From fear of bikes to (almost) car-free – BionicOldGuy

It’s about a wonderful YouTube video I just watched. The « Active Cities » host interviewed Tatiana in Carmel, Indiana. She had a bad fall on a bicycle as a child and was afraid of bicycles as an adult. As her husband was a keen cyclist, she wanted to try again. The video shows her progress from timidly riding in a parking lot to being a confident cyclist who uses an electric-assisted cargo bike for all her errands and commutes. Since her husband also drives bikes everywhere, she says they haven’t driven their car in months (that’s why I said « almost » without a car). They lived in Minneapolis at the start of this adventure, which is a bike-friendly city by North American standards. They then had a stint in the Netherlands where they tried cycling, so when they returned they decided to move to Carmel, Indiana, a city of just over 100,000 that is about 20 miles (32 km) north of Indianapolis. Carmel is one of the most bike-friendly cities in the US. Most importantly, city planners hired Dutch consultants to help them redesign the city’s transportation infrastructure and didn’t make the mistake that many U.S. cities make of trying to « reinvent the wheel » and not getting it right.

Carmel has some weather challenges in the winter, although Tatiana and her husband ride year-round, packed when necessary.

Apart from good infrastructure. The key takeaway I got from the video was the importance of proper bike setup for a nervous beginner. It really helps if you can put your feet on the ground without getting off the seat, which is not possible on most bikes. The exceptions are more upright bikes like the cargo bike above, cruisers or Dutch bikes.

I personally am still a « light car ». I do most of my errands in Morgan Hill by bike. But so far, I mostly cheat and use a car in heavy rain. If others can ride in much colder weather and snow, I’m motivated to try more in our next rainy season (mostly winter). Also, my wife and I have a second car that is rarely used except for a short drive once a week to keep it usable. It is 26 years old and we have decided to retire it soon and not replace it. Looking back over the past few years, there have been almost no occasions when my wife and I have needed a car at the same time. If something comes up, I can always rent. I asked Gemini to explore the economics of renting several times a year versus owning this chat. It appears that even for a paid off vehicle, leasing vs. driving saves almost $10K per year in the US. No brainer!