|
yesterday I visited a town I used to spend a lot of time in years ago. it was barely recognisable. the bridge over the railway is narrow, and pedestrians were crowded on the narrow pavement next to a line of queuing cars. Now it has been closed to vehicles so it's actually nice to walk over. great! the main road still has traffic but it's been block paved with loads of raised pedestrian crossings. loads better. All the back streets around the market have been tarted up too. this is how I remember this street:  and this is how it looks now:  the whole place was buzzing, everywhere was busy despite being a weekday. I stayed and spent money on food and drink which I wasn't planning on. I left in a really good mood. every town needs to get this treatment.
|
#
?
Sep 2, 2023 14:26
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 26, 2024 05:18 |
|
|
Ash Crimson posted:*Guile voice* CHRONIC GOON
|
|
#
?
Sep 2, 2023 15:11
|
|
|
Not to be outdone, New Yorkers also submitted requests for 55 groups that should under no circumstances be granted exemptions from the toll, including bicyclists https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/02/opinion/were-taking-new-york-citys-streets-back-and-then-were-coming-for-the-rest-of-the-country.html lol congestion bike tax
|
|
#
?
Sep 2, 2023 15:52
|
|
|
hoping swimmers across the river are one of the 55
|
|
#
?
Sep 2, 2023 16:22
|
|
|
Zokari posted:how do you do 700 pages about hating cars 
|
|
#
?
Sep 2, 2023 16:36
|
|
|
i hate cars: 6x6 military edition
|
|
#
?
Sep 2, 2023 16:39
|
|
|
the vengeance looks copied from red faction 3
|
|
#
?
Sep 2, 2023 16:41
|
|
|
Walking to the bus and see a car in the bus lane in a goddamn one-way street going the wrong direction. I got in front of them and forced them to turn around. They were very upset with me. loving psychotic.
|
|
#
?
Sep 2, 2023 17:02
|
|
|
That's a big moral dilemma. On the one hand you'd be justified smashing the car, on the other hand, getting it towed away would take a long time and obstruct even further.
|
|
#
?
Sep 2, 2023 17:50
|
|
|
Horace posted:yesterday I visited a town I used to spend a lot of time in years ago. it was barely recognisable. that first picture is way better than the average in the states lol
|
|
#
?
Sep 2, 2023 17:53
|
|
|
Ham Equity posted:Walking to the bus and see a car in the bus lane in a goddamn one-way street going the wrong direction. I’m glad they yielded but I would advise not getting in front of the murder machine no matter how right you are.
|
|
#
?
Sep 2, 2023 18:14
|
|
|
I'm glad you stopped to help out; Those poor businesses, not even a single customer parking spot 
|
|
#
?
Sep 2, 2023 18:27
|
|
|
Milo and POTUS posted:that first picture is way better than the average in the states lol you would think the British would appreciate roads that are wide enough to play football on
|
|
#
?
Sep 2, 2023 18:51
|
|
|
day 2 of bike ownership. it still owns. went on a short ride to scout out a good way to get to Aldi. I was able to keep an average speed of 10mph which isn't too bad I don't think although I'm still terribly out of shape but riding frequently will fix that. hopefully it cools down soon because I'm definitely not used to riding in 90 degree heat. do people buy mirrors for bikes, I felt naked without being able to see behind me without turning my head
|
|
#
?
Sep 2, 2023 19:24
|
|
|
Visiting my sister in Vancouver, went a long walk, then hopped on a bike share to ride home. The bike was pretty crap, but the ride was excellent
|
|
#
?
Sep 2, 2023 19:31
|
|
Yes, it's like a lava lamp.
|
spacemang_spliff posted:day 2 of bike ownership. it still owns. went on a short ride to scout out a good way to get to Aldi. I was able to keep an average speed of 10mph which isn't too bad I don't think although I'm still terribly out of shape but riding frequently will fix that. hopefully it cools down soon because I'm definitely not used to riding in 90 degree heat. get a cool helmet mirror
|
|
#
?
Sep 2, 2023 19:32
|
|
|
Helmet mirror is a sign of class.
|
|
#
?
Sep 2, 2023 19:32
|
|
|
so I spent 15 dollars and look rich now? that owns
|
|
#
?
Sep 2, 2023 19:33
|
|
|
maybe cars will stop swerving at me if they know I'm rich
|
|
#
?
Sep 2, 2023 19:33
|
|
|
Second Hand Meat Mouth posted:maybe cars will stop swerving at me if they know I'm rich
|
|
#
?
Sep 2, 2023 19:34
|
|
|
Narrator: They won’t.
|
|
#
?
Sep 2, 2023 19:36
|
|
|
spacemang_spliff posted:do people buy mirrors for bikes, I felt naked without being able to see behind me without turning my head Second Hand Meat Mouth posted:maybe cars will stop swerving at me if they know I'm rich
|
|
#
?
Sep 2, 2023 19:48
|
|
|
wanting to see behind you is car-brained, please abolish the driver in your mind
|
|
#
?
Sep 2, 2023 19:51
|
|
|
Horace posted:
|
|
#
?
Sep 2, 2023 19:54
|
|
|
Second Hand Meat Mouth posted:wanting to see behind you is car-brained, please abolish the driver in your mind what if im rollerskating backwards what if im riding fixie backwards
|
|
#
?
