Egon [they/them]

Yes we agree. So the response is not “its not an issue” the response is that there are alternatives to bikes. I perceived your response as a sort of sarcastic dismissal and I see now I misread the tone and content, sorry.

Good thing that’s not what they’re saying

How do elders deal with …

Skill issue.

Being elderly or physically handicapped is not a question of “being out of shape”.

Also your dismissal of the fact that overweight people exist and also need to get around is indicative of a poor understanding of good urban planning.

“obviously the exceptions that make it so my comments aren’t fitting and showcase ableism don’t count. Everyone know that. You are the stupid one. I have depicted myself as the streamer for a third time to hammer this home.”

The initial question is about those who are too physically unfit to scale a steep hill. Responding with “skill issue” is ableist specifically because we’re talking about the “exception”

Consider people who are physically impaired instead of dismissing real problems?

Yeah the bikes are super cool, there’s lots of different ones too. I once got overtaken by a guy who pedalled with his arms, made me feel like a scrub.

It is a big issue when we don’t plan for those that don’t fit into our ideal of a “normal” person, because when we default to that we default to planning for men - and really planning for no one.
If you’re interested you should look up “gendermainstreaming”. Vienna has a very good manual on it.

I think people here get defensive about bikes because they’re used to arguing against carbrained folks all the time. It should also be noted a city designed for bikes and walkability will be easier to travel in for those who have trouble walking, than a city designed for cars, even if concessions aren’t made.

There’s wheelchair accessible bikes, but you are actually correct. Good urbanism requires us to take into account not just those who conform to society, but all it’s people. Interestingly an inclusive and accommodating city is also an economically strong one - in the long run more productive potential is freed and less resources are spent on patch-fixing a broken structure (this isn’t why its good to do, but it’s a nice argument to have when you’re talking to people who are afraid that wed be making a better world for no reason other being good people).

This is your reminder to read Invisible Women by Criado Perez

how do you travel to another city?

Train, bus, electrical bike, rideshares for the last mile maybe.

What do you do if the city has high slopes making walking and biking too hard?

Get off and walk, use a bike with electrical assistance, use a different type of mobility assistance if i am very physically impaired.

how do elders deal with what other citizens would take for granted in terms of mobility?

See above + Elders are typically more physically able due to having lived a life of regular everyday exery + their everyday destinations are not several miles away + “car free” doesn’t paradoxically mean free of cars, just almost all cars - ambulances are still needed for example - as such if a person is so impaired that no mobility assistance is enough to get them to their destination, then they can still be taxied by help.

True, but a bike costs a fraction of a car, so it’s also much less of an issue if it happens.

I’m gonna say I disagree. The only reason a bike is easier to steal is because the cops give even less of a shit about it.

Your parents failed in raising you

If you’re interested in theory on this subject I’d recommend looking into “theory of practice”. It’s all about this and, like with every single other good urban planning thing, it’s not at all new. We just pretend like it is so that politicians might finally do something other than build a fucking road.

Thank you very much for your advice!

Thank you!

Thank you! Do you have any online resources you would recommend for learning more? For example how to evaluate the chain - I’ve just bought this bike used, so I don’t know it’s mileage really

@7bicycles@hexbear.net pinging you because I know you know a lot about bicycles, and I hope you can help. I understand if you’re too busy or don’t want to though - no pressure!

Eh, China has been collapsing or about to collapse since the 60’s. I’ll believe it when I see it. Meanwhile the US isn’t doing so hot, which we can actually observe without the need to make the financial troubles of one part of one sector in one region into some sort of sign of an oncoming apocalypse.

Regarding making use of capitalism: Yeah, that’s what dengism is all about. Capitalism has its uses, we’ve just outgrown it.

Did you know that at it’s peak the USSR gulag system had more than a million citizens imprisoned, which worked for scraps, receiving little to no pay?
Oh wait actually that’s the US current day, my bad.

Also posting isn’t praxis. I hope you don’t think you’re actually doing anything on this website. Organizing is for the real world!

Lmao life expectancy rising goes brr. Women gaining independence goes brr. Advancements in the sciences goes brr. Life quality improvements goes brr. Going from a rural peasant state ruled by a monarchy to a modern country within few decades, while the same process took centuries for the capitalist states goes brr.

China is the only country that is on track to hit the goals stated in the Paris Agreement.
China has invested trillions in combating climate change.
75% of people alleviated from poverty are chinese citizens.
China has a higher life expectancy than the US.
China has a higher median wage than several european countries.
The US has the largest prisoner population in the world.
Slavery is legal in the US as a punishment for a crime.
The leaders of the riots in Ferguson were all murdered. Several political leaders have disappeared or died mysteriously over the years in the US.
The US “used to have” a project by the name of COINTELPRO which focused on suppressing political dissidents.

Why exactly would you take the western system over China?
What makes China authoritarian, yet the country with the largest prisoner population in the world and a proven record of suppressing and murdering political dissidents not authoritarian?