Crossing the Street Shouldn't Be Deadly (but it is)

[@NotJustBikes]

"The black-tailed godwit (Limosa limosa) is a large, long-legged, long-billed shorebird first described by Carl Linnaeus in 1758. It is a member of the godwit genus, Limosa. [...] The black-tailed godwit is the national bird of the Netherlands." en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black-tailed_godwit

[@custardo]

I much prefer its Dutch name ;)

[@NotJustBikes]

"Grutto"

[@custardo]

@@NotJustBikesSo called because of the sound it makes. I don't hear it.

[@1Clio]

The Grutto says: the f*ck? The Netherlands the land of the free, no thank you, we don't want that American bull.

[@markb6978]

FREEDOM GRUTTO!

[@MarisaClardy]

The thing that messed me up with cross walks here in the Netherlands, as an American, is the readiness for cars to stop for you, because it's just easier for them to do so than to try to rush past you. I am standing there at an unsignalized cross walk, waiting for cars to pass, but instead of passing, the cars just.... stop.... And I'm free to cross the street. Waiting at unsignalized cross walks is so normal to me, I've had a couple Dutch drivers get angry that I didn't just cross and that I was waiting.

[@NotJustBikes]

I find that the infrastructure forms driver behaviour, because there are some places in the Netherlands that aren't up to the latest standard, and drivers still drive like assholes. But it's not as bad as in the US. The way that the roads are designed in the US really does encourage driver entitlement and driver supremacy.

[@MarisaClardy]

@@NotJustBikes completely agreed. It's amazing how if the right infrastructure is in place, it encourages drivers to just be kinder.

[@buddy1155]

Most of the crossings in the Netherlands have some sort of traffic calming measures, if you drive 30 kmh you might as well stop, it is a very different situation if you are driving 80 kmh.

[@gatomatias1]

The same thing happened to me in Germany once. I crossed because I felt bad to stay there. I was visiting the country.

[@AuraCraft]

@@MarisaClardy if you ever go back to 'murrica, buy a sumo suit in case you forget in what country you are ;)

[@bearcubdaycare]

"Physics works better than signs". A good quote.

[@thekingoffailure9967]

The laws of physics are harder to break than the laws of man. Trust me, I've tried both.

[@martijnvds]

Ooooh, I misheard it as "science" a few times!

[@31redorange08]

@@martijnvds Nah, I think he said science.

[@jasper265]

@@31redorange08 it's just his accent in which the two sound very similar...

[@arjen1315]

@@31redorange08 lol, it really sounds like he says that, but that doesn't make any sense at all. It's just his accent. He said 'signs' for sure

[@ssmssmssm_]

Watching this made me emotional. I was crossing the street on my light when a car made a left turn and hit me on my way to work and it changed my life. I had to get metal and screws through surgery and I haven't gotten over how unsafe I feel crossing the streets in NYC to the extent that I avoid going out unless necessary. I am considered one of the lucky ones since I survived and many have died in the same situation. I am looking to relocate to a place where I can feel safer. Thank you for advocating for the safety of pedestrians.

[@NotJustBikes]

Oh wow that's scary. When I was hit, I couldn't get out of the way fast enough and the car hit me, but thankfully not so hard. I had very sore knees for a few weeks and had trouble walking for a few days. Immediate after the accident I didn't even know I was hurt though, so I walked away from it on adrenaline alone. Scary!

[@AithneFire]

I've heard numerous older people complain about how "kids these days" never walk anywhere, blaming it on everything from laziness, stuck on the computer, to overprotective parents afraid their kids are going to get kidnapped. I never had the ability to explain the reality beyond "I just don't want to die." This channel has given voice to all the dangers I implicitly felt.& experienced growing up in a stroad-heavy suburb relying on walking or biking (very long treks because of course points of interest are built in clusters very far from your house) without fully understanding WHY walking or cycling anywhere felt so flippin stressful! Thank you for illuminating the issues with North American car-dependent design and showing the possibilities for safer pedestrian infrastructure. It gives me hope that some day it could be better.

[@xsovereign6]

not to mention most “kids these days” don’t have anywhere to actually walk to considering how far away everything is from the average suburb that it would just take too long to walk anywhere

[@shannonbaker3387]

As the only kid in my ENTIRE high school who bikes, I definitely agree with you

[@xr6lad]

No. They are lazy.

[@RipCityBassWorks]

Classic boomers: create major societal issues then complain about and blame others for the expected results.

[@Br3ttM]

And it's not always that the parents are overprotective, parents have been arrested in some places for letting their kids walk short distances or take public transit unsupervised.

[@PhotonBeast]

As an American that just moved to the Netherlands, let me share a quick intersection story. I was crossing a wide street and reached the first island. There was a tram (or metro, still figuring the difference) that had just finished picking up some passengers 10 feet to my left. My American instincts kicked in and I started to wait as I expected the tram to start moving. When the operator noticed I wasnt moving, they tooted the horn to signal for ME to start walking first. I was fairly shocked since that would never happen in the States. Also, you are famous at work. Whrn i mentioned i had been watching some YT videos to help prepare for the move, they all chimed in with "Not Just Bikes?!"

[@sheeple04]

Tram is indeed the word you were looking for, they run on the street. Meanwhile metros are well, the same as subways or the underground. Only Rotterdam and Amsterdam have metros, whilst trams can only be found in Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Den Haag (The Hague) and Utrecht, along with a few other select lines. And there's whatever RandstadRail classifies as.

[@kattkatt744]

If you could cross the tracks it was a tram. Metro is in their own lanes with no other traffic being able to enter. This is because they are typically powered by third rail which means there is a rail, often pained yellow, that has power running trough it. If you touch it you will electrocute. The closed of lanes also mean you can run trains more often and carry much more passagers.

[@Fifsson_]

@@sheeple04 tldr: tram go brrr on road more like bus; metro go brrr below road more like train

[@DAANoontje]

@@sheeple04 Randstadrail is classified as 'lightrail'. Which is basically a confused tram, metro and train which can't decide what it wants to be. For example the RR tram runs on regular train tracks in Zoetermeer, but is a tram in The Hague. The RR metro runs as a metro in Rotterdam but more towards The Hague (from station Melanchtonweg onward) it runs on regular train tracks.

[@roob0012]

I doubt the operator was tooting to signal you to start walking. Usually Dutch tram operators toot the horn when they are standing still and intent to start moving again in order to alert pedestrians and other traffic. Or was he gesturing you to cross?

[@eamonnca1]

Most insane thing in American infra? The signs at signalized crosswalks with a list of instructions including such tips as "cross quickly" and "thank the driver" who didn't kill you.

[@lisat6311]

I noticed how much text there is to read at crosswalks. For both pedestrians and cars. Seems very unsafe to me if drivers need to read all that while they're supposed to be driving. And why tf do you need instructions to push a button to cross a road as a pedestrian?

[@AnotherDuck]

It's polite to thank drivers who stop, but not necessary. That also helps reinforcing them to do it again some other time. It's kind of like when driving and you wave or blink at drivers who make it easier for you to pass and things like that. But the weight is still on the one you're thanking; it's not on you to thank them (since that would just formalise it and make it an empty "polite" gesture).

[@bighugmonster]

I think it's very important to talk about how car infrastructure affects pedestrian mentality. I live just half a mile away from a grocery store + mall area, but to get there I have to go through the intersection of a 4 lane stroad and 6 lane stroad. This intersection is so scary that I just drive the half mile so that I don't have to worry about dying every time I need groceries.

[@NotJustBikes]

Absolutely. This is why over 45% of car trips in America are 3 miles or less. People can't even fathom walking somewhere, even if it's close, because it so difficult and dangerous. The number of times I've seen people drive just to get to a place across the stroad is crazy, but who wants to risk their life to go to the shops?

[@blakksheep736]

This exactly. Then we wonder why there's congestion everywhere and we keep spending billions on more lanes.

[@chidenisee]

I live less than 2 miles away. Walking 🚶 paths all the way until i have to cross a 4 lane road with 2 additional turn lanes on each side. Traffic coming from all directions. I just drive it. I walk to the street corner but it's to scary to actually cross.

[@no_name4796]

Nope, that's juat because adding more lanes decreases traffic, and it's for the same reason they keep building more and more. Totally not the opposite ;-)

[@AndreSomers]

… and in the process you added one more car to the problem. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t blame you for wanting to die for a bag of milk, but still.

[@LS-Moto]

15 years ago, I nearly got run over on one of those yellow crossing in Toronto, when I walked to school. The driver opened the window and yelled at me "DO YOU WANT TO GET YOURSELF KILLED". At first I thought maybe I didn't press it firmly. However, as I walked away from the crossing, the light was still flashing, whereas the driver already took off. He never paid any attention to what is flashing at him and if flashing things are not enough to grab your attention, you deserve to have your license revoked, since a car is a weapon in your control.

[@NotJustBikes]

Yup, that sounds about right. Those crosswalks only provide the illusion of safety.

[@LS-Moto]

@@NotJustBikes That crosswalk wasn't even that big. It was just a two lane normal road, so European scale. It was on prince edward street in Etobicoke, if you ever want to check it out or film it.

[@thekingoffailure9967]

Remind me of rich folk degrading the homeless for their shitty choices. WHY DIDNT YOU INVEST IN A HOUSE?? RENTING ISNT FOREVER, Y'KNOW. MCDONALDS ISNT MEANT TO BE A CAREER!

[@LS-Moto]

@@thekingoffailure9967 Yeah, people who think the same choices in life lead to the same things for everone. As a 15 year old back then, I didn't even have a choice to drive as I couldn't have a license. But I was a Euro kid who was used to walking. I still do it with a passion.

[@LS-Moto]

@Han Boetes That's because many drivers think they are perfect drivers. Usually, they are the worst ones.

[@salina3192]

I moved from Germany to the Netherlands about two weeks ago and even as an avid viewer of this channel and Germany not being so far removed traffic-wise from the Netherlands as North America, I am still astonished. Watching the masses of pedestrians and cyclists crossing streets on my way to work in the morning, is just incredible. It made me realize that planning for pedestrians and cyclists is a posirive feedback loop, since saver roads will attract more people walking/biking and more people walking/biking make it saver. It is just very hard to overlook 15 bikes and 30 pedestrians crossing the street than a single person.

