Originally Posted by
welshTerrier2
We're only kidding ourselves if we truly believe that cycling as it exists today is going to have a major impact on climate change. Sure, we might encourage more people to ride. Sure, we might see a small percentage of commuters stop driving to work.
Sure, we might get a few more bike lanes or even protected bike lanes. Sure, we might build a few more off-road bike paths and even network them together. It's all good. It's also inadequate. As the saying goes, you can't get there from here….
Is it really possible that cycling could reduce auto miles by 50 percent or maybe even more?
Wishing and hoping and making the kinds of changes most cycling advocates are pushing for, although worthwhile, will never get the job done. These efforts, to be sure, can clearly make cycling safer and more enjoyable for those who do ride today. But, to effect the radical changes we need, no way!...
Of course, "separation" is easier said than done. Many roadways are already too narrow to build in meaningful separation. On many roads, there really isn't even room for bike lanes….
Originally Posted by
salcedo
Those proposals sound great, but you need to find the political will to implement them.
The global political situation is highly polarized between the right and the left, and this manifests in most aspects of life, including cycling. Cycling is mostly associated with the left. Getting massive city transformations without at least some support from the right is an uphill battle. The reason why I am saying this is because of how you started your post
God luck convincing the typical conservative that he should spend tax payer money to remove car lanes in order to avoid climate change. Luckily, cycling has much more benefits other than fighting climate change
- Reducing traffic. The average car speed in Manhattan is down to around 8mph. Amsterdam is the city with the slowest average speed for cyclists, around 9.3mph. ...
More importantly, cycling can make roads faster for all road users, including drivers. The bike lanes in NYC actually sped up traffic instead of slowing it down (this is not the case with all bike lanes worldwide in the short run)...
What is not to like? Cycling infrastructure should not be a cyclists vs drivers battle, nor a left vs right competition. Most liberals I know already like the idea of building cycling infrastructure. The question is how to get conservatives to support the idea. And it should be possible, because the idea can benefit all....
From a daily reading of the Politics and Religion Forum, it certainly does seem that the large majority of self-selected subscribers that I recognize from the cycling forums have leftward political views.
Just yesterday, I was listening to a right-leaning popular Boston Talk Show, The Howie Carr Show, who is also a columnist for the right-leaning Boston Herald newspaper. The topic was an article in the Sunday Herald, "Boston has the ‘worst traffic in the country’ ... How would you fix it?."
I could not open the comments section, but
according to Howie, many suggestions were to eliminate the bicycle lanes. 
https://howiecarrshow.com/2018/06/13...-13-18-hour-4/
Originally Posted by
Jim from Boston
Boston…Jim from Boston. D’uh.
Actually, besides the simplicity and utility of that screen name, it has a deeper meaning. I’m an avid radio talk show fan, and when I (rarely) call in, I’m introduced as Jim from Boston (…”and now here’s Jim from Boston. What’s up Jim"?)
.
Last edited by Jim from Boston; 06-16-18 at 07:11 PM.