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Comment by Aaargh20318 | Hacker News Reader

Aaargh20318

> And when you're too sick or old to pedal?

The elderly cycle all the time, especially since e-bikes went mainstream. Most elderly stop driving much earlier than they stop cycling.

> assuming she did have the stamina to bike groceries,

E-bikes are a thing.

> if she fell she would not recover.

People who have difficulty with balance, either due to age or medical issues use (e-)trikes, for some examples: https://senzup.nl/driewielfiets/nieuw/

There are very few people for who cycling is not possible; there are so many options to make it accessible for almost everyone. Here is an example for people in a wheelchair: https://www.roam.nl/runner-handbike-20/a3535 , it basically hooks up to their existing wheelchair and turns it into a hand-operated tricycle.

I don’t understand the point you’re trying to make. Because you can make up some edge case for whom cycling is not feasible the 99.999% for which it is shouldn’t either?

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No, people are able to drive long after they can bike.

The only thing that basically stops you from being able to drive is your vision, which will impact biking as well.

Handicap and elderly people are not edge cases.

We adapt our society to fit the disabled everywhere, as we should.

My point is we should take this into account when designing cities.

Bikes do not work for many, many people and situations. It's not an edge case problem, it's a fundamental problem.

> No, people are able to drive long after they can bike.

Like hell they are.

> The only thing that basically stops you from being able to drive is your vision, which will impact biking as well.

Looking at some studies, vision is not a major factor in accidents caused by the elderly. The reasons are mainly mental: reduced reaction speed, reduced ability to quickly grasp complex situations in traffic. Physical reasons are mostly around reduced motor functions: reduced muscle strength and fine motor skills.

Biking is impacted a lot less by these cognitive changes since you don’t go 130 km/h on a bike. Elderly are more likely to get hurt in a cycling accident, as they are more frail, but they are less likely to cause an accident.

> Handicap and elderly people are not edge cases.

Are you saying the majority of people are either elderly or handicapped ?

> We adapt our society to fit the disabled everywhere, as we should.

And we do. There are many options for both the elderly and disabled people to cycle, as I have shown in my earlier posts. None of those are exceptional, I regularly encounter those ‘in the wild’.

> Bikes do not work for many, many people and situations. It's not an edge case problem, it's a fundamental problem.

Cars do not work for many, many people and situations. Lots of places are simply not reachable by car. What do you think is easier for an elderly person: driving their bike right up to a store and walking 5 meters or driving their car to the edge of the city center and then having to walk a kilometer or more to get to the store they need to go to?

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