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.
@sci @blazera This isn’t entirety fair. I just got out of a meeting where a retirement age person was able to ride a bike again, because of Ebikes.
Sad, but possibly accurate. Here’s hoping some cities can do enough to get a critical mass of folks making a change.
@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?
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.