Biking Asheville-Is This City as TERRIBLE As They Say?

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Berm Peak

Күн бұрын

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@Pika915 2 ай бұрын

Welp theres been uhhhh... A redevelopment opportunity recently.

@michaelmason5562 2 ай бұрын

yeah just about a few buildings and roads have been moved or removed i heard. XD

@jamiemadden2924 2 ай бұрын

It sure is crazy how this video might serve as one of the last views of Asheville as it was before Hurricane Helene destroyed it.

@wanderanothermile 2 ай бұрын

It would be nice if actual pedestrian and cycling infrastructure can be considered in the rebuilding process, but I’m not going to hold my breath. I love visiting Asheville but the one day I tried to bike it while visiting was terrifying (outside of the nice trails by the Arts district along the river). It may be compared to Boulder a lot but absolutely not in non-vehicle infrastructure, that’s for sure.

@CbassPlaysGames 2 ай бұрын

Was just gonna say the same. The timing is crazy.

@tylerlego41 2 ай бұрын

Almost none of what he showed in the video was destroyed. We are still here, and Munoz is still slinging the best mexican food in town (well, soon...hopefully)!

@General_Ethos 2 ай бұрын

Yeah for sure! And that box is most likely gone for sure washed out to the coast or stuck in some downriver from where he stashed it.

@doriangel97 2 ай бұрын

All while also shitting on Florida omfg this guy

@henryforbes9257 2 ай бұрын

This video feels like the old seths bike hacks days

@jcstahl1839 2 ай бұрын

So true

@MartyWhite-b5e 2 ай бұрын

i miss those

@M5Dri3rz 2 ай бұрын

Agreed! The urban cycling and even reviewing the other styles of bikes is awesome. I love my mtb but I also have a Brompton and a cargo bike lol! N+1 household here

@lyricbread 2 ай бұрын

Agreed!

@reggie085 2 ай бұрын

Tacos

@destroyerwill6122 2 ай бұрын

Posting right before the city got destroyed is wild

@kschrem 2 ай бұрын

Don't think it was on purpose

@Ithorn110 2 ай бұрын

The bike gods were not pleased with the city design

@GianMariaRomanato 2 ай бұрын

What impressed me most is not the lack of cycle paths but the amount of litter near the stairs

@VitaKet 2 ай бұрын

Welcome to America.

@dawg7750 2 ай бұрын

@@VitaKet Nope...Welcome to Asheville

@schmitty8225 2 ай бұрын

@@dawg7750 Nope, Welcome to America.

@bubbshalub 2 ай бұрын

⁠@@schmitty8225⁠Nope, Welcome to Asheville

@danielbustillo9332 2 ай бұрын

@@bubbshalub It's america dawg lol.. Name me one american city that doesn't have a ton of litter.

@xxBrokenDreams666xx 2 ай бұрын

the timing of this video is crazy

@zachb.4429 2 ай бұрын

Found the box. Will upload some videos within the next few days when I get the stuff installed and take it out for a ride

@lukaszbielanin 2 ай бұрын

Haha I’ve been here in disbelief congrats! Found the tree too and can definitely tell people have been stomping through

@zackwilliams9007 2 ай бұрын

Congrats! It was pretty cool to see so many people looking for it. What time did you find it?

@Busmandan 2 ай бұрын

Good job! My gf and I were looking for it lol cant wait to see where you found it this was so fun

@Ben-kg7fd 2 ай бұрын

how's the poison ivy?

@SethsBikeHacks 2 ай бұрын

If you found it then I'll be getting an email from you soon! If so, congrats.

@ringsystemmusic 2 ай бұрын

This is… strange to watch after the latest hurricane. Asheville, as of this writing, is effectively an island due to massive flooding. My old college town, Boone, is similarly wrecked. I hope Asheville’s city council sees this video and builds back better.

@CarbonSolutions 2 ай бұрын

As someone who commuted by bike for about 20 years in other cities, I pretty much hung up my wheels when I moved to Asheville. Based on the combination of gnarly hills pretty much everywhere, very few bike lanes, and lots of tourists unfamiliar with navigating the city - that 9/100 checks out.

@logancole5267 2 ай бұрын

Even recreational biking is wild. I tried fairview for road biking to stay away from rt 9 and the parkway. Almost got killed 100 times

@jasonurroz570 2 ай бұрын

@@CarbonSolutions it does suck. And I agree with the 9.

@JonathanRBarnard 2 ай бұрын

I moved from Asheville in January after living there for 23 years. Spent some of it with no car and most of it with one car shared among multiple drivers. It has challenges, but it's not that bad. It's perfectly possible to live in West or north Asheville and get around on foot, by bus, and by bike.

@jasonurroz570 2 ай бұрын

@@JonathanRBarnard West and North. Conveniently the parts of town he was riding. East and South are not ideal.

