Not Just Bikes: the videos Hacker News recommends
Not the channel's most viewed videos: the ones HN commenters kept linking with real commentary. The top pick, "How Self-Driving Cars will Destroy Cities (and what to do about it)", frequently recommended in autonomous vehicle and Waymo threads as the main counterargument, a long but worthwhile video essay on how self-driving cars could affect cities.
- commentary recommended in 12 different months by 17 HN users, 2024–2026Frequently recommended in autonomous vehicle and Waymo threads as the main counterargument, a long but worthwhile video essay on how self-driving cars could affect cities.
- explainer recommended in 11 different months by 12 HN users, 2021–2025HN links it constantly as the standard introduction to stroads and Strong Towns-style arguments about car-centric design.
- commentary recommended in 10 different months by 11 HN users, 2021–2025Strongly recommended as the entry point to a channel on urban planning and car dependency in North America.
- explainer recommended in 10 different months by 14 HN users, 2021–2024HN keeps pointing to it as the clearest explanation of how low-density infrastructure is financed and why it is unsustainable.
- explainer recommended in 9 different months by 9 HN users, 2021–2025Recommended again and again in traffic-safety threads as an eye-opener on road design versus posted limits and driver behavior.
- explainer recommended in 9 different months by 10 HN users, 2021–2025HN cites it constantly in threads on noise, EVs and car-free cities as the source that cars, not cities, are loud.
- explainer recommended in 10 different months by 10 HN users, 2021–2026HN links it whenever someone claims cold or snow rules out cycling, as the concise rebuttal that infrastructure and maintenance decide it.
- explainer recommended in 8 different months by 9 HN users, 2021–2026Recommended as the argument that better alternatives to driving also improve things for drivers, and as an introduction to Dutch urban planning.
- explainer recommended in 7 different months by 7 HN users, 2020–2025Linked in urbanism and car-dependence threads as a concise case for walkable fresh-food shopping.
- explainer recommended in 7 different months by 7 HN users, 2021–2026HN people recommend it as the best introduction to why sprawl and car dependence are fiscally unsustainable, often pointing to the whole series.
- explainer recommended in 7 different months by 7 HN users, 2022–2026The standard link in threads about child autonomy, helicopter parenting and car-centric planning.
- explainer recommended in 5 different months by 11 HN users, 2023–2026It is HN's default link whenever vehicle size comes up, with commenters recommending it for the history of the light-truck loophole and the safety effects of tall bumpers.
- explainer recommended in 5 different months by 7 HN users, 2021–2024Recommended as an introduction to the finances of suburban sprawl and its long-term consequences.
- explainer recommended in 5 different months by 5 HN users, 2022–2026The go-to link in urban planning threads for the claim that suburban infrastructure costs more per resident than it pays back.
- explainer recommended in 5 different months by 5 HN users, 2021–2024HN commenters link it in zoning, housing and car-dependency threads as an accessible explanation of how single-use zoning and parking rules shape cities.
- explainer recommended in 4 different months by 4 HN users, 2021–2023Recommended as the standard short overview of missing middle housing and its link to zoning reform.
- explainer recommended in 4 different months by 4 HN users, 2022–2026HN recommends it whenever fitness, aging or cycling comes up, as the clearest statement that city design is the best public health investment.
- explainer recommended in 4 different months by 4 HN users, 2021–2023HN points to it as a clear introduction to why widening roads fails and why transit-only lanes matter.
- explainer recommended in 4 different months by 4 HN users, 2023–2026HN users cite it as the standard rebuttal whenever someone says that America is too big for rail or good urban design.
- explainer recommended in 4 different months by 4 HN users, 2020–2023HN cites it for the systems-over-blame view of road safety and for Dutch infrastructure design.
- explainer recommended in 4 different months by 4 HN users, 2020–2025HN commenters point to it in road safety and pedestrian death threads as the practical alternative to US road design.
- explainer recommended in 3 different months by 4 HN users, 2022–2024Cited in threads about cyclist safety and traffic law as an explanation of why removing stop signs can improve safety.
- explainer recommended in 3 different months by 3 HN users, 2021–2024HN users point to it as a vivid example of how simple, intentional street design makes a big difference for pedestrian safety.