[@StrangerHappened]

Thanks for sharing. BTW, is "Sa" a German name?

[@Anotherfunnyword]

I live in a typical suburban area, right next to a 6-lane stroad. Recently a "jay-walker" (sigh) was killed trying to cross it. What the article failed to mention (which I think was pretty notable) was that the nearest "legal crosswalk" was almost a half mile down the road. Its crazy that the American car-centric takeaway from that was that the pedestrian was crazy/dangerous for trying to cross there, and not this pedestrian would have to add an additional mile to their walk just to go across the street.

[@bemusedbandersnatch2069]

Oh make no mistake, in America that's a deliberate mentality facilitated by car manufacturers since way, way back when pedestrians actually used to use streets to walk places. It became clear very early on that pedestrians and cars couldn't really use the same streets at the same time so a deliberate effort was made to introduce the idea of jaywalking and shaming people for doing it. _Fighting Traffic: The Dawn of the Motor Age in the American City_ by Peter Norton discusses this in some detail.

[@jg6551]

on my campus i have to cross 4 lanes of traffic twice a day. that's 8 lanes of opportunity to get hit by short attention span college student drivers. After having a close encounter I decided to bite the bullet and just take the public transit offered. It isn't great nor ideal, but at least Im not risking my life every day. Not only that, theres always the few drivers that get pissed off when someone tries to cross and either yell at you, cut in front of you as you are walking, or purposefully speed up when they are still halfway down the road as to not wait 10 seconds for me to cross. extremely infuriating

[@termiterasin]

Jay walking is NOT a crime. Obstructing a roadway is. It's technically legal to cross anywhere at any road, as long as vehicles do not need to stop for you. The only alternative is crosswalks which are nowhere.

[@davidty2006]

Half a mile? Bruh my town has them mear meters away normally around 100 and thats with the ability of using the median half way.

[@maradupras7278]

i work as a crossing guard at my (american) high school. there's a minor crossing that always gets super busy during drop-off and pickup, and i hate it so much that the city's solution is to pay a couple of teenagers to stand around in high vis vests and hold up stop signs. i've done my best while having this job; i always let pedestrians pass before cars, and i make sure that people notice that there are pedestrians and they need to slow down. but it pisses me off that my job even needs to exist in the first place, since i am the lazy solution here. maybe someday american urban planners will come to their senses. i'm planning on going into civil engineering for the sole purpose of trying to clean some of this up. i'm glad there are people out there like you who are helping educate us in north america that this shouldn't be the norm. thank you.

[@thecommandthatchanges301]

I hate to burst your bubble, but we have those crossing guards near dutch elementary schools too (at least in the south). They are mostly there to make sure kids don't run into traffic, but sometimes big conflicts happen between crossing guards (50% of which are older elementary children) and cars that are in a hurry.

[@smeetsnoud1]

That is so tragic. "How can we protect the school children from all the cars?" "Let's gamble just a few of them and hope they stop." "Hmmm. Give them a fluorescent to avoid lawsuits and we're good!"

[@obansrinathan]

Too make it more fun they should provide crossing guards with bricks to throw through car windows

[@areoladan5580]

It’s a tragic irony that the intersection is busy with people who are there to pick up their children but can’t be trusted to not run over someone else’s children on the way there.

[@maradupras7278]

@@obansrinathan i wish i had those

[@damatar]

Jaywalking is a classic example of Americans' approach to problems: blame the victim and go about your day. The auto industry understood it and politicians today understand it.

[@HyperWolf]

This makes sense. I got hit by a lady turning right. I thought she’d seen me but I guess she wasn’t paying attention when she glanced in my direction as I crossed. I had to punch the hood of her car repeatedly because she wasn’t stopping and I was literally being carried away on top of it. As the car moved me further into traffic, I remember wondering if someone was going to have to call my mom and tell her that I died the same way her mother did. I guess in this case I’m not sure I can blame road infrastructure as much as I wish. She was on her phone. The other time I got hit by a car was a traffic light issue where it was briefly green in all directions. This one gave me trust issues.

[@user-ed7et3pb4o]

That’s absolutely terrifying.

[@bas4627]

People make mistakes, regardless of the country. One system doesn't deal much with the human nature of making mistakes. The other system just assumes mistakes will be made and is designed in a way to minimize mistake-opportunities. And, when inevitably people make mistakes anyway, it is designed to limit or completely negate consequences of those mistakes. The system isn't perfect, but there where a problem occurs, the design will be reviewed and changed. Yes, she was stupid enough to be on her phone, but bad road infrastructure set-up the situation where she is forced to properly check her left and ignored her right. Proper infrastructure could have negated her mistake.

[@rendomstranger8698]

Honestly, I hope that women got a prison sentence. There is a massive difference between hitting someone by accident and not stopping when you have someone on the hood of your car. After the first 2 or 3 seconds, it becomes outright attempted murder.

[@jumpstart55million]

Sorry to hear that. And if you don’t mind me asking, How exactly did your Moms Mother die?

[@feedbackzaloop]

Damn this story has plenty levels of horror

[@BeezOne84]

"Pedestrian fatalities" sound like an euphemism for "killed by car".

[@warmachine5835]

I've never heard of the flag thing before, and if that isn't the most deranged and condescending way to "help" pedestrians I don't know what is.

[@sartorialcinema]

Salt Lake City resident here: there is one particularly egregious hawk crossing that connects the VA hospital to the University of Utah campus. The wait time for the signal to change after pressing the button is so long that most pedestrians just cross when there’s a gap in traffic. Furthermore, there’s a median big enough to stand on, so pedestrians only need to wait for a gap in one direction at a time to make a safe crossing. This frequently results in pedestrians crossing all 6 lanes of traffic before the signal changes and stops all the cars in both directions for a pedestrian that no longer needs the signal. It’s a bad deal for everyone.

[@pinkyfull]

This is the real reason drivers don't pay attention to them. And its one of the reason why "compliance" approached are terrible, there will always be driver frustration when the application of the rules aren't clear.

[@MrNoName7474]

I think at least one person was killed every year crossing one particular road near UNC Charlotte while I attended

[@TimurTripp2]

Are these “hawk crossings” unique to Salt Lake City? I haven’t seen any outside of Utah. I remember seeing most people cross before the walk signal turned white. On the plus side most drivers seem to obey them, until they stop at empty crosswalks all the time bc the pedestrian already ran across on yellow, and get frustrated / start disobeying the crossings…Yeah they didn’t really think this one through, did they…

[@Geotpf]

@@TimurTripp2 There's at least two in Riverside, California, with one being on a narrow two lane road. We also have at least two Tokyo style pedestrian scrambles, each by a college.

[@x2f01mick]

I work at the VA and I have timed it, 5 and half minutes is the longest I've waited. While in 100+ degree weather.

[@JulianOShea]

I’m in the US at the moment - and so many roads and stroads are so unpleasant to cross. Spot on about the difference feeling of safety. This new era of NJB deep dives is going to be great.

[@Not_mera]

How does it compare to aus? I've never left and I can see similarities to North America, but I also am comfortable walking to the shops/ half way across town. I have to be cautious, no doubt, but only at particular points.

[@AaronJaunty]

I'm in the UK and couldn't agree more. You have areas in the centre of the city that are designed pretty, then as soon as you get to the outer circle, it's like drawing a card from a deck. Never know what you'll get when you turn around the corner! I've become obsessed with NJB

[@SilverMe2004]

So how do you think Australia compares? and we do have one of those 'scramble intersections' in Melbourne right?

[@kajithatotherguy4408]

It makes our Melbourne feel like it's spoiling you. Walking to the Walmart 1mi from my hotel in Houston was practically impossible without breaking laws. Hell, I couldn't even visit the consulate without a taxi for all the cops ready to give me a ticket for jaywalking due to the closed footpaths. Mr. Heck Me; yes. Flinders/Elizabeth.

[@dronko-fire-blaster]

agree so much

[@devinfaux6987]

A friend of my family I've known my whole life just lost his daughter this week, to complications after both he and she were in a hit-and-run collision while crossing the street earlier this summer, and I can't stop thinking about this now.

[@BrickImmortar]

It was like this right in front of my own kid's schools in the midwest, from elementary to high school. Kids even got struck, regularly... it of course wasn't isolated to our local schools either. Regardless, it never mattered much to the local community and likely still doesn't to this day.

[@NotJustBikes]

It's amazing how many pedestrian deaths that Americans are willing to tolerate. 😥

[@erik5374]

Those kids should have carried a gun. It’s not safe without.

[@KevinSiebert]

Hello Immortar

[@aleccoates9094]

NA is the only place that actively teaches kids to walk out in front of buses - something that will get them killed if it was just a regular bus. The reason for this is often that there are no crossing nearby the kid's drop-off and just crossing the road is illegal by default. Then when they grow up and try "real" buses they are like 'fuck this shit' and get a car.

[@scottjs5207]

@@fluuufffffy1514 I just want to know why anyone would make either a highspeed road or a school adjacent to each other and think the school zone lights are fine. It's simple math... There's some schools along a 55mph road and I just kinda scratch my head.

[@dominik262]

Crossing stroad while visiting US made me anti-car activist in less than 2 minutes, despite being pro-cars before. Thanks a lot US traffic engineers!

[@glamethyst9144]

It is so annoying when you’re a blind person living in America and everyone prioritizes metal death machines that you can’t use over your safety. The amount of times I have been told to watch where I was going and/or been blamed for almost getting hit is astounding!

[@CZsWorld]

17:38 is the best moment in any Not Just Bikes video. FREEDOM 🤠

[@erik5374]

Grutto! The Party for Freedom has an other bird in their logo though: a seagul. Good logo. The bird makes a lot of noise and shits on your head.

[@Infected_Apple]

@@erik5374 The contrast with the Eagle makes the Grutto wonderful though. It gave me a real good laugh. (Also national bird ofcourse)

[@alphamorion4314]

Seriously. I'm convinced to move to the Netherlands, now: THE TRUE LAND OF OPPORTUNITY!

[@MenacingWithVideos]

Fuck yeah!!!

[@AndreSomers]

@@erik5374 and steals your street food if you’re not careful. The Grutto on the other hand is “sfeerverhogend”.