@JonathanRBarnard 2 ай бұрын

@@jasonurroz570Not ideal, but I did commute for a while from W Asheville to Arden. Bus and bike there, all bike on the way back. (I did ride on Hendersonville Road sidewalks for about a mile and a half.)

@TheEvilVargon 2 ай бұрын

One thing to note about this is that Seth is an incredibly strong biker. Being able to keep up with traffic shouldn't be a requirement for being able to ride a bike around town. A passing score should be being conformable with your mom or your 10 year old kid riding around on a bike.

@rampageblizzard 2 ай бұрын

Seriously! I was impressed at how fast he was pedaling!

@pdblouin 2 ай бұрын

This video is how I used to cycle around town in a similar car-dominated city. It gets old, fast. And yeah, no one can come with me, because very few people are able to cycle at that level.

@ericsundell9978 2 ай бұрын

If you like podcasts, look up "Well there's your problem"'s episode on Urban/vehicular cycling episode about a guy named John Forrester. It explains a lot about why things are the way they are. I guess he was a VERY strong biker and just assumed everyone else should/would be as well and that its easier to ride with traffic rather than sperating it from traffic.

@mttcwll 2 ай бұрын

It was down a hill

@fallenshallrise 2 ай бұрын

Seriously. If you let your kids ride to school in most cities you'd get in trouble from Child Protective Services.

@heiselblock 2 ай бұрын

honestlly im just impressed on how that phone mount held up

@Skatted 2 ай бұрын

Quad lock 🔐

@DanielLoveReel 2 ай бұрын

Seriously, BA phone mount.

@niq872 2 ай бұрын

Yea i thought it was going to fall off any second

@and2244rew 2 ай бұрын

Sport cycling is the gateway drug into urbanism. I’m here for it.

@KadenHines-v8e 2 ай бұрын

yeah, fellow urbanist

@Jabberwockybird 2 ай бұрын

What's the gateway drug to hobby farming? Seeing how unsufferable and smug urbanists are?

@milesmartig5603 2 ай бұрын

@@Jabberwockybirdactually lots of urbanists turn into hobby farmers. It’s environmentalist and creates a nicer home environment in a city

@warw 2 ай бұрын

Loving the urbanist adjacent content recently. You rule, dude.

@warw 2 ай бұрын

I love this format and hope to see more of it

@oplkfdhgk 2 ай бұрын

yes it's very nice.

@mrping2603 2 ай бұрын

Agreed!

@jajefan123456789 2 ай бұрын

100% on board with it

@rvltadam 2 ай бұрын

100%

@LaurencevanGrisberg 2 ай бұрын

I live in the Netherlands and virtually everybody rides their bike here. You can go anywhere, and it is reasonable safe, even for small children and 80 year olds. Asheville looks sketchy as hell to me. I would probably not ride my bike there and most other people wouldn't either. You have exceptional biking skills, and a bit of luck, helping you to survive. The way you zoom down streets behind cars. We cannot expect that from an average cyclist, commuting to a shop, school or work. I would indeed give Asheville a meager 9 out of 100.

@pangurbanthecat4043 2 ай бұрын

If there was a Netherlands-like place in the US I would move there tomorrow. I can't help but feel like Americans just... don't get it.

@BruceChastain 2 ай бұрын

@@pangurbanthecat4043 yep facts

@julianmcgregor7949 2 ай бұрын

Isn't that Bentonville?@@pangurbanthecat4043

@owensnicholas 2 ай бұрын

You’re positively not wrong. But Asheville, and the entire western third of the state, is the complete opposite of the Netherlands in terms of topography. I live ten minutes, and 1500ft of elevation, outside of town. The city itself is quite hilly. I’m not sure that, even with the best bike infrastructure in the world, it would be appealing to most people to ride around.

@catsurfrawvideo8029 2 ай бұрын

@@owensnicholas Electric bikes have solved this problem in many European cities.

@falsepsyche 2 ай бұрын

While I appreciate Seth's relatively positive experience, cycling in Asheville is dangerous. In the last 13 months two cyclists have been killed in separate hit and run incidents. Just a few weeks ago a person trying to walk across the street was hit and killed accidentally. The infrastructure for people powered transportation in this town is so bad that it regularly gets people killed. Asheville On Bikes is a wonderful group and they deserve the love.

@lcweinstock 2 ай бұрын

Not just Asheville... so many American cities.

@bwest6275 2 ай бұрын

Similar to Oakland except…. They are on purpose.

@anthonyd5189 2 ай бұрын

Oof, one of my local towns actually has a survey out on how to improve the cycling friendliness as the popularity of biking is increasing.

@tarstarkusz 2 ай бұрын

There might be 100 people in Asheville who would commute with a bicycle (of which 75% would only be part time) if Asheville was rated a 90. Commuter cyclists are a rare breed. Not only that, the hills are killer, not to mention the weather.