- explainer recommended in 3 different months by 4 HN users, 2021–2022HN recommends the channel for understanding why North American road design makes cycling dangerous and how the Dutch approach differs.
- explainer recommended in 3 different months by 3 HN users, 2024–2025HN people link it in threads on big vehicles and road safety as a comparison of US and Dutch fire department approaches.
- explainer recommended in 2 different months by 2 HN users, 2021–2025Linked in self-driving and car-dependence threads as an example of small vehicles that help disabled and elderly people without full-size cars.
- explainer recommended in 2 different months by 2 HN users, 2021–2022HN commenters share it as a good overview of car-light street design and its effects in discussions of car-centric cities and the 15-minute city.
- explainer recommended in 2 different months by 3 HN users, 2021–2026HN cites it in zoning, density and housing threads as an illustration of the missing middle between city center and car-dependent sprawl.
- commentary recommended in 2 different months by 2 HN users, 2022–2025Recommended in transit threads as a clear video essay on why American transit fails: infrequent, isolated and car-oriented surroundings.
- explainer recommended in 2 different months by 2 HN users, 2022–2025HN cites it as an example of a business park that is drivable yet bike and transit friendly, in urbanism and transport threads.
- explainer recommended in 2 different months by 2 HN users, 2020–2025Used as the standard reference for what genuinely smart traffic signals look like, in threads about traffic engineering and self-driving cars.
- explainer recommended in 2 different months by 3 HN users, 2022–2026HN commenters reach for it whenever cargo bikes come up as a practical car replacement for families.
- explainer recommended in 2 different months by 2 HN users, 2022–2024HN commenters cite it as a concise illustration of how the Netherlands narrowly avoided car-centric planning and then built its bike culture.
- explainer recommended in 1 different month by 1 HN user, 2021–2024Cited in urban planning threads as an accessible explanation of why low-density suburbs cost more to maintain than they bring in.
- explainer recommended in 1 different month by 1 HN user, 2021–2023Cited in cycling and helmet discussions as the standard explanation of the Dutch bike and its safety benefits.
- commentary recommended in 1 different month by 1 HN user, 2021–2023Mentioned in threads on stroads and road safety as an example of the channel's critique of wasteful car infrastructure.
- explainer recommended in 1 different month by 2 HN users, 2022–2023Linked in road-safety threads as a good explanation of how street and signal design prevent pedestrian deaths.
- explainer recommended in 1 different month by 1 HN user, 2022–2023HN cites it in threads on sprawl, density, and climate, especially for the point that everything is a short bike ride from downtown Amsterdam.
- explainer recommended in 1 different month by 1 HN user, 2023–2025Pointed to as a good rant on car-brained design and as evidence that country size is not what drives car dependence.
- explainer recommended in 1 different month by 1 HN user, 2025HN uses it as an example that car-free, leafy suburbs where kids can bike independently are possible.
- explainer recommended in 1 different month by 1 HN user, 2022Referenced in urban planning threads on making cities less car-centric, and the channel is recommended for road and bike safety.
- explainer recommended in 1 different month by 1 HN user, 2021–2023Cited in transit debates to show the cost and low utilization of commuter rail and the case for dense housing around stations.
- explainer recommended in 1 different month by 1 HN user, 2023–2026Used as a go-to reference in car-dependence debates to show that small towns and rural areas can work without cars.
- explainer cited on HN 3 times, 2022–2024Used as a concrete example of what a car-free neighbourhood looks like and of the demand for them.
- explainer cited on HN 4 times, 2021–2025HN commenters use it as an example of segregated bike infrastructure and of how quiet and pleasant car-free streets are.
- explainer cited on HN 5 times, 2022–2023HN cites it as an example of public transit that runs like clockwork and is convenient enough to rival cars.
Questions
Which Not Just Bikes video does Hacker News recommend most?
How Self-Driving Cars will Destroy Cities (and what to do about it): recommended in 12 different months by 17 HN users between 2024 and 2026.
Is this every Not Just Bikes video?
No. Only videos that at least three different HN users linked, in at least three different months, with at least a sentence of their own commentary. That filter is what makes the list useful.