[@JustinCastleberry117]

As proud as I am to be an American, I have to say that I am appalled for our car-infested/dependent infrastructure. You sir, since I started watching you one year ago, have completely re-aligned my views on American public infrastructure and how sub-par it is to the rest of the world. Thanks to you, you gave me inspiration to switch my major from Meteorology to Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to help make my communities safer in Oklahoma. I'm tired of our car-dependent society. It breaks my heart when I see people on disability scooters driving on narrow and dangerous sidewalks just to run a quick errand. It's injustice for many!! I pray that I can land a job that can help improve the quality of lives for my communities after I graduate. Keep up the great work!

[@ComradeKoopa]

Why are you proud to be an American?

[@asddd.]

@@ComradeKoopa Many good reasons to be and many bad reasons to be but that’s not the subject

[@Runegrem]

@@ComradeKoopa Why not? While some may say it's nonsensical to be proud of something you can't control I'd say that being proud of where you're from is probably healthier for your mental health than being ashamed of it. As long as it doesn't cross over into arrogance.

[@chairasian8816]

@@ComradeKoopa He grew up in America and loves most of it except for it's car infrastructure?

[@RonnieAttema]

@@ComradeKoopa who wouldn't be proud of a country with such a rich history of racism and colonialism?

[@CheetahNL]

Let's use an analogy. Since cars are polluting and actually kill people, let's say they are smokers. Pedestrians are non-smokers. Imagine a world where smokers can do whatever they want. All restaurants are made to accommodate smokers. But there are non-smokers. For them, special places are created in the corner of the restaurants, so they don't bother the smokers. In the corners, the non-smokers don't have that much smoke to inhale, but there is still enough danger around. Non-smokers are referred to as being crazy, annoying, in the way, etc. If you don't smoke, your boss might tell you that you should pick up smoking, because smokers are more alert and healthy. When examining the issue, a KZbin channel called Not Just Non-smokers finds out that the smoke-oriented environment was created by rules, implemented to protect the tobacco industry. BTW I drive myself every now and then, but I also walk and bike if possible.

[@tyler9703]

I am a die-hard car enthusiast, and your channel is literally the most logical and refreshing education channel I've seen. Everything you cover has made me HATE driving in built-up American areas, and rightfully so.

[@mohandasjung]

Cars are great to travel and to people that live in rural/remote areas.

[@HTV-2_Hypersonic_Glide_Vehicle]

@@mohandasjung exactly I agree with that as much as Not Just Bikes' opinions. For certain situations cars are great, but not great for every location. Unfortunately the U.S. has a history of forcing everyone to use cars, and taking away walking and transit.

[@0xsergy]

I'm a car enthusiast too brother but as an enthusiast I can admit to being car dependent because i'm lazy. It definitely can be done in a cleaner way while you save the car for the occasional long trips.

[@beskamir5977]

Removing bad drivers that are forced to drive by providing them with viable alternatives makes roads better for drivers that actually enjoy driving so it's really not that surprising to me that car enthusiasts are actually pretty onboard with promoting other forms of transportation instead of 'just adding one more lane' lol.

[@joshuaboniface]

Which really is the funny thing. As soon as anyone in North America even mentions bike or pedestrian safety, there's this implicit assumption that it means a "war on cars". It's utterly absurd. Having good cycling and pedestrian infrastructure does not meaning banning all cars in the country.

[@marlan5470]

Had someone actually step on the accelerator as I was crossing in my pedestrian little crosswalk. They saw me, no traffic to speak of. It's not only about how the streets are designed but about the nasty people who drive cars.

[@garryferrington811]

Driving has a weird effect on people. We become aggressive. I once was blcked by a bicyclist - briefly - and actually thought about hitting him! Fortunately, sanity returned, leaving me wondering, "WTF was I thinking?!"

[@PJBonoVox]

Here in the US the drivers are distracted, entitled and poorly educated. There's a whole raft of problems that need to be solved before even considering this infrastructure (in my opinion).

[@marlan5470]

@@garryferrington811 When I drove a car I never wanted to hit anyone. I am not that way. That AH genuinely tried to run me over at the crosswalk.

[@thunder____]

@@garryferrington811 I'm from the US and I definitely get that kind of aggressive with other drivers sometimes, which is otherwise very out of character for me. After decades of conditioning to believe that cars are the holy grail of transportation, it takes me a lot of effort to keep my head clear and remember that we're all in this car-infested hellhole together, even the many other drivers who still believe in the American Way. I don't think I've ever gotten that way with pedestrians, at least not those complying with the crosswalk system that, thanks to NJB, I now understand is absolutely ridiculous, but I do see how easy it can be to forget about others when there's so much to think about and be aware of just to keep yourself safe while driving.

[@MKRN98]

I never really payed attention to how US is so car-centric. I was a victim of believing that it means I'm free, so called "American freedom". After I found your channel I started to realize more and more on how limited I am when it comes to going anywhere. Car is the only option! At least I started walking to my local gym until I was almost ran over on zebra crossing because driver didn't bother to slow down even a bit. Long story short, your videos made me realize that I don't want to spend my life living in a car and next year I'm moving back to Europe, maybe even Netherlands as I already have friends there! All I can say is thank you :)

[@Muck006]

@@rangersmith4652 Nah ... it exists for those who can AFFORD IT.

[@Blackadder75]

@@rangersmith4652 those with a car are still not free, they are prisoners of their 4 wheeled cell.. At least they have AC to make it a bit less uncomfortable.

[@XEinstein]

Yeah, I'm afraid that this and other channels are promoting the New so much that soon everyone will migrate here. We do need lots of health care professionals and lots of technicians though, so if you're one of those: please come!

[@mindstalk]

@@rangersmith4652 Safety relative to US pedestrians and bicyclists. Probably in less safety than Dutch drivers. And you have to pay for the car. And spend your time driving your kids (if any) around. And you're fucked if disabled in a way that you can't drive. Have a bad night's sleep, so that you're not as safe a driver? Too bad, you're not free to take some other means to work, you have to drive despite sleep deprivation (in most of the US.)

[@FrietjeOorlog]

It's funny how you highlight how different countries view different priorities as normal, and then your sponsor segment at the end starts with: "You work 40 hours a week, 50 weeks a year". To a Dutch person, that is equally as insane as those little $$#% flags.

[@Bluecho4]

And believe me, that's a _conservative_ estimate of the average American's work hours. For many, it's far more time. They may also not get the option of retiring anymore, so that count just keeps rising until they die.

[@kittykittybangbang9367]

I cannot wait to get out of the US, and move to a normal sane country.

[@0Clewi0]

@@Bluecho4 It's not a conservative estimate, is what should mean full time, with all those hours paid and the benefits. Sometimes I wonder if the US really have almost no labor laws or if they're just ignored.

[@lindseycampbell7487]

I live in Atlanta, GA. I was hit by a car a little over a year ago because the driver was making a right turn and had been looking left to watch for oncoming traffic. And yet here I am, still recovering from injuries from that crash. Not to mention I could have died! It made me hate American road design so much more. So when he mentioned right turns and slip lanes, it really struck a chord.

[@transportspotterraphael]

Recently, I read a study that showed that criminalising "jaywalking", actually has had no effects in reducing deaths on the roads. Rather, it increases them. As a European, even though my part of Europe is actually car infested...I had NEVER heard of those crossings, especially those with a flag. This is beyond ridiculous. You could give the exercice to children at school and tell them to find the problems, 100% that they would. It's beyond me how they don't realise that they're basically showing just how stupid and stubborn they can be. But well, I don't think it's going to change anytime soon...

[@federico6690]

It's pretty obvious that the number of deaths increased. When you tell the perpetrators that it isn't their fault, they won't hold back anymore.

[@sgtpastry]

At the elementary school I attended, I was taught to cross the street with my hand in front of me in a "stop" symbol and politely wait to be allowed to cross. This was in a town of less than 6000.

[@666Tomato666]

well, if your wage depends on you not understanding something, the capacity of human brain to not understand even the most elemental things is simply staggering

[@Ay-xq7mj]

Well yeah i pick spots where i can see everyone coming and can time it so i dont die.

[@pinkyfull]

There are these big lolly pop signs in New Zealand that children use for schools to let them cross the road. The reason for this is because every parent in the last 15 years decided that walking to school was too difficult for a 5 year old and so has been driving them instead. Making the "school run" the worst time to either walk or drive because of the ridiculous congestion. If I ever have children i will be making them walk or cycle to school because driving a child to school is just ridiculous.

[@BeardedBaldy]

Something that wasn't mentioned about slowing cars down, it also REQUIRES people to follow the speed limit. Since cops don't really enforce it too much, it's more of a suggestion than a requirement. So even if the speed limit was lowered in respect to pedestrian safety, without enforcement, it probably wouldn't have as much of an effect as it should.

[@yabbaguy]

The perverse disincentive is that then localities can’t make money through tickets/fine revenue. Which, I guess is a byproduct of living in such a tax-allergic country.

[@termiterasin]

They are too busy trying to bust non criminals

[@motorizedvehiclehegemony4107]

Cops stopped chasing speeders in my city decades ago, and on the rare occasion they do, it usually ends with the perp or a cop in somebody's living room.

[@davidty2006]

Rozzers here in the UK don't even get around to it. Them having few numbers and budget cuts doesn't help and here in county durham they spend most of their time busting druggies.

[@alfrredd]

In Europe (at least in my country) traffic speed and laws are enforced using speed cameras and red light cameras, a lot of speed bumps and roundabouts also do the trick. Police is used for more important matters.

[@jessevelez]

19:17 wtf. I've never seen a signal-less crossing on a road like that before. That is so f-ing dangerous. You can even see the confusion permeate among the cars "This was a crossing?!" If planners needed even clearer evidence of poor design, a car turned on its hazard lights at the sight of a pedestrian.

[@cat-.-]

I'm a driver and I absolutely welcome the dutch model. I always find it hard to remember every yield point and sometimes I blow through them despite efforts. Only after I've passed a crossing without slowing down I suddenly realize what I've done and break a cold sweat imagining what could have happened. If the roads are designed like the dutch example, things would be much easier for me too.

[@birchtree5884]

I used to be a crossing guard way back when I was in elementary school. Looking back, it's kind of ridiculous that even with narrow lanes, 30km/h speed limit, and raised crosswalks, we still needed to wave big red stop signs in front of drivers to prevent them from killing children. And my school was on a quiet residential street, not a wide stroad.