@baronrichmond5667 2 ай бұрын

I'm not advocating against what youre saying....making any place safer is a good thing, but put your numbers into perspective with how many auto accidents/hit and runs take place in the city. Statistics say that since 2020 230 pedestrians have been hit by vehicles. There are pedestrian and cyclist accidents in every city, so we need to compare city to city instead of just saying "Asheville is unsafe because someone died."

@Driver8takeabreak 2 ай бұрын

From the footage shown here, I would agree the city definitely deserves a 9. Outside of the multi-use trails, only a few unprotected bike lanes and sharrows. Only the hardest core riders would commute in this environment. The fact that Seth saw no other riders/commuters out there (granted midday on a Tuesday) says it all.

@zippityzach 2 ай бұрын

Actually, I'd say it deserves less than a 9. And I'm a native

@martinkent333 2 ай бұрын

THE CYCLIST BREAKS THE LAW AND YOU HAVE AN OPINION? RIDING DOWNSTAIRS IS ILEGAL.

@zippityzach 2 ай бұрын

@@martinkent333 Please make sure you post General Statute for the local area that the cyclist breaks when you make claims.

@zippityzach 2 ай бұрын

@@martinkent333 which downstairs is it illegal to ride?

@martinkent333 2 ай бұрын

@@zippityzach ALL STAIRS, RUBE. STOP SIGNS ARE ALSO UNLAWFUL TO PASS. HOW EDUCATED ARE YOU? GRAVITY IS ANOTHER LAW YOU MIGHT TRY OUT TO OUTSMART. LET ME KNOW HOW THAT WORKS OUT, NEIGHBOUR. PLEASED TO MEET YOU!

@dropatrain 2 ай бұрын

Florida plate, keep our distance. That's universal.

@christinebutler7630 2 ай бұрын

Flori-duh!

@macbookpro57 2 ай бұрын

Seriously; see so many Florida plates in NC and I hate it. Worse drivers in the country by far 😂

@nicholaskane9456 2 ай бұрын

Whats funny is Florida natives are much more concerned seeing Texas, New Jersey, and New York plates than other Floridians!

@brushylake4606 2 ай бұрын

Those aren't Floridians...there "halfbackers"...New Yorkers and New Jersyites that moved from Florida halfway back up to the Carolinas.

@logancole5267 2 ай бұрын

In Asheville we say Floridiot

@DillyDallyRally 2 ай бұрын

Don’t see it being talked about much in these comments… Seth, I hope your family is safe and your home was not damaged by the recent storms and flooding in the Asheville area. You were the first person I thought about after hearing the news. My heart is aching for your quirky city. Much love from someone who loves the Pisgah area. I think if you were to share some nonprofit’s involved in the rescue, cleanup, and rebuild process after a catastrophic event, your community of subscribers could make a real difference.

@adrianbeacon6421 2 ай бұрын

Instead, you can see "liked" jokes about kayaking. I live in completely different part of the world and still wouldn't joke about the situation. What's wrong with people...

@striknein 2 ай бұрын

"I don't feel like ruining my wheels today" *hucks 8 steps* 🤣 Thanks for showing us around Asheville!

@nickrasooo3911 2 ай бұрын

Biking: 7/11 Kayaking: 100/100

@F4PhantomGaming 2 ай бұрын

💀

@oplkfdhgk 2 ай бұрын

stuff like this make me feel grateful that we even have kinda okay bike lanes where i live. sure they have some flaws but atleast i don't have to dismount to climb stairs :D

@ianross-bain3515 2 ай бұрын

Bit of a first world problem to be honest

@oplkfdhgk 2 ай бұрын

@@ianross-bain3515 ofcourse.

@the_derpler 2 ай бұрын

@@ianross-bain3515 Not if you can't afford a car.

@kiiroMADE 2 ай бұрын

@@ianross-bain3515 You should never have low ambitions. We should not be grateful, we've worked hard for generations to achieve what we have and some places like asheville is just a shame how unfriendly it is to anything else than traveling by car. Now I get it, whole of USA are like this more or less, twenty lane roads with the odd inclusion of even a pedestrian walkway ;)

@blazikem 2 ай бұрын

@@ianross-bain3515 a first world problem is complaining about losing a car lane for bikes/pedestrians when 70% of the city is all dedicated road infrastructure and parking

@harmless3449 2 ай бұрын

Hey man, hope you're all right after Helene. My mom, dad, brother and sister all live in Asheville and my father described the situation as "Apocalyptic." They haven't been able to find supplies or relocate. I'm just happy they weren't harmed. Perhaps when large areas are repaired, things can be made more bike- friendly.

