US policymakers are rolling out big incentives for electric vehicle buyers who surrender a gas-powered model, advancing efforts to cancel carbon emissions.
In some places. But if you’re in a non-metropolitan area somewhere that it gets cold and snowy, you’re going to need a vehicle to bring you directly to your house unless maybe you’re downtown, and it’s going to need to have four wheel drive or at least enough weight to grip the snow.
Bikes with studded tires do amazingly well in snowy conditions. The main reason people don’t use them more is that car drivers are a lot more dangerous. Get rid of the cars, and it’s totally doable.
Even seasonal replacement of cars would be an improvement.
Yes, there are conditions where you are better off on skis or snowshoes than a bike. And there are conditions where you should be in a snowmobile and not a car or truck. What you’re describing sounds like that.
You don’t use a car to plow the sidewalk. It’s too wide. Why would think a cycle path doesn’t have the same problem? Of course you use a bicycle to plow a cycle path.
Here’s the thing: the bulk of the climate damage cars do happens during operations.
Replacing fossil-fuel-burning ones with ones which don’t burn fossil fuels is a net win for any car that’s actually driven several times per week.
It’s better to get people onto bikes, ebikes, or mass transit, but those won’t work for 100% of the population.
Surely it’s more like 99% in the USA (j/k) 😉
Realistically better transit plus cycling infrastructure could displace half or more of driving
In some places. But if you’re in a non-metropolitan area somewhere that it gets cold and snowy, you’re going to need a vehicle to bring you directly to your house unless maybe you’re downtown, and it’s going to need to have four wheel drive or at least enough weight to grip the snow.
Bikes with studded tires do amazingly well in snowy conditions. The main reason people don’t use them more is that car drivers are a lot more dangerous. Get rid of the cars, and it’s totally doable.
Even seasonal replacement of cars would be an improvement.
If you tried to bike in heavy snow here your entire tire would literally be buried. Especially if there were no plows.
There are, in fact, places that get real snow.
Yes, there are conditions where you are better off on skis or snowshoes than a bike. And there are conditions where you should be in a snowmobile and not a car or truck. What you’re describing sounds like that.
Cyclist’s mantra: There is never bad weather, only bad clothes.
If only plows existed.
They won’t if you get rid of cars. Good luck plowing with a bike.
You don’t use a car to plow the sidewalk. It’s too wide. Why would think a cycle path doesn’t have the same problem? Of course you use a bicycle to plow a cycle path.