[@veggiezz]

I am LIVID to see that not crossing after the flashing timer has started is actually being ENFORCED in some cities!??? As if it wasn't hard enough to just exist and walk around in the city already! Humans are only allowed if they're in a car, some places, I swear.

[@thomasnewton8223]

@@MrBirdnose no they still do. They just have to wait longer. If that upsets you, consider all the pedestrians that wait for your turns because you didn’t want to wait.

[@Demmrir]

Hell, want to be more livid? Look up the salary for law enforcement officers (which would presumably be the individuals enforcing it). That isn't just screwing over pedestrians--it's also a profound waste of money.

[@C-shadow]

@@MrBirdnose I incorrectly assumed your first comment was sarcastic. I apologize for thinking the best of you.

[@user-ed7et3pb4o]

@@MrBirdnose then there’s a problem with the overall system, not with the pedestrians.

[@thomasnewton8223]

@@MrBirdnose the solution shouldn’t be pedestrians have a 3 second window to start crossing otherwise they’re waiting for another 3 minutes.

[@mariosonicfan2010]

American traffic engineers _literally_ do be like "Am I so out of touch?" "...No, it's the pedestrians who are wrong."

[@camelopardalis84]

How likely are people who can afford that kind of education to regularly participate in traffic as a pedestrian?

[@captainchaos3667]

"Are we the baddies?"

[@googiegress]

A remarkably dank description of the situation

[@DanielFerreira-ez8qd]

No, I'M OUT OF TIME

[@imveryangryitsnotbutter]

@@DanielFerreira-ez8qd It's not Thursday.

[@mralistair737]

One slightly positive thing I always think in these videos.. is that compared to the cramped streets of london, how EASY it would all be to fix. A few bus lanes, some planters, kerbs, bollards and paint could basically turn most stroads into super functional streets overnight. Might not be as pretty on first pass but a bit like Paris it could be done FAST if there was the willpower.

[@siukong]

I mean, it's a bit surprising to me just how fast it was all seemingly implemented in a place like the Netherlands. If they can do it there, we _should_ be able to do it here. It's just a question of political willpower, really.

[@LeoMajors]

There are community groups that have performed these changes to roads in their communities, illegally and usually temporarily, just to show how much better it makes things. I can't remember the names of any of the groups, but I think I learned about them through Strong Towns.

[@charlieejn]

I moved to Toronto from the UK just over 7 years ago, and this video perfectly encapsulates my frustrations with being a pedestrian here. Barely a day goes by where I don't encounter a driver going through a pedestrian crossing when it's my right of way. I swear some drivers wait for the pedestrian light to come on and start turning right at the moment. I cannot understand why they don't at least ban right turns on red in busy cities, like they have in Montreal. It won't solve the stupid road design but it will at least help.

[@AndreSomers]

Banning it only locally would still be unsafe I think, for lack of consistency. A pedestrian could be crossing counting on being safe while a non-local driver wouldn’t realize the local ban and 💥. Just have a blanket ban so everyone knows the rules.

[@siukong]

@@AndreSomers There's some progress being made. There's some intersections at the busiest streets (I wanna say somewhere along Yonge at least?) where 'right on red' is no longer allowed. Change is happening, it just seems to be glacially slow.

[@saideepakb]

We should do both - ban right on red and have continuous sidewalks through intersections so that drivers really think before cutting us off.

[@Matt-sl1wg]

One of the issues in Toronto (and probably other places) is that neither the cars nor the pedestrians cooperate by following the rules that are meant to get everyone where they're going. There are numerous intersections in Toronto where turning right would be nearly impossible if drivers weren't allowed to turn on reds, because streams of pedestrians insist on crossing the street even while the traffic light is yellow. Meanwhile, if they aren't just carelessly careening through the crowds of pedestrians who need to dive out of the way or get hit, the cars are dick-moving across the zebra stripes so that they're ready to make their turn as soon as there's an opening, and it blocks pedestrians from crossing the other way. Outside of "everybody just get along" though, I don't know what a realistic solution is without completely revamping the infrastructure, which could take a century in a city like Toronto.

[@sword_of_damocle5]

I'm surprised that NJB barely mentions Montreal given the fact that it's considered one of North America's leading cities for public transit and walkable infrastructure. It definitely outclasses all other Canadian cities in that department so I'm confused as to why it's rarely mentioned.

[@joepschoenmakers8599]

Another thing I'm noticing in these videos is how empty the shown North American roads are. Six lanes of traffic with just two cars on them. Could become just two lanes.

[@victoriafisher1923]

Many of the downtown Toronto roads move far more pedestrians than drivers, yet pedestrians are packed onto tiny narrow sidewalks. It's telling that sidewalks are so busy that I often choose to unofficially widen the sidewalk by walking in the road, and this is totally possible because there are actually relatively few cars using these giant expanses of concrete.

[@Warkid1993]

Whenever id visit my friend in Den Haag, she would never understand why I am so terrified at how she crossed roads effortlessly and carefree. She laughs when I question whether or not we are Jaywalking. It’s like a completely different world over there compared to Florida #1 pedestrian death meat grinder

[@XelquetevenceraX]

I just got ran over by a car a couple days ago while crossing the street on my bike. It was an intersection with no traffic lights, I was on the bike lane and the driver didn't look both ways before crossing. In my 6 years cycling I never had such a serious incident. Fortunately I had only minor injuries and my bike could be repaired, but I understood that day how fragile the human body is. We definitely need more protection against cars.

[@trapfethen]

At lot of this problem is informed by, and in turn reinforces the car-centric model os US cities. We desire our cars to go fast because we have to physically move so much further for our work, shopping, entertainment, etc. In turn, our work, shopping, and entertainment feel perfectly fine building in the cheaper exterior of our cities because "People can just drive, it's only 20 minutes away". This creates an over-reliance on cars, and at the same time creates a unique vulnerability for us residents to affectively become "stranded" in a city because they don't own a car or know someone that can drive them to where they need to be. Theorhetically, public transit could alleviate that issue somewhat, but we all know how miserable US Public Transit systems are (some city subway systems excluded)

[@steemlenn8797]

You got cause and effect wrong in your second sentence.

[@flamedragons1]

@@steemlenn8797 tapfethen simpley arguments like a car centric person. Not just bikes had a video on cylicing to far away places and how good it is or how to get rid of cars and implement a good public traffic system.

[@trapfethen]

@@steemlenn8797 I handled both directions of the reinforcing cycle. The direction you were expecting is covered in the third sentence.

[@huxby]

On one of my first visits to the United States, I was staying at a hotel by a busy road junction. On the other side of the road was a restaurant and I asked the guy at the hotel desk if he would recommend it. To my amazement he proceeded to give me driving directions as to how to get there. Says it all really.

[@LimitedWard]

5:27 HOLY SHIT YES. I was in New Jersey the other day and wanted to walk to a nearby strip mall to get food. The direct path to get to the mall should have taken 5 minutes walking, but there was a 6 lane stroad in the way with no crosswalks for half a mile in each direction. So a 5 minute walk became a 45 minute walk when taking the "fastest" path, and that route didn't even have sidewalks for long stretches meanining I was vulnerable to cars driving 45+ mph. I used to live in Cape Cod, and even though the whole peninsula is a tourist destination, there are still tons of areas that are simply unwalkable. To get to the closest grocery store, I had to sprint across a busy 4 lane stroad since there were no crosswalks in any direction. Sometimes I had to wait over 10 minutes just to find a large enough break in traffic that I could get across safely.

[@yabbaguy]

Not sure if this is what you're referring to, but MA Route 6 is crazy bananas. They throw some painted bike gutters and a HAWK somewhere along the line to try and make it the peaceful region it should be, and I suppose they somewhat succeed, but they need to make more leads from Provincetown. Now there's a traffic calmed, wonderful place to frolic and be gay, if I may be a bit cheeky and still respectful. Love that place.

[@jpninja776]

It's amazing how New Jersey has some of the best places to walk in the US and also some of the absolute worst, like worse than Phoenix or Las Vegas. I walked from my hotel in Mount Laurel, NJ to the nearest Wawa and the roads near the hotels had no sidewalks at all, there were missing crosswalks all along the way, and I just basically had the feeling that I could be run over at any moment.

[@Mladjasmilic]

In Serbia, if there is no crosswalk in 50m, you are allowed to cross the street anywhere.

[@batcatowler1972]

That's a day to day thing for me. It's scary out there!

[@MeteoFur]

I live on US-19 which is aka one of the most dangerous highways in the USA, and crossing it is terrifying. The worst part is how a lot of the crosswalks don't have lights or buttons. So you have to just wait and run across 6 lanes of traffic. If you have to just wait and run then that means the crosswalk is pointless!

[@givingtree9619]

I remember your recent post about more sponsorships for the channel. I think it was worth it. This video is impressive, and the footage is beautiful. Unlike any other channel of this type

[@NotJustBikes]

Thanks!

[@benjaminbratcher]

I was walking across the 7 lane stroad near my apartment in Dallas yesterday and was just thinking that it might be interesting to film me walking across it to show non-Americans what living in a car-dependent city is like. Thanks for making this video because now I don't have to do it! 😊 Very good analysis!

[@PinnysVids]

As a Dutchman, whenever the topic at work or at home is about traffic accidents and safety, people seem completely unaware of how streets here are designed to be safe. Instead they wonder if people involved in crashes maybe weren't careful enough. With some recent construction projects being pretty terrible for sight-lines and cyclist-safety near where I live, I fear that the people designing these might be forgetting the goals of their predecessors 30 years ago. Cycling accidents and deaths have been going up. People seem to blame the e-bikes. There's talk about making laws to force people to wear helmets! Yeah, the helmet saved my life, but who knows if I'd ever be able to walk again after an accident that would have otherwise killed me! If car traffic had been forced to slow down, or if the sight lines were better, the accident wouldn't have happened in the first place. So, I wonder if we might not be regressing back to a more American streetview, where the safety is the responsibility of YOU as the participant, instead of baked into the design

[@harmen1832]

You do mix a few things up. E-bikes are not blamed, but statistically e-bikes have been involved in most bike related (fatal) accidents. Also, most of the people involved were of a higher age. I can't remember the exact age groups the research was talking about, but it was an over representation of people 55+ (?) on e-bikes involved in these accidents. Those are just statistics and not victim blaming. They are now looking if perhaps riders on e-bikes should wear helmets for their own safety.

