Originally Posted by
B. Carfree
Funny, during the earlier and much larger bike boom of the '60s-'70s, most cycling took place in those supposedly "unbikeable" suburbs. Even our resident curmudgeon cat likely rode many a mile through those "unbikeable" suburbs around Philly. Surprisingly enough, we did it without bike lanes or bike paths.
There were roughly half as many cars then. Do you think a doubling of the cars could make a difference in the bikability of the suburbs?
Do you think most people today (not bikeforums denizens) feel safe or comfortable cycling for transportation in these suburbs?
Even back in 1973, do you think very many people felt comfortable riding on those streets, other than young, fit, and arguably foolhardy followers of the bike boom? Keep in mind, we were all like 18 back then! Now we're going into our 60s. How long will we feel good about riding on the multi-lane highways of the suburbs?
Give us bike lanes and bike paths!