On Friday, 21 April 2017 at 13:37:17 UTC, Steven Schveighoffer
wrote:
After the bike tour I had last year, I can 100% agree that
having a bike is a fabulous way to get around the city quickly.
You can ride the subway with your bike (although IIRC, you need
to buy a ticket for it), but the thing that makes Berlin so
accessible via bike is that it's totally flat. Those 10 minute
walks become 1 minute rides, and it's a very bike-friendly
city. I mused while riding around that the tour would be nearly
impossible, or at least a huge workout if we did something like
that in Boston :)
I don't know about Boston, but I've heard many times that Lisbon
was too hilly to ride a bike there, but in reality it wasn't all
that bad (well, maybe on the hottest summer days), and in recent
years the city council has been investing in dedicated
infrastructure to improve it. I guess people will always find
excuses. :)
Warsaw, where I live now, is almost just as flat as Berlin and
quite pleasant to ride around, especially in spring and summer (I
rarely choose the shortest way home), but it's not as
bike-friendly yet for other reasons. Cities like Berlin are a
live explanation of the term "critical mass" – there's just
enough people on bikes so they're treated as normal and respected
in the streets, unlike in Polish cities where riding to work is
still considered eccentric and casual cyclists are thought of as
traffic obstacles, members of leftist sects, or just too poor to
own a car.
Glad you are coming, Adrian, looking forward to seeing you
again!
Yeah, can't wait to hear your talk on iopipe! :)