[@SpeedyBangBong]

I died when I saw these flags. That's hilarious! They should've added mandatory scream while crossing "PLEASE don't kill me!"

[@ennemuk]

This totally explains why I developed a situational depression when I lived in Kingston Canada for a couple of months. I hated walking (or biking) anywhere there. I felt so unsafe going to university or the store, so I rather stayed at home and quickly became so inactive that my mental health collapsed, unfortunate.

[@Jeshdh]

As an Californian, I remember being in Amsterdam back in July and having a hard time trusting the cross signals because I’m so used to people running lights and driving in the wrong direction where I’m from…

[@termiterasin]

Light signals are accidentally designed to cause accidents. They often stay green until they see oncoming traffic, which turns yellow right as they approach the light. If they run a red, guaranteed accident, if they try to run the yellow, it's encouraging unsafe speeds.

[@kittykittybangbang9367]

If you think that's bad then try Texas

[@angelvu]

@@kittykittybangbang9367 literally nothing is worse than texas drivers

[@dibbadyda1728]

By wrong directions, Do you mean driving illegaly on the wrong lane or the shift from right lane drive to left lane drive from US to Europe

[@isamararemmelzwaal7406]

@@dibbadyda1728 I am guessing he is referring to people actually driving in the wrong direction. I believe the only place where they still drive on the left side of the road in Europe is the UK. The rest of us drives on the right side like most of the world. :)

[@RMTransit]

This was an awesome video as always - truly magnificent!!

[@NotJustBikes]

Thanks, Reece! 👍

[@jon1913]

This 30 minute video was only 10 minutes old when you posted so either you're a patron or you watch it at 2.5x speed 😜

[@NotJustBikes]

Reece is on Nebula (and also has a viewing account there): nebula.tv/rmtransit This video was released to Nebula on Friday.

[@Theoddert]

Excellent video as always. In the UK we have a tonne of two-stage crossings where you have to cross one stream, go round some fences (which don't protect you in a crash, they're just there to control where you go) and push the button again and wait. It's really frustrating that they deliberately don't have the two crossings at the same place, they make you move at 90 degrees to minimise the "risk" you'll just keep going straight through. A big problem here is that the wait times are sometimes so long that no one waits, becuase no one has an extra 5 mins to waist trying to get 6 meters further ahead. This means people end up judging for themselves when to cross which increases conflict points and crash risk. Its so bizarre to think that if they sped up the timings people would be far more willing to wait; they've engineered impatience where people would otherwise be happy to wait. Lastly I get the need for a wait time between pedestrian walk lights, but the fact they make you wait a set time after the button push just seems like a delibarete disincentive to walk. Like, the signal hasn't been on for 20 mins, what does that extra 2 mins give you? Why is a hypothetical driver 1 mile down the road more important than my imediate desire to cross?

[@davidty2006]

I mean atleast those fences are metal instead of plastic. So they atleast damage the car to the point it's a write off when it kills ya.

[@NotJustBikes]

Yeah I lived in the UK for six years and I would get stuck on those little crossing islands between the fences pretty often. It was miserable, especially along busy roads in London like Euston Road. As for the beg button timings, North American traffic engineering is obsessed with Level of Service, and long light times works against keeping the flow of traffic up. So they love it when there are no pedestrians present, because the light timing needs to be longer for the slowest possible pedestrian to cross the intersection. If there are no pedestrians "detected" then they can get away with shorter light timings. The whole this is asinine though, as it's only this bad because their traffic control systems are so dumb. But also their hyper fixation on moving as many cars as possible actually makes it worse for everyone; even drivers.

[@letsgocamping88]

To the point where you press the button. Cross. Get half way down the road then the light goes green. And the cars are stopped with no one crossing. Just make every possible beg button an instant one. Or instant unless it was hit in the last minute or something. No wait. Just get some flags .....

[@vylbird8014]

Huh, so that's why the weird little kink in the middle of the path? I've been wondering for years about that. Makes sense. Used to make me think of Half Life. The first game in the series had a subtle signal for a level transition: The path would take a right turn, then a left turn. Ideally the player doesn't consciously notice it, but after a few levels picks up on the pattern so they are not surprised by the level loading pause.

[@djbaugh33]

@@NotJustBikes I live in Phoenix, AZ, USA; recently sold my car (although my wife still has one, because it is required in this type of town) and take public transportation (tiny circuit one line lightrail that still has to wait at many traffic signals) because... I'm trying to be better..? I feel like driving here brings out the worst in people. I was finding I was mad all the time, and drivers are so rude, and terrifying now that they are all on their stupid phones! Please put down your phone when driving! It is scary to drive and utterly terrifying to walk. BTW you got laughs with: "physics works better than signals", and "freedom", and "Canadians are so friendly". :^)

[@skunkbert]

as an american, watching this channel honestly makes me feel like i was born in the wrong country. no wonder i never wanna go outside! it's a fucking wasteland out there! incredible video as always! - june

[@kittykittybangbang9367]

Same, I used to think it was because of my allergies, the hot and humid weather, and the fact that was barely any other kids in my neighborhood growing up was the reason why I never really liked going outside and I was more of an indoors person; but thanks to this channel I can now see the real reason, car dependent infrastructure.

[@bellairefondren7389]

As an American too and a New Yorker, there is crazy variance in ped safety across this country.

[@skunkbert]

@@kittykittybangbang9367 exactly! i think i definitely would've gone outside a lot more as a kid, if the outside were actually hospitable to anyone outside of a car. cute nepeta profile pic, by the way!

[@tootaashraf1]

if america's a wasteland to you then just wait till you see where i'm living in (north africa)

[@zenddoor]

You have a Dutch surname, so.. you're always welcome to come back! 😄

[@IvoryOasis]

As an American... I have the PERFECT SOLUTION to crossings. Instead of flags, we simply put a bible so citizens can pray before attempting to cross. Perfect American ingenuity right there.

[@steemlenn8797]

So true! In God we trust! Thoughts and prayers!

[@robertstuckey6407]

"Pray to God before motorists send you to him"

[@Yelonek1986]

AR-15 to even out the chances between pedestrians and the car.

[@steemlenn8797]

@@Yelonek1986 Nah, a few nailbands work quite well in protecting you. Roll them out, cross, roll in.

[@telepresencebot2]

re: pedestrian bridges I found that in Japan, while there are also bridges with giant ramps that are a huge pain, there are also some raised pedestrian areas that are fantastic. I've been to several shopping districts in Tokyo and Sendai that have all of the buildings in the area connected at the second or third floor level by extensive elevated pedestrian walkways and bridges. They are super nice! They allow complete separation of pedestrian and car traffic without inconveniencing either one thanks to lots of escalators and elevators and direct access to all of the places pedestrians want to go without sending them back down to ground level. I'd even say I prefer these raised areas, since they are often brighter (built with brighter colored materials than asphalt and closer to the tops of the buildings) and cleaner (there were actual cleaning services for them, and the elevation means water runoff can be easily used to help clean as well) than street level, and partially shielded from vehicle noise by the structures themselves and the greenery that is usually also planted on them. One of these areas even had food carts operating in the middle, right over the center of the street below. Each of these (that I've found at least) is also connected directly to a train station, so you exit the station directly onto the raised pedestrian area, and can walk directly to any of the nearby buildings while all the bus, taxi, and car traffic for the station moves along below you.

[@JordyDevrixOfficial]

26:01 he went real angry right here lol

[@minecrafter0505]

Okay, the flags did it for me (and judging from your swearing for you as well). Who thought that that was the solution to traffic safety for pedestrians? That feels like you are downgraded to a toddler and is super demeaning, not even talking about how you are supposed to hold a flag visibly with your hands in use (e.g. pushing a stroller or carrying groceries). Thanks to your channel I've started to comprehend how sad the US and Canada are for kids growing up in suburbs. I think that miserable time of not being able to go anywhere without a car short of your immediate neighbors for the first 18 years of your life has deep psychological and behavioral impacts as well. I wonder if that could be a topic for a future video.

[@ab-tf5fl]

My neighborhood has tons of crosswalks with flags. During the daytime, they feel ridiculous, and I generally don't use them. But, when crossing after dark, I'll take all the visibility I can get.

[@nullifye7816]

pretty sure he already did that video, and there's another youtuber who's done a solid deep dive on it who's name I don't remember.

[@autumnramble]

The crosswalk with flags has a potential, but it should be drivers who stop, take a flag and walk through pulling their car, then leave the flag on the other side.

[@ooooneeee]

@@autumnramble 🤣

[@user-xs5dp4gw8e]

en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_flag_traffic_laws. Lol bring back the Red Flag laws ... for automobiles :}

[@pennyroyal3813]

On my walk home from work one day I saw a woman in the distance trying to cross Notre-Dame in Montreal. She was at a theoretical pedestrian crossing but not one driver stopped. I walked about 200 metres as she waited, arrived at the crossing on my side of the road, walked to the middle, and told her to cross. While I stood in the middle of the road all cars stopped. When she had safely crossed I went back and continued my walk home. The difference between us is she was about 5'2" with a small body size. I'm 6'2", 245lbs with a shaved head. Drivers, whether I'm walking or cycling, give me the right of way and never beep their horns at me. Physical size is yet another way women get less respect while out and about in society. This is why we need to follow Netherlands' lead rather than the US.

[@user-ed7et3pb4o]

Thank you both for recognising this and doing what you did. You’re so right. Part of the problem is that for so long, urban planning has been centred around the mythical ‘average’ person, a 30-something able-bodied commuting male, with everyone else left underserved.

