Quote:
Originally Posted by rousseau
Again, this is literally not a problem. The idea that anywhere in Canada might possibly somehow have too many bike lanes is utter, ridiculous nonsense. The only place that comes close to having anywhere near enough is Montreal (and maybe Vancouver, from what I've seen and heard).
We're nowhere near having substantial bike lane networks that actually make sense and are integral so that you can safely ride to various points in a city. They are still mostly schizophrenic dribs and drabs, starting here and ending there in willy-nilly fashion.
Yes, when done right bike lanes are masterpieces. We need more bike lanes done right. More importantly, we need more bike lanes period.
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In Copenhagen, every street, or 90% at the very least, has a grade-separated bike line separated from traffic by parking. It's amazing. It's tremendous. It's just what 'building a street' means here; it's as uncontroversial as a sidewalk.
It's really, really good, and over half of Copenhageners commute by bike. I didn't realise how used to it I had gotten until I used Bixi in Montreal recently, where streets like Maisonneuve come correct but ones like St-Urbain have lanes that are a matter of mere paint. I might be getting soft but Parc Avenue felt like cycling down the Metropolitan next to commuting here.
This was a specific policy choice, by the way. Until the '80s, Copenhagen was as car-friendly as any conventional capital; Strøget was an artery (and not pedestrianised), and cycling infrastructure was patchy.
1960s Strøget and Nytorv:
Now:
These things are choices. They do not occur just because that's how it is here; people conceived them, argued for them, and pushed them through. It's not a passive thing.