@jfweleber 2 ай бұрын

Another way to evaluate things besides a numeric scale, is just a simple pass/fail scheme of "would you feel comfortable biking that route with kids". If the answer is yes, it passes, if the answer is no, then it fails. It'd be really nice for families to be able to ride around cities more.

@pedrobarros4837 2 ай бұрын

That's a pretty high bar, I don't always feel safe biking with my fiancée around here, let alone with kids... (That said, I agree with your point)

@jendib 2 ай бұрын

Completely agree. A high bar indeed but one that needs to be achieved.

@manu.yt25 2 ай бұрын

Exactly! I know he's not trying to do something wrong but I actually think that this video was bad, not really considerate of what is a good bike infrastructure that is safe for everyone.... rather than focusing on his own feeling of an old experienced bike rider used to cars who's actually not really the target population for safer bike infrastructure. Would you let your wife/kids/relatives bike there is the right question.

@manu.yt25 2 ай бұрын

@@pedrobarros4837 It's not a high bar, it's just the gold standard of inclusive bike infrastructures, and pointing that is helping cities make the right choice, avoid spending funds on shitty bike infrastructure who's only safe and comfortable for few cyclists.

@mindstalk 2 ай бұрын

Even better: would you let your kid bike alone.

@emerobo 2 ай бұрын

Biking is going to be off the menu for a long while in the high country. The hurricane absolutely destroyed the mountains of west NC and east TN

@ChrisCrond 2 ай бұрын

OMG Seth Hold's the Lane?!? I always immediately fall in love when I see other people doing this, and I feel validated in already loving you.

@hans747 2 ай бұрын

For reference on that Merrimon Ave Road Diet: That stretch of road used to be 4 traffic lanes, with no bike lanes and no turning lane in the middle. It sucked for all users. If you were in a car, it' was a PITA to do a left turn onto or off of that road. In the road diet, they toned it down to two traffic lanes, and turned the remaining space into two bike lanes and a center turning lane. The road flows less quickly now for cars, but it's a much less harrowing experience for all users. There is debate about it, but personally I think it's an improvement. And I am speaking as someone who uses that road solely when driving a car.

@zippityzach 2 ай бұрын

@@hans747 As someone who went to AB Tech and worked up Merrimon Ave in 2006, you are absolutely correct in your assessment

@4cylindersoffury252 2 ай бұрын

I agree that Merrimon used to be much less pleasant. Prior to the suicide lane, all turning happened from the travel lanes; meaning, if someone wanted to turn left, as is common around commercial businesses, the entire left lane came to a standstill. Swerving between lanes and hard stops used to be frustratingly commonplace.

@hans747 2 ай бұрын

@@4cylindersoffury252 Yup, and the right lane was right up against the curb. So even the pedestrians had cars wooshing inches away from them! It was a shitshow.

@trenthick2010 2 ай бұрын

I have been following people for bikes for a long time, and my town got a 6 out of 100 and hasn't improved in the past several years the city says they will improve pedestrian and bike traffic in the next 25-30 years. It's an absolute joke. Thank you, Seth, for putting this video out to help get traction on the People for Bikes site.

@tarstarkusz 2 ай бұрын

The city has to serve the people, not a few cyclists. There is only so much money. 90% of your city is driving and so that is where 90% of the money and effort should go.

@trenthick2010 2 ай бұрын

@tarstarkusz that's the same reason for our bike lanes not getting painted when the center lines do. Just not where the money needs to get spent... I would think the city is tired of cyclist dying from getting hit by cars so they would spend money to prevent deaths, but yea, that's not where the money is. 15 of the 66 crashes we had last year were deadly.

@tarstarkusz 2 ай бұрын

@@trenthick2010 So few people bike that the number probably pales in comparison to car deaths. I live in a city with a pretty good bike infrastructure and a million and a half people. I hardly ever see anyone using it. I can go on a 3 hour bike ride and not see a single other cyclist. Plus, you are just assuming that any accident involving a bicycle is attributable to a "lack of cycling infrastructure."

@trenthick2010 2 ай бұрын

@tarstarkusz Not the case in the town I live in. 200,000 people, and we have a pretty large community of bike riders that all complain about the same thing. I can go on a 20 min ride and see at least 2-3 other cyclists most days. You are right in the case that I am assuming that it is due to the infrastructure. I will admit that, but I have been riding around this town 20 years and visiting other places that are far better due to some paint and rumble strips.

@tarstarkusz 2 ай бұрын

@@trenthick2010 How many? 300? 500? Out of 200,000. Also, there is a big difference, IMHO, between bike riders and commuter cyclists. If you have a decent park system, that can accommodate bike riders. Commuters are the ones who really need infrastructure.

@weirdfish1216 2 ай бұрын

Watching this after Hurricane Helene feels weird

@-NateTheGreat 2 ай бұрын

Hats off Seth for braving the traffic!

