Math demands safe bike networks along with the roads.
But such networks can only be used by a minority, those who have bikes.
The 2020s are different. Because, in the e-transport revolution. e-bikes are just the tip of the spear. (This is a new freeway interchante in Atlanta the state of Georgia is very proud of.)
There’s a lot of confusion around the Dutch example, because they use bikes most Americans don’t understand. The Dutch bike, with its slow speeds and upright riding position, are not like American bicycles, or even like American e-bikes. Those are built on a mountain bike base that puts the rider’s weight on their hands, legs and feet, not just their backsides.
The New York Times is just being stupid here. Also, many Dutch riders do wear helmets. People on road bikes here wear helmets. Older riders wear helmets. There’s an active campaign to get kids to wear helmets. (I found this bike parking lot on Glenwood Avenue in Atlanta last year during the city’s “Streets Alive” event.)
The whole helmet issue is a distraction from the rise of fast fat-tired “Class 3” e-bikes. They’re popular with teens, and they’re becoming popular with adults.
These bikes can be dangerous, but they’re inevitable in spread out cities like Atlanta.. Fat tire bikes can go 28 mph (45 kph) with minimal effort. With motorcycle-type seats, they’re comfortable. They can be made to haul loads just like regular e-bikes.
Fat tire bikes are a potential godsend in cities like Atlanta. Their range is limited, but they’re fast enough to at least be seen by car drivers. If riders wear helmets, and take safety courses, this can work.
That’s my point in talking about an e-transport revolution, moving away from gasoline and toward more flexible solutions using electricity. It’s not complete yet. Gas powered motorcycles still have much greater range, and greater speed, than electric equivalents. But this will change, and very soon.
Dutch Lessons
The Dutch have much to teach American cities about handling the e-transport revolution. (The picture shows Amsterdam in 1970.)
E-transport means there’s no need to fear dense development, assuming infrastructure can segregate traffic based on speed. It’s already impossible for a car to drive faster than 20 mph in many parts of Atlanta. In those areas, that should be the speed limit. Elsewhere, cars and other forms of e-transport need their own lanes that can get them where they wish to go.
Pedestrians must have the right of way, always. People come first. Bikes and e-bikes can come second and require their own lanes of asphalt, clearly marked. In areas where a 20 mph (30 kph) speed limit exists in fact, just re-line the road to emphasize that cars are guests and minimize on-street parking. Problem solved.
Cars don’t need one more lane. Outside central cities, transfer slower traffic to safe, flexible biking infrastructure, offering the space and priority needed to take road share from cars.
You can commute to work on an e-bike. You can do your shopping on an e-bike. Yes, you can go to Costco and back with an e-bike. On my visit to the Netherlands, I have seen e-trikes, even e-wheelchairs, and e-vans for delivery drivers. The e-transport revolution isn’t ableist. Just the opposite.
The E-Transport Future
The e-transport revolution includes electric cars and offers a lot to our children and grandchildren. (The “Amsterdam Walk” proposal was accepted by Atlanta City Council yesterday.)
We can joke about Elon Musk all we want, but self-driving cars are self-summoned cars. They can be sized to the load and can act more like taxis than property. An e-transport world is one where the disabled can get around the neighborhood, where kids can get to school safely, and where bikers can get their workout without a gym.
We know e-transport creates a healthier society. It also creats a quieter society, because e-transport is quiet. We know it’s a society with less pollution. Without the $12,000/year expense (and rising) of car ownership, it’s also a wealthier society.
Think again of the Vanderbilts. The original Grand Central Depot was a European train station, built at ground level, with a dozen lanes of tracks converging up the east side of New York. By electrifying the trains, the Vanderbilts were able to cover the tracks, and created Park Avenue. (This is what Grand Central Depot looked like before the tracks were buried.)
With e-transport, Park Avenue can be anywhere. Imagine if gas-powered vehicles are banned south of 60th Street, where congestion charges were just put in. Imagine if the roads there became a vast viaduct, again like Park Avenue , Or imagine Atlanta’s “Stitch” project able to run all the way from I-20 to the I-75 and I-85 split.
It’s all possible once we accept the e-transport revolution.
