lemmy.world 3 months ago
They might be inexpensive where you live. I’ve paid half of my paycheck for my bicycle, and it’s not even that good.
Sheldan@programming.dev 3 months ago
Inb4 they just remove regulations so it becomes the vehicle of freedom
Treczoks@lemmy.world 3 months ago
“Just leave it anywhere there is a secure structure” - Yes, I see this regularly when I have to maneuver around bikes carelessly “parked” in the middle of the pedestrian walkway…
sudneo@lemm.ee 3 months ago
That is annoying indeed. It is usually the result of missing infrastructure (bike racks) though, which is way less expensive and consumes way less space that equivalent car parkings. There are also always assholes, but in Tallinn for example I love the bike racks I can open with my public transport card, I can’t imagine anybody leaving a bike in the middle of the street (having to tie it up) when you have a close, secure and convenient rack nearby.
Treczoks@lemmy.world 3 months ago
Well, here in the next city, there is the road, which is shared by bikes and cars, and the pedestrian walkways, which are already too small. Car parking is on the road, but this is becoming an issue as the mayoress declared a lot of roads to suddenly have bike lanes, basically removing car parking in many places.
While I am all for bike lanes, they should be planned and built in a sensible way, not just everywhere for political reasons. Just painting a stripe on the road does not provide the protection necessary for safe biking.
Bikes, and even worse scooters, are blocking pedestrian ways everywhere. When I walk there with my handicapped wife, it is a difficult parcour. With a zimmer frame or wheelchair you’ll need someone to clear the path or you’ll be stuck.
Trainguyrom@reddthat.com 3 months ago
Usually that means the venue hasn’t provided bike racks when they really need to. There’s a convenience store near me which has no bike rack so I end up locking my bike to the firewood rack as the only reasonably secure spot to lock it
Treczoks@lemmy.world 3 months ago
There is no space for a bike rack. The pedestrian path is on average about as wide as a wheelchair to start with. Where would you put a bike rack then?