@lucasrendon4182 2 ай бұрын

Getting this video on my recommended is dark as hell now

@rcranes2227 2 ай бұрын

I would love to see a collab with you and Jason from not just bikes. I have to agree with the mechanic. Seth has a higher threshold for danger and is fit and strong and can accelerate as needed or draft cars or bomb hills. Some people can do that, but the problem is that you leave out older cyclists, women and kids, so your percent of people who commute never gets above a certain level which essentially is the percentage of Seths in any city. A good bundle score is a score that makes everybody comfortable.

@JoshuaMarcAragon 2 ай бұрын

That was an anxiety inducing video. Watching you navigate the most dangerous MTB features doesn't cause me any concern, but watching those drivers zoom around you raised the blood pressure. I live in a city that scores a 75, so it is pretty easy for me to get around with little interaction with cars. I really appreciate my city after you watching you deal with traffic in Asheville.

@TiberiusMoon 2 ай бұрын

Hey Seth, please try keep a meter distance from parked cars to avoid being doored. It gives me anxiety when you ride that close! Much love.

@Unknownaurus 2 ай бұрын

Maybe it was a camera perspective thing. But how often he had to ride in a door zone was definitely the sketchiest stuff he was doing all video. I really hope he visits some other cities to see what it's like. I wonder if a colab with @NotJustBikes would be interesting.

@MediumHalf 2 ай бұрын

That's part of the problem of no bike infrastructure: you have to choose whether to risk being doored or risk being run over.

@-tr0n 2 ай бұрын

@@MediumHalf It's the problem with bike infrastructure itself. Bike lanes next to parking zones are absolutely deadly. I prefer to ride in traffic.

@thepedalkickers2701 2 ай бұрын

@@Unknownaurus I want see that. The colab.

@MediumHalf 2 ай бұрын

@@-tr0n Parking-protected bike lanes mostly solve this problem.

@ellafoxoo 2 ай бұрын

I'd love for you to contrast that to somewhere like Uppsala in Sweden. Even on the most industrial areas out of town, there are places you can ride safely and well clear of any traffic. It's amazing

@PerformanceProjects 2 ай бұрын

I lived there for two years. I was very depressed when i moved back to the states. What fantastic infrastructure for bikes!

@mikehosfelt6016 2 ай бұрын

most surprising, all the trash on the street. Ashville? the iconic mountain bike get away with all the breweries. looks like every inner city.

@Durwood71 2 ай бұрын

All the trash and graffiti does not make it look like an appealing place to ride.

@Gruwg2024 2 ай бұрын

What city doesn’t have trash in the streets?

@john_john_john 2 ай бұрын

@@Gruwg2024 Cities with proper upkeep. An airplane ticket may be required to see one, though.

@iboofer 2 ай бұрын

@@john_john_john I think it's reflective of the lack of concern for public spaces in the US (not that it's only a problem here, but oh is it a problem). We overprioritize private property and pay little concern to the spaces that aren't "mine/ours".

@Durwood71 2 ай бұрын

@@Gruwg2024 Some cities are trashier than others.

@Scoo16 2 ай бұрын

This is my favorite thing I've seen on the channel since the Moab trip with Brian and Alex. I love all the stuff on here, but this really hits the spot. Can't wait for more of these!

@colinmartin9797 2 ай бұрын

So it turns out Seth is just as good at covering city biking as he does mountain biking! Do mot city content in the future please! Seattle in particular is getting surprisingly good, and better every year

@VisualSOLUTIONSMedia 2 ай бұрын

Not a single horn honk or screaming driver? I'd give it a 10!!!

@sarahfai21 2 ай бұрын

Great video. Thanks for coming by Gravelo Workshop, Seth!

@martinkent333 2 ай бұрын

LOVE THE ILLEGAL BEHAVIOR ON THE STAIRS. DOES HE PASS STOP SIGNS TOO?

@dougcity 2 ай бұрын

journalism, love it. You're hardcore going down stairs like that (both times)

@aaronwhittemore7547 2 ай бұрын

I used to live in Asheville and biked in the city a lot. Yeah it's not the best in terms of bike infrastructure, BUT I don't think the metric captures a key factor that helps Asheville be more bikeable: its narrow and curvy streets. Both of those majorly help slow cars down, regardless of what the speed limit is and I found that as long as you know the right cut throughs via neighborhood roads you could get most places within the city without riding in sketchy situations. The routes Seth was on courtesy of Google maps were not what most locals would be taking. Of course it would be nice if the city would invest more in bike infrastructure so you don't have to be find ways around main thoroughfares. I live in Minneapolis now (the #1 city on the PeopleForBikes list), so I know what it feels like to live in a very bikeable city (by US standards anyways) and Asheville definitely doesn't measure up. But it's also not that bad.

