The New York Times published a pair of articles this weekend highlighting the rising number of deaths of cyclists riding electric bikes. However, in one of the most impressive feats of victim-blaming I’ve seen from the publication in some time, the NYT lays the onus on e-bikes instead of on the things killing their law abiding riders: cars.
I’m not going to go all in and blame cars either. The problem is infrastructure. Change will come when enough people riding bikes vote. It’s like how smoking bans were a referendum on whether you smoke. Bike infrastructure is a referendum on whether you ride a bike.
so basically America is never getting bike infrastructure
maybe when they stop electing retirement age people
So like he said - never.
Sad, but possibly accurate. Here’s hoping some cities can do enough to get a critical mass of folks making a change.
The headline is a bit sensational but the main point of the article is it’s absurd to blame the bike/biker and that the main issue is the infrastructure. The last section is all about how safe infrastructure is better for everyone, drivers included.
I’d say it’s not just bikers who need to vote. We should all want better infrastructure that saves lives.
@cantstopthesignal @bumble does that work for people walking? If enough people walk in New York then they’ll get walking infrastructure? Or does it only work for car drivers?
A city is considered to have banned cars if there are any areas anywhere that pedestrians can walk without having to be hyper-vigilant against them, or if cars have less than 90% of public space dedicated to them.