Quote:
Originally Posted by squiggs96
Let me recap this thread:
habernac stated more than 1,000 cyclists commute year round.
THE SCUD stated it's ridculous that Calgary build bike lanes to accomodate 1,000 people.
My argument was that these 1,000 people would have to drive if they weren't biking. That would add 1,000 cars to the road, commute, drive time and parking.
afc wimbledon said people will ride whether there are bike lanes or not. I am saying if you give people bike lanes where they feel safe, more people will bike. username appears to be one of these people.
bizaro86, you are saying that it is ridiculous that if more people bike into work, that it could lower the commute time for drivers. How is it ridiculous? By taking drivers and putting them on bikes, you are reducing the amount of cars. With less cars on the road the commute time is quicker. It is faster to drive downtown at midnight than at 8am. Although the difference would not be that severe, it is the same idea. I'm not saying 50% of the drivers will switch to cycling. I am saying that if you give people better options to bike to work, more people will use them. With a city population that continues to grow, the city itself needs to find more ways to get these people into downtown. By creating bike lanes they are helping to reduce commute times and lowering the effect on the environment. The change won't be seen overnight, but it should be seen.
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If more people bike, that takes cars off the road, speeding up commutes. If you cut the capacity of a road (by ~50%!) you slow down commutes. The part I called BS on was the statement this would speed up commutes. If you increase the time spent on a section by 50%, and then decrease it 10%, that's still a net increase.
I'm all in favour of more bike paths. But taking 50% of the capacity of one of the main routes from the north into downtown to do it is a bad idea, IMO.
An extra bike lane would reduce commute times. A bike lane that displaces a car lane doesn't, especially in a city where the vast majority of people will not commute by bike a significant portion of the year.