@DEAR7340 2 ай бұрын

Agree. Motorists seem to think a curvy road is more dangerous. In my experience, high speed close calls are more common on straight roads. I'll take the curvy roads.

@QueerGravel 2 ай бұрын

I love this and hope you make it a series. Just ride around every major metro area like this. Giving a vibe for a city's cycling is so cool!

@omarmaldonado4036 2 ай бұрын

Hello Seth Just seeing this video and realizing that most of scenery is deeply affected by hurricane Helene , my prayers to you, your family and the community

@denver6011 2 ай бұрын

He just walked down the stairs. It’s the kids. I used to be so sketchy before I had kids now 13 years later anytime I think about doing anything sketchy it’s like what could happen to my kids if I get hurt… nope I’m good lol. This was a great video I hope to see more of it. An some more build I know why you don’t do it but I do miss it. I just finished a workbench in my garage I modeled after yours and I love it.

@danielbustillo9332 2 ай бұрын

As someone who grew up there, Asheville should be embarrassed by the lack of infrastructure and functional urban planning. A city where the downtown pulls thousands of tourists every year with pitiful pedestrian and active transport accessibility. So much wasted potential.

@martinkent333 2 ай бұрын

2% SCHOOL STOP SIGNS IN ASHEVILLE SAY IT ALL. CREEPY CITIENS WHO ENJOY 2% CHURCH STOP SIGNS TOO. PERHAPS ETHICS MIGHT HAPPEN..............

@therocinante3443 2 ай бұрын

And now....

@jamieewing5811 2 ай бұрын

Hope you and your family are safe after the storm!

@themostlymikeshow 2 ай бұрын

I always pictured Asheville to be cleaner than that. Geez, the litter by the stairway... When you mentioned that car and everything you really needed to know about Asheville, I was like 🤦.

@helzevec 2 ай бұрын

Asheville (Burlington, VT is another) is a sort of small cousin of a subset of cities, like Portland and Seattle, which are coming out of a pretty long renaissance period where there was a nice combination of economic success and a moderate amount of "weird" or "hippie", which kept them interesting enough to enjoy the benefits (good art, music, food, etc.) without crossing the line into scary. Now, they are rapidly declining in what many are calling a "doom loop". Effectively, during the renaissance period, these areas become very attractive to wealthy, but politically progressive demographics from out of state. They, in turn, drive the costs up dramatically, but also help permanently enshrine a politically progressive monopoly. This makes them soft targets, which attract radical activist types who take over and monopolize city councils, local politics, etc. A bubble emerges where the only "solution" is to be ever more radical. Income disparities intensify. The insane start running the asylum, effectively. This, in turn, makes these areas soft targets for homeless populations and criminals, which in turn drives away businesses, tourism, etc., hence the "doom loop". There's a book, "What's the matter with Kansas?", which explores allegedly self-defeating political culture in Red areas of the country. It strikes me that a "What's the matter with Portland/Asheville/Burlington?" desperately needs to be written.

@caitymullen1776 2 ай бұрын

Huge drug/homeless problem... City is more concerned with trying to hide it from current/potential tourists than actually fixing it 🤷‍♀️

@Train_Tok_Man 2 ай бұрын

It’s easily a 0/100 now. Edit: I’m not denying that it’s bad. I hope Asheville and many, MANY other communities in Appalachia can recover from these awful floods.

@SkyeH666 2 ай бұрын

Too soon

@SirVoidEater 2 ай бұрын

come on man, literally still dealing with the damage

@NicheGreens 2 ай бұрын

@@SirVoidEaterdoes that make it not true?

@YouCanCallMeReTro 2 ай бұрын

I clicked to see what Asheville looked like before.... and seeing what a nice city so sad to see.

@SirVoidEater 2 ай бұрын

@@YouCanCallMeReTro yeah I live an hour from Asheville it's so sad. I'm just thankful my area didn't get hit as bad

@catsurfrawvideo8029 2 ай бұрын

When I lived in the US, riding a bike was dangerous and I depended on a car for everything. Now that I'm back in Barcelona, I ride a bike everywhere safely and without any problem. I don't have a car and it's not a problem. The US has to understand that depending on a car for basic things makes people poorer and takes away their well-being and the first thing that is needed is a safe infrastructure to move around, not just for people who depend on whether cars are kind to them.

@the_derpler 2 ай бұрын

Barcelona is absolutely amazing. I'd love to leave the US and move there. It's like an affordable bay area.

@msab930 2 ай бұрын

Most Americans have no idea how wonderful most cities in Europe (but especially Spain) are for pedestrians and bikers. Once you experience it you’ll never ride your bike in most U.S. cities.

@gundamnit3594 2 ай бұрын

Yeah, it's awful here. You couldn't pay me to ride on roads here.