[@alpd7638]

I work for a multidiscipline engineering firm in Ontario. I am involved in transportation and signalization projects. I am not a transportation engineer and am often ignored because if this. I am a European immigrant. Everything in this video is 100% true, and i have such a hard time getting some of these ideas into the heads of my superiors and transportation engineer colleagues to consider ANY of this! There is some progress at a higher level. The Ontario Traffic Council is about to be addressed by Charles Mahron from Strongtowns for example. The City of Barrie is doing better than most, but even they are undertaking expensive projects to widen collector stroads. The City of Ottawa has a great dutch influenced cycling design standard. However, my own town (a hub for outdoor enthusiasts and cycling in particular), is frustratingly backwards. A recent "complete street' proposal was rejected because of negative feedback from drivers. The project is going ahead...as a simple road repaving and PAINTING SHARROWS!!! 🤦🏼‍♂️

[@davidjames4915]

Sadly Ottawa's cycle design standard isn't really Dutch at all; it just sort of superficially looks Dutch. Ottawa's cycle tracks are elevated to sidewalk level, unlike Dutch cycle tracks, and since Canadian sidewalks are higher than Dutch ones anyway, this puts you 6" (1½ dm) above the road. It's actually kind of unsettling as there is this edge you (or your kid) could drop off into the street. And why might you be worried about this possibility? Well because it's at sidewalk level right next to the sidewalk, pedestrians treat it as - shocker - part of the sidewalk. So you can end up having to dodge around pedestrians walking 3 or 4 abreast while passing them inches from the curb top. That's bad enough, but of course to get you up to sidewalk level Ottawa has got ramps at cross streets. And for reasons known only unto themselves, rather than have a smooth paved ramp come up from the street, Ottawa instead forces you to cross a dropped curb before getting to the ramp. Since Ottawa has a climate with a severe freeze-thaw cycle, the upshot is that even if the installed dropped curb was completely flush to the asphalt either side of it when built, after a single winter it won't be - it'll be a bump. And few of them are flush as installed anyway. As there is a ramp on the upside, there is also a ramp down on the downside, which means if you need to stop you'll be doing so on a downslope. And you'll have to stay stopped on the downslope... without the benefit of a curb to rest either of your feet on. On top of all this, these ramps also tend to have a cross slope as well, which is not too bad if you're going straight ahead but if you are turning onto or off of the cycle track at a cross street you have to be aware to take care, especially in slick conditions, lest your bike slip out from under you. So the experience of cycling along Ottawa's cycle tracks is to be mildly anxious about not riding off the edge while repeating a down-bump-bump-up pattern at every cross street the entire time. And they've bodged the roundabouts, too. In addition to all the above, at roundabouts Ottawa's cycle tracks don't follow a circular path around the roundabout. It's hard to describe exactly but in Dutch roundabouts you're diverted off to the side at a gentle angle to join the circular track around the roundabout and so when you come to cross a traffic lane you're naturally doing so at a roughly perpendicular angle. But in Ottawa the path more closely hugs the road, so you first make a moderately sharp right hand turn before you hit the roundabout, then sort of follow the roundabout around but on a straight path. This is so-so and if you're turning right at the first crossing it's not too too bad but where it's especially bad is if you're going straight/left as when you get to the crossing point of a traffic lane you have to make a sharp, last minute, near right angle turn to the left into traffic that hitherto you haven't seen because it's behind you out of sight rather than beside you. Oh, and of course it's a downslope too, because the path is at curb top height, not road level height. So no, don't copy Ottawa. Don't. We don't know what we're doing and we're going to have bad, superficially Dutch-looking cycling infrastructure littering the landscape for decades now before it gets fixed.

[@rsj2877]

How bad it is, is it like they laugh you out of the table for bringing up making the cities more pedestrian friendly?

[@gerhard6105]

Here in the Netherlands the road is designed and that is how it is going to be build. Point. And it is better for everybody.

[@alpd7638]

@@rsj2877 they're too professional to laugh, but they always have an excuse as to why my suggestions are not implementable. The "complete street" project, for example. My company produced the report and the lead designer thought it was silly before the pilot project even happened. Then the pilot project was so bad it felt like it was designed to fail.

[@alpd7638]

@@davidjames4915 this is interesting to me. I have been in conferences with some of those involved in writing the standard (along with book 18). I am familiar with book 18 - which has all the concessions you would expect of a north american cycle standard- but only know the Ottawa standard through positive coverage on channels similar to this one. It sounds like the planners and engineers involved talk a good talk but don't fully understand the concepts (maybe myself included) and/or the municipalities still don't really appreciate it

[@0ISanderI0]

Video topic idea: I live on the street with the highest number of accidents of any street in the Netherlands: de Amsterdamsestraatweg. It's awefully designed and literally has "stroad" (straatweg) in its name. They're gonna redo it soon and are asking the public for ideas and feedback. They already have a first draft but I'm not convinced this will solve the many problems it has. I'd love to hear your thoughts, and I'm confident your video would actually influence the results. How cool would that be!

[@ariftintime]

What also helps to make traffic saver in the Netherlands is that in case of an accident with a pedestrian or cyclist involved, the driver of a car is pretty much always the one considered at fault for insurance purposes. Only on roads and highways where pedestrians and cyclists aren't allowed, so a driver wouldn't expect them to be there, would the driver win the insurance claim. So since the driver is pretty much always the one that'll need to pay up, it's a good added incentive to make sure drivers are careful of non-car traffic.

[@thommyneter168]

Yeah that really follows his, don't blame the pedestrian for not being visible, blame the cars for driving too fast or not paying enough attention

[@jazzfan1994]

My only concern there is that, although potentially an urban legend, there's already a concern that people will deliberately try to jump out into traffic and get hit so they can sue. No amount of safe driving is gauranteed to stop you from hitting someone who wants to get hit although you can greatly reduce the risk.

[@jasper265]

@@jazzfan1994 the driver being at fault is not a hard rule, it's just the starting position. So, if a person jumps out in front of a car, it doesn't actually apply.

[@jazzfan1994]

@@jasper265 That makes sense

[@Daniel-pg9qh]

@@jazzfan1994 Suing culture isn't really a thing here. Even if the driver was mistakingly found guilty, the 'victim' would at most receive a few thousand euros compensation. So there's no real incentive to do such thing.

[@kevincui5282]

10:54, ironically, in Canada our traffic light detection loops on the ground are almost always placed partially after the stop line to account for those drivers waiting beyond the line. In doing so, they’ve further encouraged drivers to overshoot the line and wait on the crosswalk.

[@westerlywind1035]

As a British national, that Hawk crossing scares me, it looks so exposed. I bet the speed limit there is at least 40/50 mph

[@maximilianwimmer627]

I also don't like the way this giant boom arm flexes, just from the gust of wind from the traffic

[@moho472]

I think it's very important to have this type of discussion and criticism when it comes to pedestrian infrastructure. I've noticed now that a lot of people my age are starting to wake up and protest for better infrastructure. The Bike Protest at High Park was gigantic. As much as I love The Netherlands, I want to stay in Toronto and fight for safe and complete streets. Thanks again for the video, Jason. People are finally waking up.

[@SuperTobyproductions]

One thing you missed, in Utrecht and some other cities you can install an app on your phone that detects whether you are cycling, and than uses your GPS location to automatically set traffic lights to green. This way you don't even need to press the beg button, the timer just automatically starts and often you can pass straight through. I absolutely love it. But brilliant video nonetheless mate

[@Amir-jn5mo]

thats absolutely fantastic!

[@brammm2983]

Mwa, I prefer solutions without apps and tephones. Utrecht really knows enough about you already.

[@SuperTobyproductions]

@@brammm2983 of course you can move around easily without that app, the are positive things that NJB said in the video are applied here too. And the app is not compulsory, so if you don't want to use them you just don't use it. Simple as that.

[@MinehowTech]

As someone who's lived in the USA, and now lives in Germany, i had a greater culture Schock going from Germany to Netherlands then the USA to Germany, its insane how much more advanced the Netherlands is then the rest of the western world. Can't wait to move there

[@rjfaber1991]

It does have to be said that Germany has arguably the most car-centric infrastructure in Western Europe. It's better than the US, for sure, and their public transport is orders of magnitude better, but they still heavily prioritise cars, with cycling lanes (where they even exist) and sidewalks going out of their way not to inconvenience cars almost to the same extent as in the US.

[@Fragenzeichenplatte]

Where in Germany? Some places are similar to the Netherlands. Do you have a job that allows you work from just anywhere?

[@DanielFerreira-ez8qd]

@@Fragenzeichenplatte he probably got lucky with his career path

[@MinehowTech]

@@Fragenzeichenplatte from Baveria, I've traveled and noticed more northern Germany is somewhat similar, but even then the people are so much different

[@Fragenzeichenplatte]

@@MinehowTech Bavaria, I see. They do have a conservative leadership. People are really not that different. People from Germany and Korea are different.

[@siukong]

It really does stun me when I stop to think about it just how glibly dismissive people here in North America seem to be about car crashes and road/pedestrian safety. Like, if a city has 100-200 murders in a year it's a huge problem that has everyone gossiping about how bad things are getting and wondering how to reduce those numbers. But if that same city has 100-200 people killed in car accidents, nobody seems to bat an eye and it feels like it's just treated as unavoidable. (I haven't researched but I imagine this is very common threshold range if combining driver, passenger and pedestrian fatalities, if a city like Phoenix was hitting ~100 pedestrian deaths alone)

[@een_schildpad]

I was just saying this to someone... cars are a leading cause of death for kids in the US and it blows my mind that we just accepted it and there isn't mass outrage! How can we be OK with this? As a parent I've slowly started to notice how much stress and danger cars create for my family and I hate it now.

[@cloudyskies5497]

@@een_schildpad Thank you for noticing. I grew up in a car-sprawling hellscape and it's the top reason I don't visit my remaining parent and definitely a key factor in why my childhood was so stressful.

[@udishomer5852]

The car accident deaths in the USA per capita (adjusted to population size) are higher than ALL European countries accept Russia (which is roughly equal to the USA). The USA has 4 times more car accident deaths per capita than the Netherlands, UK, Germany and Sweden. The safest countries are Norway and Switzerland by the way, more than 6 times safer than the good old USA.

[@siukong]

The older I get, the more sympathetic I get to Ray Bradbury's extreme aversion to cars and driving. He saw a horrific car crash at age 15, was afraid of cars for a long time after that, and famously never drove a car in his life. He also had multiple passages throughout his writing involving drivers zooming along recklessly at breakneck speeds with not a care for safety, and pedestrians being treated as quirky/freaks because they chose to walk places rather than drive.

