Why aren't there CHEAP & RELIABLE e-bikes in North America?
- Thread starter Timpo
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Bruce Arnold
Well-Known Member
On a video I watched recently about the Netherlands, an American being interviewed made a good point. The Dutch have designed their system around moving people safely and reliably from Point A to Point B. America has designed its system around moving cars and trucks from point A to Point B.
We will not solve our transportation problems -- and lord knows we have 'em - until we figure out that we are trying to move people, not machines. Members of the bike culture are right to the extent that bikes can be great people movers. We are wrong if we see them as "the solution", because that is once again focusing on machines rather than people.
That being said, I'm sure most of us on this forum would support whatever works most humanely, sustainably, and efficiently.
We will not solve our transportation problems -- and lord knows we have 'em - until we figure out that we are trying to move people, not machines. Members of the bike culture are right to the extent that bikes can be great people movers. We are wrong if we see them as "the solution", because that is once again focusing on machines rather than people.
That being said, I'm sure most of us on this forum would support whatever works most humanely, sustainably, and efficiently.
Mr. Coffee
Well-Known Member
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- A Demented Corner of the North Cascades
One thing that is very different about the Netherlands as opposed to there United States is that the Netherlands are very flat. Very very flat. Some American cities in very flat places (e.g. Omaha) have more hills. Probably the only state of comparable flatness is Florida (but given likely sea-level rise scenarios we won't have a Florida for long).
The other thing is that the Netherlands has a very mild climate. It rarely snows very much and while it is rainy it doesn't get either excessively hot or cold. If you want to commute via bicycle in the summer in Tucson or the winter in Minneapolis you need to be made of tougher stuff.
My point is that even if we magically rebuilt our infrastructure to support cycling (and I think that is an excellent idea) it isn't a guarantee that we'd have the same bike culture that the Netherlands has.
The other thing is that the Netherlands has a very mild climate. It rarely snows very much and while it is rainy it doesn't get either excessively hot or cold. If you want to commute via bicycle in the summer in Tucson or the winter in Minneapolis you need to be made of tougher stuff.
My point is that even if we magically rebuilt our infrastructure to support cycling (and I think that is an excellent idea) it isn't a guarantee that we'd have the same bike culture that the Netherlands has.
Nova Haibike
Well-Known Member
I just read an article (about velomobiles). In it is states, "Few people find the bicycle useful for distances longer than 5 km (3 miles). In the USA, for instance, 85 % of bicycle trips involve a trip of less than 5 km. Even in the Netherlands, the most bicycle-friendly country in the western world, 77 % of bike trips are less than 5 km. Only 1 % of Dutch bicycle trips are more than 15 km (9 miles). In contrast, the average car trip amounts to 15.5 km in the USA and 16.5 km in the Netherlands, with the average trip to work being 19.5 km in the USA and 22 km in the Netherlands."
Electric Velomobiles: as Fast and Comfortable as Automobiles, but 80 times more Efficient
Electric Velomobiles: as Fast and Comfortable as Automobiles, but 80 times more Efficient
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