Submitted by Maxcactus t3_zzqvf5 in washingtondc
mart_nargy t1_j2dw0x6 wrote
It needs more frequent, versatile, and reliable public transportation. Something we can all use. We aren’t biking our way out of this problem.
Suburbs-suck t1_j2eeekb wrote
I don’t think there is a single person who is in favor more biking infrastructure, who isn’t also in favor of better public transportation.
The two go hand in hand.
mart_nargy t1_j2efuyx wrote
Let’s do the first thing, and if there’s money left over, we can talk about the second, much-less-important-to-society thing
Suburbs-suck t1_j2egmxo wrote
I can teach you to ride a bike, there’s no need to be embarrassed.
mart_nargy t1_j2egtjw wrote
Bikes are cool. Bike people are the worst.
sl8rfan2 t1_j2ekysj wrote
Broad sweeping generalizations are idiotic.
NoGovernment8587 t1_j2ed7cy wrote
Porque No los Dos?
mart_nargy t1_j2edn3j wrote
Things cost money. Priority goes to helping everyone, not just the able bodied mostly white people clamoring for bike lanes.
Suburbs-suck t1_j2eeh0x wrote
This is just concern trolling.
mart_nargy t1_j2efpvn wrote
I dunno man, white people do a great job of making everything about them
Suburbs-suck t1_j2eg499 wrote
I’m not white you troll.
mart_nargy t1_j2egkvb wrote
Well I am, and let me tell you, we do a great job of it. The bike people especially.
Suburbs-suck t1_j2egwma wrote
You didn’t need to tell me that. Literally 100% of the people who concern troll about white people are white lol.
Racial minorities tend to have actual things to be concerned about.
mart_nargy t1_j2ehdu3 wrote
Deflect all you want, but there’s no denying that bike lanes are going to be used by able bodied folk, mostly white, and only during warm weather. I mean, is this really what we need to focus our spending on?
Suburbs-suck t1_j2ehzx8 wrote
Better biking infrastructure benefits everyone, including people who don’t bike and the public transportation that you purport to care about.
This is something that places like the Netherlands have figured out.
Not so fun fact: black and Hispanic cyclists have close to a 30% higher fatality rate than white cyclists, in part because of people refusing to invest in better bike infrastructure.
xanadumuse t1_j2fil6i wrote
Cars cost money. There used to be a time( and probably still are places) where African Americans biked everywhere. Why aren’t they now ? Probably infrastructure and I’m going to go out on a limb and say the stigma attached to not having a car. Having a car similar to other countries is a status symbol- kind of like eating meat. I also just think car culture will always be dominant in the states. It’s sad - biking is cheaper, better for your health and better for the environment.
Yithar t1_j2ef2hu wrote
It really isn't an either/or between say, dedicated bus lanes and bike lanes. Bike lanes just tend to be a lot cheaper than dedicated bus lanes which is why you see more effort towards them.
> Bike lanes cost next to nothing to implement compared to any other type of transit, so not really. Even a BRT lane on an existing road would cost considerably more per mile than a bike lane. The problem is, car centric transit eats up the vast, vast majority of most city’s transit budget.
mart_nargy t1_j2egax2 wrote
Yeah, you can always do two things at once. The question is, what should we be spending our limited resources on, and who is it benefiting?
Yithar t1_j2eh9gh wrote
Well, my other point was that it's expensive to construct dedicated bus lanes versus bike lanes. If you don't have the money to do one thing, then it becomes a no brainer to do the other thing, even if it's not as helpful.
mart_nargy t1_j2ehte1 wrote
Unless they cost zero dollars, I can think of any number of social services that could use that money instead. To say nothing of the fact that not everyone can use a bike lane (need to be able bodied and afford a bike), so it’s really a benefit to the bike crowd, which is mostly white.
sl8rfan2 t1_j2el80a wrote
Have you been in the city? the VAST majority of people I see using bikes are people of color. You've created this picture in your mind of entitled white people in spandex biking for fun...do you know that many people can't afford cars and use bikes as a primary means of transportation? Get out more.
mart_nargy t1_j2elrzd wrote
Lol, it’d be one thing if you said “there are more POC cyclists than you think,” or “the color of rider depends on the part of the city.” But you went straight to the all-caps VAST. You’re a brave one.
Yithar t1_j2eivli wrote
Well, I'm pretty sure the money that's allocated to DDOT isn't available for use by other agencies. Now maybe you could argue the allocation should be changed but as it is that's how it is.
mart_nargy t1_j2ejeo2 wrote
I’m not an expert (not a joke, I’m just guessing here, so could be wrong) but I think the allocations are made in part based on current or future projects. So if there aren’t bike lane projects on the docket, that reduces the appropriation, and frees up money to be sent elsewhere.
StrangeOldHermit77 t1_j2fbkjj wrote
You’re really poking the hornets nest with this one. Bike fanatics don’t like having their hobby questioned.
mart_nargy t1_j2fbzt1 wrote
I actually don’t mind bikes and wouldn’t mind a city that was more bike-friendly. I just think we need to address at least a dozen or so more critical problems before we accommodate their wishes.
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