[@een_schildpad]

@@siukong Thanks for mentioning that! It sent me on a search to find out more about that, and I ran into these two awesome quotes from him from an interview: "I would replace cars wherever possible with buses, monorails, rapid trains--- whatever it takes to make pedestrians the center of our society again, and cities worthwhile enough for pedestrians to live in." "The automobile is the most dangerous weapon in our society-cars kill more than wars do." Seems like a pretty based dude :-)

[@frankhooper7871]

One of the arguments in the UK against going fully metric and sticking to miles in lieu of kilometres is the cost of changing all the speed limit signs. I suggested that the signs really didn't need to be changed... they could just make the city streets with a 30mph limit into safer streets with a 30kph limit. We are now starting to see more streets with a 20mph limit which is an improvement, but unfortunately nothing is being done to the infrastructure to "force" a slow down.

[@josephpbrown]

Don't forget the cost of getting cars converted to kmh. I know having to read that tiny inner circle on the Speedo will cause a few accidents if it ever happens

[@AndreSomers]

@@josephpbrown stickers do exist for things like that. My car also has the option to show the speed digitally and the units can of course be changed.

[@josephpbrown]

@@AndreSomers Fair enough.

[@mralistair737]

Here in East London the 20mph thing is in full swing, our whole Borough is now 20mph, it's taken a while but cars are generally starting to get used to it, and because the roads are all single lanes it doesn't take many people obeying to get everyone down to that speed. But I think they were right that they had to do the whole place, just doing a street would be ignored.

[@user-ed7et3pb4o]

Then again, I’ve been seeing more and more raised crossings, road narrowing, cycle lanes and so on, so I don’t think it’s that there’s nothing happening, it’s just all a bit haphazard and ad hoc.

[@jannikheidemann3805]

As an european from a country where jaywalking is normal, the term "jaywalking" always sounded strange to me? Who is Jay, and why would he be the only one walking. Thank you for clearing that up! It certainly make a lot of sense that such a strange term would have it's origin in propaganda. If I'm ever in the USA and a cop is accusing me of jaywalking I will make sure to enlighten him about the fact that he has in deed been fooled by the automobile industry and needs to rid his way of thinking of the concept of JAYWALKING! I am sure, that doing so, will be met with the utmost appreciation from those, that protect and serve the people of this wonderous nation that is the United States of America. 👮‍🇺🇸

[@haukauntrie]

26:55 The sign in the back says "Injury Attourneys" just as he talks about fatality statistics.

[@SaveMoneySavethePlanet]

Oh! This is the first that I’ve heard of a “pedestrian head start” system! I hope my city starts deploying that soon. Sounds very useful

[@soaringstars314]

It is especially for cyclists on certain situations 👍

[@ichijofestival2576]

Yeah... I wouldn't hold your breath. If you wait for someone else to do it, you may be waiting forever. If you want it, speak up.

[@randomcommenter7343]

At the crossing by my house here in suburban Toronto, we have the pedestrian head start in both directions. It got introduced here a few years ago, before I really saw it on any other Toronto intersections. I definitely prefer it to regular crossings, however people still come hurdling through the right hand turn lane on a red and I've been nearly hit multiple times. Or, some people will be watching the pedestrian signals, and when it turns to a walk signal they'll either straight up run the red light, or start creeping into the intersection to the point where they're halfway through their turn by the time the light turns green. I was crossing at Main and Danforth the other day, a crosswalk seen in this video, and I witnessed the same thing happen (driver started to drive into the intersection but their light wasn't green yet) There's no perfect solution using the infrastructure we already have. The usefulness of the head start crosswalks is often overcome by drivers' desire for speed. I think it's still worth implementing everywhere it makes sense, but it's more of a bandaid solution than anything.

[@SaveMoneySavethePlanet]

@@randomcommenter7343 ah! That’s an unfortunate dose of realism :-(

[@julietardos5044]

They just put one in at the intersection by the high school near us. I think it's made a big improvement of pedestrian safety at that intersection.

[@artuo]

My friend from Victoria, BC once complained about a crossroad being dangerous since every time he tried to cross a street, he almost got hit my a car. He filed a complaint addressing the issue and suggested adding speed bumps to ensure the safety of pedestrians in the residential area; in response, he was told that no speed bumps could be installed since they are going to slow down the emergency vehicles. In the video you showed that danish people have speed bumps at almost every crosswalk. How does it affect the emergency vehicles? Or does it at all? If it does, what solution could be implemented to improve the safety of both pedestrians and people in need?

[@NotJustBikes]

Emergency vehicles use the dedicated bus or tram lane. But also, the majority of emergency vehicle call-outs in North America are for traffic crashes, which are caused by the wide roads and lack of traffic calming. So it's a self-propetuating problem. Besides, people are literally dying in traffic: are their lives worth less than people who need emergency services? But all of this is bullshit excuses anyway. Watch my Stroads video to understand how a roads+streets network is fundamentally more efficient than the stroads of North America for all vehicles; emergency vehicles included. Look for archives of the (now removed) Dutch channel "ambuchannel" to see footage of ambulances in the Netherlands.

[@lindhartsen]

The flags! For a time those were treated as the next great thing where I live, though the novelty really warn down between them collecting on one side of the street, and commonly deteriorating from neglect. We’ve progressed to signaled crossings on the same stretch of road, so they’re trying to improve.

[@NotJustBikes]

I can't believe that the flags don't get stolen more often.

[@andresaliba]

@@NotJustBikes Oh they do. There are 2 flags in the basement of the place I live lol.

[@Onwrikbaar]

To add an extra level of crazy, they could oblige pedestrians to take two flags to the other side in case that side has the fewest flags. And imagine how much safer you'll be maniacally waving TWO flags while crossing!

[@_JoyceArt]

@@Onwrikbaar I was thinking the same. I know I’d always check across the street, if there are still enough flags there, and bring 2 or 3, to stock up. Never heard of something so ludicrous! 🤣

[@thekingoffailure9967]

@@NotJustBikes they are so disrespectful and BS that theifs don't think they're worth stealing. Sometimes I find forgotten metal road signs, but I'd never take one of those shitty flags lmao

[@raul_mtz]

Your videos have made me plan a trip to the Netherlands in October mostly JUST to see what all the hype is about with the infrastructure. Obviously, there's more to it, but everything I more or less planned around checking out the infrastructure and urbanism. Love your videos; Thank you for the insight!

[@batfurs3001]

Hell yeah! It's awesome here! If you want a tour of Delft I'd love to give you one 💪 Just make sure you know how to bike, and you know where to rent one, because otherwise you won't get the True Dutch Experience™

[@HexerPsy]

Also dont wear a helmet on the bike, or you cant get the authentic Dutch experience!

[@johnnybaxter8078]

I once checked it out on google maps by pointing it anywhere in the map to see if they had bike lanes. Checked it like 20 times. They do.

[@raul_mtz]

@@batfurs3001 thank you! I'll be in Amsterdam and Utrecht for the most part. And yes, the idea is to rent some fiets :)

[@sm3675]

Infrastructure tourism! 😭 😭

[@bluepotato1371]

Thanks for mentioning Las Vegas, I grew up there and it's hard to explain how miserable a ten minute walk to the grocery store can be. There are four lanes of traffic in a purely residential zone right next to a elementary and middle school! I don't care if most of my family lives there I'm never going back

[@calebnewman676]

I’m 22 years old and I live in Toronto, Canada. I frequently forget my glasses at home while I go out for a walk, and the intersections here are so huge that I can’t even see across the other side to check how much time I have left to cross the stroad. A lot of the time I just barely make it, and usually there is almost always a car halfway in the crosswalk waiting to turn right. So, before I become old and slow, i die of a heart attack, or my eyes get any worse, I think I might need to move to a safer city.

[@HexerPsy]

Or... as a sad fact of life - the elderly get less mobile, dont go out as much. With reduced excersize comes faster decline....

[@rebeccaalbrecht771]

From now on when someone asks why did I move to the Netherlands, besides telling them I moved for the safe biking infrastructure, I'll share this video with them. For it's not just the excellent biking infrastructure it's also for the safety I feel as a person on foot. It surprises me the number of Dutch people who are oblivious to the fact that it is is much safer to bike and walk in the Netherlands than anywhwere else in the world.

[@vnixned2]

I've lived in Germany, Leipzig to be precise, and I cannot stress how different even Germany is compared to the Netherlands. Germany may be safer than the US and Canada, but it is about forty years behind the times compared to NL. But few people know this. Few people live in a place long enough to actually notice it.

[@louieberg2942]

Believe me, these videos are an eye-opener to me (Dutch) as well. I'm counting my blessings.

[@HweolRidda]

You could give them the short version. You didn't want to be killed.

[@cesarheuvelmans]

@@vnixned2 as someone who lives in the Netherlands close to the German border. Every time I drive or go biking in Germany I get so angry at all the little things that make driving there worse (no offense). From the 30 meter on-ramps after a super sharp turn, to get onto the 200km/h highway. To the 70km/h speed limit at every intersection on the 100km/h provincial roads. Also, 9/10 you interact with a German on the road in the Netherlands they behave like an absolute asshole. I can't imagine what North-America is like if my frustration for German drivers is already this big🤭🤭

[@HexerPsy]

Its all a frame of reference from where you grew up. To me its not always safe, because as a Dutchy I have seen my share of impatient and thoughtless drivers making the roads unsafe. To be honest... while its illegal to have your phone out in your hand while cycling, plenty of (mostly youth) do so. Especially in areas with lots of students - and speeds are increasing with e-bikes. You have to stay aware at all times anyway.

[@hadorstapa]

I don't know if you're aware, but in Wales there was a recent move to change 30mph limits to 20mph to make roads safer for mixed usage. The backlash has been insane, with a level of histrionics I really had not expected. Apparently the main argument is that cyclists will be overtaking cars, which is (apparently) the most disgusting thing that can happen to anyone. The attempted change to the laws was not great, especially because it was just blanket instead of targeting places where it's really helpful to reduce vehicular speed, but given your comments about North American engineers being resistant to slowing traffic, it seems relevant.

[@therealdutchidiot]

But that's teh secret in the Netherlands: you first get all political parties to sign off so you don't worry about the election cycle. Backlash is a thing but especially on municipal levels generally ignored. The traffic circulation plan in Groningen introduced in the 1970s is a great example of that.

[@CreativeExcusesGaming]

While geographically correct, the “American South” is usually just the South east. South and South East are synonymous for Americans. Vegas is in the Southwest, but not the south.