Sep 2, 2023 20:42
|
|
|
spacemang_spliff posted:day 2 of bike ownership. it still owns. went on a short ride to scout out a good way to get to Aldi. I was able to keep an average speed of 10mph which isn't too bad I don't think although I'm still terribly out of shape but riding frequently will fix that. hopefully it cools down soon because I'm definitely not used to riding in 90 degree heat. Hell yeah, 10 mph is definitely not bad for a start, especially if it's in an urban or suburban area with lots of stopping. IMO mirrors are nice but not essential, since as a bike you're not doing a lot of merging and being outside of a vehicle it's pretty easy to hear cars coming up from behind you. I'd put lights and a rear rack above a mirror as essentials. Also, it's probably a placebo but about six months ago I installed an empty Gopro case mount on my helmet and I feel like drivers have been less aggressive around me since then. It won't stop anybody who's plumb not paying attention, but it might stop somebody messing with you on purpose.
|
|
#
?
Sep 2, 2023 21:04
|
|
|
Rochallor posted:about six months ago I installed an empty Gopro case mount on my helmet and I feel like drivers have been less aggressive around me since then. It won't stop anybody who's plumb not paying attention, but it might stop somebody messing with you on purpose.
|
|
#
?
Sep 2, 2023 22:14
|
|
|
I used to have a side mirror on the left side of the handlebars of my old bike, but I've just gotten better at shoulder-checking all the time Agree that front and rear lights are more important
|
|
#
?
Sep 2, 2023 22:19
|
|
|
Rochallor posted:Slight derail but the story of Narita Airport is wild, here's an excerpt from the book Dissenting Japan: lol that's badass, crawling through the sewers Splinter Cell-style
|
|
#
?
Sep 2, 2023 22:20
|
|
|
spacemang_spliff posted:I was able to keep an average speed of 10mph which isn't too bad I don't think although I'm still terribly out of shape but riding frequently will fix that. Yeah ten miles per hour is fine for a start, and you’ll see big stamina gains in days and weeks. spacemang_spliff posted:do people buy mirrors for bikes, I felt naked without being able to see behind me without turning my head They do. Radar and cameras are expensive modern alternatives.
|
|
#
?
Sep 2, 2023 22:29
|
|
|
I have a Mirrycle side mirror. It doesn't really live up to its name, as it now comes loose after every 3-4 adjustments and needs one of the less common hex wrench sizes to tighten. The Garmin Varia radar taillights are useful and go on sale occasionally. The included mount kinda sucks and 3rd party options aren't great. There's an even more expensive model with a camera and probably even worse battery life.
|
|
#
?
Sep 2, 2023 23:00
|
|
|
Helmet mirrors > handlebar mirrors Handlebar mirrors are easy to attach sure, but they are actually pretty loving difficult to see anything through and they are the first thing to get smashed when the bike falls over. Handlebar mirrors and cable locks should gently caress off and die
|
|
#
?
Sep 2, 2023 23:20
|
|
|
front and rear disc brakes and a mirrored helmet are probably the biggest safety factors regarding the bicycle itself imo there's a lot of potential for bicycle car-alert system that recognizes them acoustically, you could have transducers between the wheel & tire that pick up ground vibration and tell you if something's approaching from behind/sides and at what speed, it wouldn't be easy to make super accurate but something that tells you if an SUV is ripping towards you from behind wouldn't be hard if someone steals my idea give me money
|
|
#
?
Sep 2, 2023 23:30
|
|
|
FirstnameLastname posted:
am I being whooshed lol
|
|
#
?
Sep 2, 2023 23:43
|
|
|
In case you're ambushed by the brave Mujahideen fighters of Afghanistan in the Costco parking lot.
|
|
#
?
Sep 3, 2023 00:04
|
|
|
but are they lentil proof?
|
|
#
?
Sep 3, 2023 00:09
|
|
|
PittTheElder posted:Visiting my sister in Vancouver, went a long walk, then hopped on a bike share to ride home. The bike was pretty crap, but the ride was excellent The Vancouver bikeshare bikes are unbelievably bad, and are basically unrideable if you're over 5'10"
|
|
#
?
Sep 3, 2023 00:20
|
|
|
Magic Hate Ball posted:The Vancouver bikeshare bikes are unbelievably bad, and are basically unrideable if you're over 5'10" sounds fair, those guys need a win
|
|
#
?
Sep 3, 2023 00:31
|
|
|
re: existential urban planning ennui, activists in Toronto have spent decades lobbying to expand the once-pathetic bike lane network. There's now a 15km stretch of protected (ish) bike lanes on the main E-W street (Bloor), a shorter stretch N-S (Yonge) - both on top of subway lines - and many more unprotected lanes, mostly downtown. Of course shitheads are hard at work trying to get them removed but they're mostly failing. If anything makes me vaguely optimistic it's that northern climates mean roads go to poo poo fairly quickly and need to be replaced, and there now seems to be a critical mass of woke millennial bureaucrats trying to get streets redesigned to modern standards. They proposed for a more major suburban road (that also has a fiasco of a subway line, but that's another story) to get rebuilt like this:  ... and another one getting an equally-shambolic (but necessary) underground light rail line like so:  The slightly funny part is the above lanes already have a short stretch actually built, and an ostensibly progressive city councillor who failed miserably in a bid to become mayor complained about that: quote:What is bothering Matlow, he says, is that it seems as though the city is consulting and garnering input from the public on something that is already partially built. lol. gently caress you and gently caress your street parking. Incidentally, here's what part of the already-built stretch looks like:  The big station on the right is for the subway line that crosses under the street and the smaller, glassier station further back on the same side of the street is for the aforementioned LRT, also underground but parallel to the street.
|
|
#
?
Sep 3, 2023 01:00
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 26, 2024 05:18 |
|
|
Magic Hate Ball posted:The Vancouver bikeshare bikes are unbelievably bad, and are basically unrideable if you're over 5'10" I am, and yup. Still wish my city had bike share.
|
|
#
?
Sep 3, 2023 04:55
|
|