@iiisaac1312 2 ай бұрын

Average annual income in Houston, Texas (A car dependent city) is USD 57,420. Average annual income in Barcelona, Spain is USD 36,291. Looks like depending on a car nets you an extra 20k a year. That doesn't sound like "make you poorer" or "take away their well-being" to me.

@christopherwaller2798 2 ай бұрын

@@iiisaac1312 and how much of that 20k a year goes on auto loan payments? Needing a car to access work is a major drain on people on below average income in a lot of countries. There are other higher GPD examples such as the Netherlands which have achieved similar things, and it altogether produces a better public realm and is better for the environment. Spain only became a democracy about 45 years ago, and yet it can afford to build the second longest high speed rail network in the world, behind China. And yes, the "USA is too big" argument exists in terms of coast to coast trips, but most proposals focus on trips within individual states [eg the Texas Central proposal] or between neighbouring states with clear economic clusters.

@brycedarnell7395 2 ай бұрын

Honestly the timing of this video was really fortunate, now that Helene has passed through and just about destroyed the entire city

@trailrunnah8886 2 ай бұрын

Being a mountain biker has definitely helped me be a better Road Rider. The bike handling skills definitely come in handy. Where I live, they recently tried to do a road diet, as well as just put in a lane on a one-way road. People lost their minds on social media, and within 2 days of announcing it they had already canceled the plan.

@zippityzach 2 ай бұрын

Social media should not be a factor in these decisions. Majority of key board warriors deflate in a real world situation. Lots of pushback against the road diet on Merrimon, but glad to see the city do what they did, hope to see it extended closer to downtown. That's why Google routed him the way it did. Charlotte Street is way safer than Merrimon before the bike lane...

@jtinda 2 ай бұрын

I hope all is well with you and your family. After seeing the devastation from the flooding, you were the first person I thought about. I would hate to lose one of my favorite continent creators. Keep up with the entertaining videos.

@DasJWW 2 ай бұрын

Love the old school seth bike hacks content

@FrOdEmIc 2 ай бұрын

As an Asheville local and someone who got into biking recently thanks to Seth I greatly appreciate this! By coincidence I happened to be at New Belgium today. Wish I had seen this sooner!

@mcndjxlefnd 2 ай бұрын

I'm loving this general bicycling content you've been doing.

@GelMibson-u2y 2 ай бұрын

Stair drop in the hoods is sketchy.great video seth

@petej23 2 ай бұрын

I usually don't comment on these videos, but I really liked this one. I watch another KZbin channel that does a lot of videos on bike infrastructure in cities and I find them really interesting.

@zobilamouche420 2 ай бұрын

I hope one day you come in Europe and do the same with a city of the same size as Asheville, the whole video felt hyper dangerous and the amount of litter was insane 😅

@davyydsummers 2 ай бұрын

I love the positive energy you put into youtube. Thank you.

@MrTonka 2 ай бұрын

So much anxiety when you're going through an intersection. haha

@_Val1312_ 2 ай бұрын

I love this style of video! It'd be great to see this about other cities in the US

@memememe843 2 ай бұрын

Great video. I am a bit struck by the trash everywhere. I always thought Ashville was a super clean, green, eco city.

@Kjedesigns 2 ай бұрын

Homelessness

@winterwatson6437 2 ай бұрын

* i thought it’d be so clean and eco with all the stroads *

@anonymoususer8924 2 ай бұрын

Yeah na it's about as gross as any inner city. I feel like the same kind of people that are stereotyped to be here aren't the cleanest people in the world.

@davidtomasetti8520 2 ай бұрын

@@anonymoususer8924 adding a stereotype to a stereotype,,, a sound logical foundation to build upon

@JamesClark-c2m 2 ай бұрын

No it's always been like that worse now.

@RoachéCoaché 2 ай бұрын

Thanks for making this video. I live and ride here, and it needed to be said. Bike and pedestrian infrastructure is hugely important to the success and future of our city, as well as the safety of our citizens. There’s no reason people have to die on a bike ride or a walk. Asheville should be better than that.

@artosbear 2 ай бұрын

Oooo this did not age well not your fault but after the hurricane its all underwater.

@gankplank7809 2 ай бұрын

"Oh Boy. Ooooh Boy" I was excited with a big smile ready to you to tackle those steps. But you did pick the smarter choice 100%.

@AlstarPalmer 2 ай бұрын

Try again now

@pedestrianmale9741 2 ай бұрын

this is a great idea for a series. bravo.

@MathieuTechMoto 2 ай бұрын

for me one of the most annoying thing almost nobody talks about is traffic engine and tire noise, it becomes really irritating quickly to constantly have high noise cars and trucks just passing aside

@joelv4495 2 ай бұрын

Plus you're breathing in all the pollution

@nicks8026 2 ай бұрын

Yup. How dare cars drive on roads designed for cars to drive on.