[@Zalis116]

Indeed, "The South" is popularly understood to refer to the former slaveholding/Confederate states. Which would include Texas and its many massive superhighways and stroads, but not New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, California, etc.

[@joon3900]

yep

[@CaptainSiscold]

I've noticed in my town (in Alaska) that when crossing a street with a separated median, the central median is ALWAYS raised (usually to a ridiculous degree), while the cars all get a smooth lane while turning, driving through, etc. This effectively leads to "speed bumps" for bikers/pedestrians and other low-speed traffic at intersections. I was really glad that continuous sidewalks were mentioned, because that is one of my biggest frustrations of biking around my town.

[@insignificus]

25:05 YOU CANNOT BE SERIOUS

[@NotJustBikes]

Thanks to 80,000 Hours for the sponsorship. Visit 80000hours.org/notjustbikes for free advice and information about finding a career that provides an opportunity to have a positive impact on the world. Their free newsletter is actually pretty useful, so if this is something that is relevant to you, sign up today at: 80000hours.org/notjustbikes This video included a lot of 3rd party footage from professional videographers in Las Vegas, New York, and Salt Lake City. Getting good quality footage of very specific places in the world is expensive, but I think it's worth it. Would this video have been as powerful if I had just shown the crossing flags and pedestrian bridges on Google StreetView? I don't believe it would have. So I *really* appreciate sponsors like 80,000 Hours who let me hire professional videographers, pay them fairly, and make a great video out of it.

[@Paul_C]

That said, at least the flags are the right colour, now it is waiting for flags in pill form.

[@powerdust015lastname4]

you have made lots of videos. Is there a city that improoved their infrastructure in response to your videos?

[@1smallball]

If you are going to start with clickbait titles, go all the way. Use the word murder and put in more punctuation.

[@ietsbram]

Maybe for a future video you could dig into "zwak verkeer" It is the trafic law outlining that "no matter what" when a pedestrian/bicyclist collide with a car the car is at least partually legally responsible

[@fwizzybee42]

Me watching the section on the hawk crossing: Yeah there was this one crossing at my university that used to get students killed all the time NJB: so there’s this one crossing in Delaware… Me: yeah, that’s the one…. Edit to add: whoops this was meant to be in the main thread. Anyways in actual response to the above comment, I support having the pro footage!

[@FloydDiamond]

23:55 This is the funniest part ever on youtube :)

[@quckneasy]

I HATE SLIP LANES. You're so right saying that slip lanes shouldn't exist where people are expected to walk. Meanwhile, I have to deal with a slip lane right next to a major transportation hub, that I walk to to get to work every day. (Most) drivers just blow through, presuming they have the right of way in the slip lane, and I have no choice but to let them do it. Sure, I could get hit and "sue their ass" like people like to pretend. But I'd also like to be alive...

[@innocentnemesis3519]

So sad to hear that you were hit by a car at that crossing. Crossing the street in NA is truly terrifying, even at small intersections. I was almost hit by a truck turning right on red without looking in all directions when I had the walk signal. He yelled out ‘oops!’ at me, and I was shaking when I told him off and said ‘it’s not OOPS! It’s my LIFE.’

[@xilanceylan]

Nice eagle 17:46

[@NotJustBikes]

Wish.com Eagle. But did you know that almost any time you hear an "eagle" sound in some pro-American video it's actually a hawk? Because bald eagles sound stupid, they never actually use the right sound.

[@lifetimeexpat3905]

We moved from US to Switzerland and now even my elementary school kids are free to go anywhere they want themselves (activities, shops, schools, parks). I would never let them do it in the US, it is too dangerous - giant cars with frustrated drivers not paying attention, speeding through, looking left while turning right, and not even expecting children to be crossing, lack of other pedestrians for blocks, crossing giant parking lots… it is too dangerous for adults to walk, let alone a child. They really love freedom and independence they gained here. My son wants to experiment with cooking something, he just goes and shops for ingredients. And we don’t have to waste hours of our life in a car.

[@NotJustBikes]

Yup. It's a better life, but so many Americans just don't "get it". They're so steeped in car culture that they can't imagine a world without it.

[@CatnipMasterRace]

A note about London, and, as far as I'm aware, the rest of the UK: there isn't any scenario where it is legal for a driver to go through a signalised pedestrian crossing when the light is green (not flashing) for pedestrians - ie almost every pedestrian crossing in the UK is, as you described it, a pedestrian scramble crossing despite not all of them necessarily having the foot traffic to justify it. It may not be the most efficient solution but it's certainly very safe (as long as drivers respect red lights which they do most of the time and far more than in the US - I assume it's enforced better but theres probably other reasons as well). There are however a lot of two stage crossings which are almost never timed well like they are in the Netherlands.

[@edj4833]

You do need to be careful still in the UK though, there are drivers who either skip lights or go through very late. I nearly got taken out on my bike by one of those the other day.

[@swanchamp5136]

I'm fairly sure some of the lights at junctions are fixed on a timer on a constant loop and the pedestrian crossing buttons don't actually effect when you can actually cross the road. Zebra crossings on the other hand I have nearly been run over on a few times as some drivers either do not understand what they are or do not understand the rules about them with drivers just flying through them when you are waiting to cross because they think they do not have to stop unless you are on it. I did have fun watching one woman getting pulled over by the police as she was so busy giving me the stink eye as she drove through the zebra crossing I was trying to cross she hadn't noticed the police car behind her.

[@drearyplane8259]

@@swanchamp5136 Zebra crossings heh. Where I live in the UK zebra crossings are quite commonplace and drivers respect them. So, on a trip somewhere else in the country, imagine my shock when I stride out into the crossing hardly looking, and my life flashes before my eyes.

[@sk0kiE]

Netherlands also doesn't have ridiculously oversized vehicles. In some pickup trucks you literally can't see a pedestrian right in front of you.

[@rachelsmith6122]

Woo! SLC representation! Still recovering from getting hit by a car in a crosswalk on my way home from work... on a BIKE PATH (Parley's Trail). Also, we can't even take the train anywhere because cars will hit them too. We need a serious overhaul on both the infrastructure and driving education in the state.

[@GayestWinston]

I found the part about raising the cross section to be leveled with the sidewalk really interesting. It's such a little investment for so many benefits! Very good video. Was nice to see many examples.

[@HeyItsEmilyLove]

It blows my mind how you can make me interested in sidewalks and roads. You’re great at what you do

[@DoYouFeelLucky]

This is an excellent channel, putting focus on discussion of solutions and improvements. Many just complain about the problems and worse, allow it to turn them cynical and apathetic to trying to continually improve our society (together). The latter will only worsen our problems in society and can also be a slippery slope to turning one's back on goodness and the desire to improve, along with actively supporting corruption. [Edited for clarity: It seems some people did not understand what I was saying]

[@chidenisee]

@doyoufeellucky he has actually talked about solutions in videos many times. The solutions are when he shows when it is done right. Problem is Anerica just doesn't want to do it. A week ago a mother pushing her baby through the street with the walk light was hit by a car evading the police. They didn't make it. I've lived in NY, USA and I was terrified walking there. People sometimes drove on the sidewalk as a lane.

[@vokasimid5330]

If you think that was complaining, here's a video called How Bad Architecture Wrecked Cities kzbin.info/www/bejne/h2K9loukoqmNg7M

[@rodlimadiniz]

You had me cracking at the BS flags, and I think your analysis on the reasoning (that it becomes your fault for not waving the stupid flag) is spot on. It's textbook victim blaming, all baked into the system.

[@m.r.6264]

Yeah, I'm coming to realize from this channel, and just running outside, that turning right on a red light is ridiculous. Even when I have the right of way, I still have to look at any drivers wanting to make a right hand turn, so I don't get hit, because they are looking the opposite way. I really wish we had different infrastructure here in NA

[@DFPercush]

The cars are supposed to come to a complete stop at a red light, even if they're turning right. It's supposed to be treated like a stop sign. I have a feeling that if people actually obeyed that law they would notice pedestrians more easily. It wouldn't take much for the city to put a "no right on red" sign either. But the point stands about the laws of physics being more effective than the laws of state.

[@een_schildpad]

@@DFPercush around here in the US I've often observed that even when they come to a stop, they drive off while still looking left (away from you but towards traffic) 😬

[@guy-sl3kr]

@@DFPercush Adding a sign is still putting the onus of safe driving completely on the driver and taking it away from the dangerous design of the streets themselves. Fining/imprisoning people does very little to address the problem

[@Demmrir]

I have an intersection I bike across regularly that has a leading pedestrian signal but it doesn't matter because the cars turning right go as soon as there's a gap in traffic, so they pull out right as the signal changes for pedestrians.

[@m.r.6264]

@@een_schildpad I’ve had 2 motorists actually looked at me but still make the turn. But the vast majority of looking the other way. We need roads/infrastructure that truly separates motorists from bikes and people walking

[@BjornvanSinttruije]

Your videos always make me feel so grateful for being born and raised in The Netherlands. My hometown Rotterdam still has many roads that need fixing for better people-friendliness, but even here things are soooo much better than in other parts of the world. Thanks for reminding us Dutchies of how good our infrastructure is.

[@a.awm4]

This actually makes me feel stressed just watching. I would hate to live in a place like this

[@thekingoffailure9967]

Same. Ive taken to mumbling under my breath "Please don't kill me, y'all are watching, right?" And waiting till every car visibly slows before stepping onto a FLASHING crossing cause some asshat nearly ran me over just last month!

[@papaya8634]

12:28 I have never seen these continuous sidewalks before (I am from Germany so why dont we have that here?), but after a minute of thinking about it, I think this is a pretty cool thing that shows that eco friendly pedestrians are prioritized there. I think this kind of sidewalk would encourage people to walk more and feel appreciated too.

[@arturobianco848]

Dutchy here that does a lot of his driving in Germany. I have noticed that they are making driving in and out of the smaller villager in the countryside a lot safer with traffick calming tmeasure in the last couple of years so it looks like they starting to get it in Germany to.

[@kalui96]

I grew up and live in Los Angeles. It's still "walkable" here in terms of distance, bus coverage, but definitely not in terms of careless drivers taking turns, going really fast on residential streets, and crazy + homeless people everywhere...

[@DavidLopez-rk6em]

LA is only walkable in certain parts. Over 70% of it is suburbs