It’s really dangerous to ride a bike on the roads in my 3rd world city even walking is dangerous due to bike lanes basically being ignored, motorcycles weaving around traffic, and poor nighttime lighting.

I just thought that dedicated bike/walking only roads connecting the major parts of my city would be a big boost for safety and I think it would greatly reduce the amount of people using cars.

Has this been tried somewhere else? Was it successful?

  • Scipitie@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
    18·
    3 days ago

    Oh boy, strap in, you’re entering a world full of glory but also sadness because it’s not your reality :(

    The short: yes and it’s even wide spread in some countries. Even in car obsessed Germany it’s usual to have either separate bike lanes or walking/biking only areas. Not wide spread or where we need it from my point of view but it does exist.

    And then there’s Amsterdam. The only place I’m aware of the has a dedicated Wikipedia page(!) just about it’s cycling infrastructure:

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cycling_in_Amsterdam

    But this is not only a western thing. From what I’ve read and heard Singapore for example has an amazing infrastructure for waling and biking as well.

    • Humanius@lemmy.worldEnglish
      6·
      3 days ago

      As a Dutchman, Amsterdam is fine but it is not the prime example of how to build cycling infrastructure. It’s quite busy and hectic, and there are many places around the country that simply do it better.

      Groningen is usually the main example used for a great city to cycle in, and Houten is a good example of suburbia that prioritizes cycling.

      I live in Eindhoven, and I’d even argue that cycling here is less hectic and stressful than cycling in Amsterdam (though Eindhoven is historically one of the more car-brained cities in the Netherlands)

      Edit: Worth noting that Amsterdam isn’t bad. It’s probably still better than most cities around the world in terms of cycling infrastructure.

      • huppakee@piefed.socialEnglish
        2·
        3 days ago

        Amsterdam is quite ok really, except for the crowded city center because there is barely any space between the buildings. This leads to the same chaos as big cities in developing countries (everybody is everywhere).

        They try a lot harder then Eindhoven, which is a shame because Eindhoven actually is roomy enough for dedicated space for everyone.

        Shout out to Not Just Bikes, he has tons of video footage on cycling in the Netherlands.