Amy_Ponder t1_iu1nyw6 wrote on October 27, 2022 at 9:58 PM

Reply to comment by Coomb in New protected parking on Cambridge St? by wegry

That's why you've also got to make alternate methods of transportation-- walking, biking, and public transit-- as attractive as public transit, so people will still chose to forgo driving even when there isn't much traffic on the road for other reasons. Maybe it's cheaper, or faster, or you don't have to worry about finding parking at your destination, or you simply don't have to deal with the mental stress of driving itself, or some combination of all those factors.

It is possible to do-- as risk of sounding like one of those obnoxious Euroboos who've convinced themselves everything is perfect over there, many European cities really have figured out how to almost completely get cars out of their downtown areas without having to explicitly ban them. No reason we can't do the same over here.

ClarkFable t1_iu2vegh wrote on October 28, 2022 at 3:34 AM

There isn’t a major city in Europe that has the same winter lows, winter precipitation, and wind as Cambridge and has a higher bike commute percentage. It’s just not practical year round.

Amy_Ponder t1_iu43m7a wrote on October 28, 2022 at 12:27 PM

I bike year-round in Boston. Wear a ski helmet with goggles, ski gloves, and wool socks, and winter biking is just as pleasant as biking any other season.

Only scary part is it getting dark so early, which means you're biking in the dark more often, which means your odds of getting hit by a car go up. And better bike infrastructure and less cars on the street would vastly improve that situation.