I’m curious. I know where my life diverged and where I would’ve been a car guy otherwise, would be interested to see what the dealio with other people is or whether they even ever thought about it

  • jacab [he/him]@hexbear.net
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    4
    ·
    17 days ago

    i used to ride my bicycle every day but during the winter i decided not to get squashed by trucks and started walking instead (the sidewalks didn’t get cleared, so i couldn’t bike on them and i absolutely wont share an icy road with cars).

    but come spring and summertime, i just preferred to keep walking. i think it’s mainly because it’s more leisurely, which makes it easier to transition between work brain and leisure brain during the commute.

    on my bike i still mainly stuck to the sidewalks (which is somehow fucking illegal here btw) since at least half of all american drivers want to either maim or murder bicyclists on the road, but i have to carefully move to the road if there is a pedestrian on the sidewalk or whatever ahead of me. so even though while walking i still have to be on fairly high alert for the red-blooded american patriots who think the stop signs in residential areas are suggestions, walking is just a more pleasant experience.

    i feel incredibly lucky that i live close enough to walk and bike to my job, especially so considering how deeply carfucked my city is, so my heart goes out to everyone who is forced to endure commuting by car or playing chicken with your life against american motorists as a bicyclist. wear a helmet.

    • 7bicycles [he/him]@hexbear.netOP
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      5
      ·
      17 days ago

      i used to ride my bicycle every day but during the winter i decided not to get squashed by trucks and started walking instead (the sidewalks didn’t get cleared, so i couldn’t bike on them and i absolutely wont share an icy road with cars).

      If you have some disposable income I cannot recommend studded bicycle tyres enough here. I mean the slippey-slidey-cars are still a (potential) danger but having car drivers gawk at you like you’re walking on water because you’re riding a bicycle at 30° corner leans on iced out roads is fun