@jaro6985 2 ай бұрын

@@nicks8026 You missed the point, a well designed bike route is far from car traffic.

@MathieuTechMoto 2 ай бұрын

@@joelv4495 mium mium perfect recipe for cancer

@MathieuTechMoto 2 ай бұрын

@@GNMi79 Nope, it's infinitely better to have better, safer, more silent and proper separated bicycle paths away from cars

@JoshuaRegan 2 ай бұрын

Gentlemen, this is the closest thing we’ll get to “riding with Seth” again Seth if you see this, we need that series back!

@MrMattie725 2 ай бұрын

What you guys call bike lanes, Belgians call 'murder strips'. Because a small 'lane', level with the road, separated only by a line and trucks flying by at 70kph is where you get killed.

@Armagedn12 Ай бұрын

I live in a town about an hour from here and yeah we have all kinds of roads that are just straight up country highways with no shoulder where everybody drives crazy fast, but they'll have signs every now and then that say "bike route." I'm not exactly sure what those signs are about, because it would be suicide to actually try that

@al-du6lb 2 ай бұрын

good video, thanks seth. I used to think road cyclist were crazy, but I actually kind of find it a bit fun battling the cars on the road as long as it's not too sketchy.

@ginomordocco4710 2 ай бұрын

Yooo! Shout out to Gravelo. Best shop in Asheville!

@reptyler123 2 ай бұрын

Im a fan of your content, but I don't mountain bike and Im not a "road biker". Im a commute biker so I especially love your videos about utilitarian bike stuff like infrastructure and bikes with purpose other than recreation. They are the original horseless vehicle and they are so practical!

@gideonsmit9910 2 ай бұрын

As a Dutch guy, this must be what Hell looks like.

@BarringtonRobinsonII 2 ай бұрын

You mean all the hills ?

@gideonsmit9910 2 ай бұрын

@@BarringtonRobinsonII Sorry, had to look up what a hill was in a dictionary. But yeah, just the hills...

@BarringtonRobinsonII 2 ай бұрын

Don't come to North Wales unless you have an e-bike then .

@ryuujinusa 2 ай бұрын

MORE of these videos! I also didn't think that was a 9, as someone who is used to riding around cars. But yah, the country needs WAY WAY WAAAAAAY more cycling infrastructure. Great video.

@urouroniwa 2 ай бұрын

As someone who grew up in the 70's, that's better than anywhere I ever cycled before about the year 2000 :-) Yes, there were less people and less cars back in the old days, but the drivers in the video seemed to be by and large pretty courteous. As much as people complain about bad drivers, it's so much better now than it used to be. In that respect I actually think the sharrows are helpful. It gives you legitimacy to be on the road. As you point out in the video, there are circumstances in which a painted on bike lane can be dangerous since people tend not to think about them, or they can be filled with dangerous objects. Often removing objects and cleaning the bike lanes is nobody's job. When I lived near London around 2010, this was my biggest problem with cycling -- you are stuck in bike lanes that are full of garbage. In your video, I think the most dangerous thing I could see there was the street parking -- especially when it coincided with a bike lane. That's just a recipe for disaster.

@northernyar6995 2 ай бұрын

Love this video seth! Reminds me of the rate the bike park series. Hope to see more of these videos!

@GearHead-55s 2 ай бұрын

uh oh, now asheville has a 0/100 bike score

@cupofsadge8359 2 ай бұрын

but it went up to 50/100 kayaking destination

@allismg5691 2 ай бұрын

Seth talking about bike infrastructure, let’s go!!!

@PuridaMedia 2 ай бұрын

Grew up in Asheville from 1993: Asheville is more of a tourist attraction now rather than some high-tech, "1st-world" city. You mainly go for the beer, Friday drum-circle, and the surrounding forests and trails of Asheville rather than the city itself. Beautiful place and always will be, but the weirdness that Asheville was known for has subsided away.

@cup_and_cone 2 ай бұрын

That's all of Buncombe County now. It's just both extremes of transplants...poor hippies and yuppies from up North. It was cool when it was just a local town with local weirdos 25 years ago.

@zippityzach 2 ай бұрын

Asheville has always been known as a city that is 10 years behind the rest of the world technologically.

@halfredp 2 ай бұрын

“oh no florida plate… let’s keep our distance” 😂 so real

@zionmobile 2 ай бұрын

“Florida plate, keep our distance” is so accurate. Moved to FL 2 years ago from Charlotte. My god are the drivers awful. It’s like mad max here. 😂

@GREATVOVA 2 ай бұрын

I hope such bad drivers will be a thing in next GTA game :D

@alnicospeaker 8 күн бұрын

Moments later, he should not have trusted florida man signalling right, to actually turn right. With out-of-town drivers I always anticipate a last-second change in direction.