10 HN users recommended this explainer10 months2021–2026score 10
Years with an HN recommendation, 2007–2026
HN links it whenever someone claims cold or snow rules out cycling, as the concise rebuttal that infrastructure and maintenance decide it.
Not Just Bikes argues that winter is not what stops Canadians cycling, using Oulu, Finland as proof that safe, well-maintained cycling infrastructure enables year-round biking despite harsh weather.
“winter cycling has nothing to do with the weather, and everything to do with safe cycling infrastructure.” (HN, 2021)
Weather isn't the biggest determinant of cycling usage (and that probably applies to walking too): "Why Canadians can't bike in the winter but Finnish people can" [this video] The scene with the line of tiny bikes parked outside the school in the middle of winter is particularly striking. I've biked through all weathers but even for me that seems like something that wouldn't be possible, but apparently is with a bit of organisation.
Weather matters less than infrastructure for cycling.
Can't speak to e-scooters in particular, but cold weather gets cited as a problem for bikes as well, so thought I'd bring this up: for bikes at least it's as much of a question of infrastructure priorities as it is the weather itself. Plenty of people bike in places with much colder weather than New York all the time: [this video] ...they just have safe paths to ride on, and those paths get maintained. (So: not a painted bike lane that all the snow gets shoveled into.)
Safe maintained paths enable cycling in cold places.
> I’m an avid cyclist, but here in Ottawa for half the year it’s -20C and the roads are treacherous. The Not Just Bikes channel, produced by an ex-pat Canadian, has a video asking why can't people in Canada cycle in the winter if the folks in Finland can? > When talking about bicycle infrastructure in Canada, the number one excuse I hear is "winter." Many Canadians see the cold and snow as a fundamental barrier to year round cycling. But one city, Oulu in Finland, with winter weather worse than most Canadian cities, shows that winter cycling has nothing to do with the weather, and everything to do with safe cycling infrastructure. […] * [this video]
Oulu shows winter cycling depends on infrastructure, not weather.
Here’s a video with more about why biking in the cold and snow isn’t as bad as we make it out to be: [this video] The gist is, like usual, biking in the snow is fine when the infrastructure is equipped to make it an effective mode of transportation. It would suck most places in North America because there is next to no dedicated bike infrastructure besides painted gutters. Those obviously don’t get plowed correctly, so it’s terrible. When the major problems like that are handled, it’s fine.
Biking in snow is fine with proper infrastructure.
This NotJustBikes video covers this subject nicely. [this video] Watching his channel has reinforced the dramatically negative impact American transportation policy has had on urban life.
Covers winter biking and US transport policy impact.
For anyone interested in what _winter_ biking infrastructure could look like, some places in Finland have done a great job. Not for everyone, but popular nonetheless: [this video]
"Why Canadians Can't Bike in the Winter (but Finnish people can)" - [this video] > When talking about bicycle infrastructure in Canada, the number one excuse I hear is "winter." Many Canadians see the cold and snow as a fundamental barrier to year round cycling. But one city, Oulu in Finland, with winter weather worse than most Canadian cities, shows that winter cycling has nothing to do with the weather, and everything to do with safe cycling infrastructure.
Oulu proves winter is no barrier given safe infrastructure.
Not Just Bikes made a great overview of what makes driving a bicycle in the winter possible: [this video] tl;dw: properly designed infrastructure and first-class maintenance results in people actually choosing to opt for the bicycle, even during winter.
Good overview of what makes winter bicycling possible.
Not Just Bike has a good video on it.[1] Of course, if you don't think youtube videos can't ever be credible sources, then I am not going to be able to convince you of anything. 1. [this video]
> I’m unwilling to have someone who forgot to put winter tires on slide over me and my bike Part of the argument is that traffic should be segregated[1] and infrastructure for bikes should be well-kept year round, regardless of local conditions[2]. If a car can slide in snow and run you over, a distracted driver can do that on ideal conditions as well. If the roads are not in a ridable condition, that means that bike infrastructure is not being prioritized, usually because it is not considered a valid commuting mechanism. [1]: [link] [2]: [this video]
Year-round maintained bike infrastructure regardless of conditions.
> real humans occasionally need to move a mattress And real humans can occasionally rent a car. Maybe it is not worth holding thousands of dollars' worth of rusting metal for that occasional odd job. As for snow and ice, Oulu, Finland is an example of how infrastructure defines the way people live: [this video]
Oulu shows infrastructure shapes how people live in snow.
If Finns can cycle in the winter (1), why can't Americans? If it is possible for snowplows can clear giant 14 lane highways, they can clear small 2 lane bike paths 1) [this video] Yes the answer is more complicated due to suburban sprawl and lack of infrastructure, but it is not impossible. It is always possible.
> It's not "they", it's winter. Somehow the residents of Oulu find a way to cycle in winter: [this video] > If you don't move, you're frozen. Good thing cycling and walking involve moving.
>On the other hand, for four to six months of the year, most areas of Canada, and even a good portion of the US, definitely don't. Myth. Why Canadians Can't Bike in the Winter (but Finnish people can): [this video]
It's utterly fascinating you wrote that and yet could not make the right conclusion. "In a small town, which is 12x6 miles judging by google maps yet has 590 miles of bike paths." + "not all, as the author of the video himself mentions that Oulu stands out among Finnish cities in this regard" The right conclusion here is that infrastructure and its maintenance is clearly the defining factor. This really shouldn't be surprising. Consider this: how many trains do you think passed through the areas rail tracks are at before the tracks were built? Or: how many trains need to pass through an area before we can justify the cost of building train tracks there? You simply can't point to just any winter cycling stats without first making sure the infrastructure is there. "Cycling in winter just ain't working out!" — no, you literally are not putting in the minimum of effort — "we've tried nothing and are all out of ideas" vibes. And here's the kicker: You assumed these statistics are from a city that's a cycling paradise, but I'm willing to bet Oulu is a car-infested shithole, just like all of the Netherlands is. No, I'm not kidding in the slightest. And it's pretty much confirmed in the video the parent linked: [1]. Sure, those areas are as good as it gets at this time, but they're nothing to what things should look like, so since your conclusions are based on faulty assumptions, they are automatically invalid. What these cycling-friendly areas are doing is slowly grinding away at th
Oulu stands out for infrastructure, which drives cycling.
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