Its cheaper to drive than ride a bike? I highly doubt that. Perhaps you should try an e-buke though. You may find that far easier, faster, and more comfortable than a regular bicycle and depending on where you live, it may be faster than a car too.

Regardless, the point isn’t necessarily to be doing the thing that is always the most convenient and most comfortable, the point is making choices that are good for the environment and good for both mental and physical health.

If you truly live in an area too remote to access any shops or services by bicycle or e-bike, then my post is not meant for you. Most people in Canada live in urban areas and are capable of replacing some car trips with bicycle trips.

Both economies are too big for that to be feasible.

Infrastructure is not the best for cyclists I agree and I dont blame you for feeling unsafe for riding your bike. Everyone has a different threat model though and most Canadians live in large urban areas with large and expanding bike networks that they can take advantage of. That might not mean commuting to work by bike but maybe trips like going to the grocery store or the dentist can be replaced by bike trips.

I do agree that safe cycling infrastructure is one of the largest barriers to getting people on bikes, but let’s not pretend that there is some big modern day conspiracy against bike lanes. It’s everyday people who fight tooth and nail against every bike lane that is proposed because they will take away parking or driving lanes. Doug Ford might have a personal vendetta against bike lanes but many many people support this vendetta and support Ford because he is trying to remove them.

Ages ago I used to live downtown. I was biking even less. It’s not safe most of the time. Let alone when hauling stuff. Very few people would actually be able to (mostly) replace a car with a bike. There are also many issues (time, physical abilities etc.) with actual meaningful use of bikes. I am not talking the odd bike ride to get a new book or so. Our country, climate, society and city design isn’t made for lots of biking. Should you bike as much as you can? Sure but it’s not a viable sub for cars.

I’m so tired of privileged people in the city talking down to everyone else like we don’t know how cities work (“different threat models” fuck outta here with that bullshit). I’ve lived in cities ranging from 200k to 700k and guess what? There isn’t bike infrastructure; you share the road and there’s some adequate bike-lanes in affluent neighbourhoods that I don’t give a shit about. In the city I’m currently in, bike-lanes share a merge with turning lanes f so nooooobody uses them because they don’t want to get nailed by some douchebag in a light truck who can’t even see past the steering wheel. Nobody is talking about a conspiracy, this is the reality of neoliberal politics and the ruins of suburban sprawl. When I say, “authorities” I’m referring to the systems of power that operate in opposition to workers and the land that relegates decisions for infrastructure to affluent land-owners who couldn’t give a shit less about sustainability or accessibility. I also saw you put “wear warm clothes” as a response to someone saying that dangerous winter weather makes bikes impractical like you’re on some Marie Antoinette shit. Don’t talk to me like you understand any of this when it’s obvious you haven’t actually had to live in different places in this country.

Regardless of that, car-dependency makes biking distances prohibitively expensive in the one way that you clearly have never had to think about: time. I do not have the fucking time to bike to my dentist or grocery store – even if I had a backfiets that could actually carry groceries – when everything is spaced out to accomodate cars. It’s nice that you have time for that, most people have work and responsibilites that puts their time at a premium and that makes biking a very low priority on how to live sustainably. I cannot afford to bike. Everything you’ve said speaks from the distorition that individual choice is a primary vector for change when we know that systemic causes for decisions, like driving instead of biking, provide more effective explanations and paths to real change. You subscribe to the very narratives that are used to reproduce this unsustainable way of life and have the gall to sit there and act like you know better than others. -

This is the answer. We do not have Canadian car companies.

Why build American cars in Canada? Build European and Asian ones instead.

Trade the tariffs for new factories.

I have 4 kids. Comments telling me to put their groceries and hockey gear in a basket are hilarious.

I think you meant Australians

We lifted all the tariffs on the US as a “gesture of goodwill” to Big Daddy Trump and yet keep these stupid tariffs on China that are crushing our lumber and agriculture industries into dust out west, in order to protect some token auto industry jobs building gas-guzzling American cars. Feels like we’re already the 51st state and Trump is just going to make it official.

You don’t know me. I spend an hour each day walking my dog, I get plenty of exercise.

The comment I’m responding to said:

but still glosses over the fact that nobody has said that you should sell your car and do everything by bike.

In this scenario I have both a car and a bike on hand. The car’s been paid for. The insurance is being paid for regardless of whether I’m using it at any given moment. So the only expense is gas.

“That’s still more expensive than driving a bike!” You might respond. To which I counter: is your personal time and effort worthless? How much is an extra hour of your time spent pedalling a bike worth to you? It’s worth a lot more to me than the cost of the gas I’d spend making the trip an hour quicker.

the point is making choices that are good for the environment and good for both mental and physical health.

The point is people making choices for me.

You go ahead and ride a bike around if you want to. Don’t make the choice for me. You don’t know me, you don’t know my circumstances and priorities and preferences.

And glossing over the weather with “wear a raincoat” or “wear warm clothing”, too. People are aware this is the canada@lemmy.ca community, yes? A lot of Canadian cities get weather where it’s downright deadly to be outside for extended periods.

If you enjoy biking and you can make it work for you in your personal circumstances, sure, by all means go ahead and bike. But don’t car-shame those who don’t.

My bad, I thought they were.

Hopped into a Uber drivers car in Miami and remember thinking what type of Tesla is this? Had BYD written on the steering wheel. I guess in hindsight the car was imported privately.

The threat of Chinese EVs is absolutely necessary to support for any non traitorous Canadian.

No one has firm plans to make EVs in Canada. The threat can at very least get “best offers” of investment and commitments to Canada that might be better for Canadian economy, even if it helps destroy climate. Cannibalism was always going to be preferred over human sustainability.

Canada benefits from investment. If every other company in the world is too afraid of Trump to invest in Canada, then Canada needs China. The end. Obviously, a trade deal would include an investment deal.

Canada is a giant global auto market equal to UK for 7th place. Measured in over priced vehicles too. Significant boost to Canadian standard of living to have access to better value EVs, which are already better value cars than ICE engine alternatives. Quieter, faster, power your home in emergency, urban life quality for non drivers.

When Canada removed DST, not only did we get zero in return from US government, the tech companies that avoided the tax didn’t even show any gratitude with data center or other investments in Canada. ONLY flirting with non US colonies can Canada get any investments (or genuine defense commitments) from US and its colonies.

The rural parts of Canada would like to have a word. A bike ain’t gonna cut it unless your young and single and living in a city.

I lived in Northern Canada for most of my life. -40 to -50 without a wind chill was normal. We put on warm clothes to go outside for extended periods.

I will car shame anyone in a major city with a vehicle. Mass transit exists.

I had a bike living in the rural parts of Canada, and used it to get everywhere within the 50-100 kms I needed to go.

Canada is a large car market. More importantly, vehicles manufactured here will eventually be exported to the US when their policy corrects.

And we will not round up your works in chains like they are doing in the US at the moment (eg. Hyundai).

How about instead of riding a bike you walk? Or are the evil capitalists attacking sidewalks now too?

It is absolutely your choice on how you decide to live, and you can find an extra three hours in a day to use transit, bike, or walk. Start by cutting out any screen time over an hour in a day and you will likely find an extra 5.

Take care.