Quote:
Originally Posted by WilsonFourTwo
Interestingly though, I would challenge the 99.9% numbers (which I realize wasn't intended as scientific). The building I work in has ~300 bicycles in the lock-up each day (not counting those who lock up outside and/or elsewhere). For a building with ~30 stories and a couple thousand people in it, that's gotta be in that 10-20% range.
People don't seem to realize just how many cyclists are on the road each day. Probably because they use a 10th of the space and (in the core) move twice as fast.
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I'll often hear from people that say they watch the bike paths during the work day and they are always empty. I get that it's a hyperbole by them, but it would make sense that they have less people in them during the work hours. Cyclists pedal to work, and instead of riding around in bike lanes, are actually working. It's the same as the drivers, where there are more cars on the road right before and right after work hours, than there are during the day. There are also less cars on the road between midnight and 6 am, as many of those same people are sleeping.
Instead of those people complaining about an empty bike lane, why wouldn't they think to themselves that there is a bike lane that I could use, go faster than cars, get a workout in, and have it all to myself? I get it doesn't work for everyone, but people wanted a faster commute, they should try convincing everyone else to bike to work, and getting cars off the road. If cities don't make cycling safe to work, there are cyclist, like myself, that would drive. These are more cars on the road that would be creating more traffic for the drivers who are already complaining about traffic. In the bike cages I go to, they are often full (100 ish bikes) and in the summer there is overflow. There are cyclists, even if drivers don't always see them