If you’ve never John Forester’s name before, you’re in luck, because Not Just Bikes just dedicated a full 95-minute video to how wrong he was about everything.
If you’ve never John Forester’s name before, you’re in luck, because Not Just Bikes just dedicated a full 95-minute video to how wrong he was about everything.
I’d never heard of him before, but wow, screw this guy. I spent some time in Copenhagen recently and it was truly a culture shock moment how much better their cycling infrastructure is compared to ours in the US. I enjoy cycling, but hate riding in the streets because I’m always nervous of cars around me. And now that I’ve seen what bike lanes are like in Europe, the comparatively few we have look woefully pathetic.
What’s even more frustrating is that people were so willing to buy his bullshit. If I knew nothing about bicycles, and one person said “there’s a lot of different kinds of bikes and reasons to ride,” and another said “ONLY THIS STYLE OF BIKE EVER” I’d dismiss the second person out of hand.
I kind of like riding in traffic but you have to have an appropriate bike, fitness, and courage to be able to do it. Proper protected bike infrastructure makes it so much more accessible though. I can hop on a beach cruiser and chill. Children and elderly can get around town without risking their lives. And cars don’t have to worry about how a cyclist will react on the road.
To be fair you went to the bike-lane capital of the world, where literally 40% of people go to work by bike. The rest of Europe (Netherlands excepted) lags somewhat. Don’t go to Athens if you’re nervous of cars.