Winter urban cycling showdown compares cities in Canada and Finland. Who will win Plus 1 Minus 2?
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- čas přidán 14. 06. 2024
- It's Plus 1 Minus 2 time again! This time, we're looking for the most bike-friendly winter city.
This collab video with @PekkaTahkola compares the Canadian city of Calgary and the Finnish city of Oulu to determine which is the most bike-friendly. It's based on the trusty (and totally made up) Plus 1 Minus 2 scale - score one point for anything that makes it easier to ride a bike, and lose two points for anything that makes it difficult or unsafe. The goal here is to showcase elements that can make cities everywhere a bit more bike-friendly.
After you watch this, make sure to go see Pekka's video so you can see his comments and his scoring. Prior to publishing, I haven't seen his video and he hasn't seen mine, but I guarantee you'll learn something - he's one of the world's foremost experts on urban winter cycling: • Calgary VS Oulu - WINT...
If you want to see more Plus 1 Minus 2 videos, check out this playlist: • Plus 1 Minus 2 Around ...
The original Plus 1 Minus 2 collab with @NotJustBikes: • Bike-friendly city sho...
0:00 Intro
1:14 Riding in Calgary, Canada
14:35 Calgary's score
14:47 Riding in Oulu, Finland
28:15 Oulu's score, and conclusions
#cycling #bike #commuting
Buy my book Frostbike: The Joy, Pain and Numbness of Winter Cycling: rmbooks.com/book/frostbike/
I don’t really do proper product reviews, but here are some products that I’ve tried on this channel that I like. (Of course you don’t need anything fancy to ride a bike, other than a bike, but these are Amazon affiliate links, and I get paid a small commission if you buy them 😉)
• Here's the winter bike I'm riding these days: bit.ly/2PhqUqF
• Cliq Smart Bike Light (nice rear brake light): amzn.to/39lfqwo
• RedShift Acrlight Smart LED Pedals (clever lights for your pedals): amzn.to/3NL1Npg
• Aftershokz Titanium bone-conducting headphones (if you want to listen while you ride): amzn.to/3e9Tofa
• JBL CLip 4 Waterproof Bluetooth Speaker (for your party-pace group rides): amzn.to/3pcMLPm
• Crane Bicycle Bell (the ding is sublime): amzn.to/3OwfZCu
• Ibex Merino Wool clothing (good for summer and winter): bit.ly/3xXkbEd
• Bicycle Cargo Net (why did it take so long for me to buy one of these?): amzn.to/31s1Ovu
• Vaude Cover II Rain Poncho (for higher-end, try Cleverhood or People’s Poncho): amzn.to/3jLkift
• Kryptonite U-Lock (your bike is going to get stolen eventually, sigh, but at least make it hard): amzn.to/3tPWcGi
• Peak Design phone case (the one I use, paired with the Peak Design phone mount): amzn.to/3HGM0FU
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As someone born and raised in Oulu, I must say that it's been mind-blowing to watch channels like yours and Not Just Bikes. I have never in my life had to wonder "I wonder if it's safe to take the bike there" when commuting in this city. Now that I've done more traveling and also seen these bike/pedestrian-focused youtube channels I've had a whole new sense of gratitude for getting to grow up in one of the only cities in the world where I could get anywhere by myself all year round.
Yup. So true. I've biked or walked to school for almost my entire life (aside from using buses in the winter since 7th grade as I went to school farther away&the winter maintenance wasn't as good then.) It was very normal but I now realise the degree of freedom it allowed me. I've also noticed that Oulu has a massive amount of shared pathways that are completely separate from roads.
It's insane to see how much the infrastructure of a place can really influence the lifestyle of the people who live there.
"not just bikes" IMHO stated it clearly "I AM NOT A BIKE PERSON just using the best mode for my trips"
and I believe EVERYBODY chooses there BEST mode for a trip and once you HAVE A CAR it becomes the "cheap" option and if your trips can NOT be biked "comfortably" you WONT invest in a bike and if biking is bad likely walking/ transit is little better so car it is and the local geography gets "programmed" for car users
Thing is even with infrastructure I’m not sure most people would make the switch.
It took him almost 20 minutes to bike what would be only 5-10 minutes by car. Like it or not people are addicted to convenience and that metric alone would kill any chance of biking becoming the norm
@@CZcamsAIbot many clearly would, though. Watch the same game he did (+1 -2) with the NotJustBikes guy in Amsterdam. When it got to the suburban hardware store, it was clear loads of other people were cycling there. When you have safe, convenient, and reliable alternatives to driving, driving becomes a lot less attractive. If you live in downtown Amsterdam, driving to the hardware store means you need to go get your car from wherever it's parked (where you likely had to pay to park it), hope that there's no traffic on your route, drive out there, park further away from the building, shop, drive back (again hoping there's not traffic), then hope there's parking when you return and likely have to pay for it again. Bikes don't get stuck in traffic, and parking them is more convenient and free, so clearly lots of people there are choosing that option.
Here in Ireland when I was working on the other side of my city, I biked there instead of taking the bus. I saved myself a few euro every day by doing this, but it was also infinitely more reliable. The bike infrastructure is nowhere near as go as Oulu or the Netherlands, but it still allowed me to get there in a reliable amount of time, while the bus would get stuck in traffic often enough that, to avoid being late, I had to leave home earlier than I would if I biked. However, if the infrastructure were worse - if I had to take less convenient routes, or if I felt much less safe biking - then I wouldn't risk it and would leave earlier and use the bus every time.
@@CZcamsAIbot in my experience, the only people who want to drive everywhere are people who grew up in places where that's the only option.
People want fresh air and to stretch their legs, especially in cold climates where you're cooped up inside so often.
@@CZcamsAIbot But good infrastructure would make that trip accessible to those who can't drive or don't own a car. And that's many people: children and teenagers, many elderly and disabled people, people who can't afford a car...
And once cycling becomes a viable option, you'll discover how pleasant it actually is to exercise during your commute and get some fresh air. And how much freedom not having to pay for a car gives you. Plus, you clearly see multiple people walking and cycling in the Oulu video. So yes, cycling can definitely become a regular commute option.
Thanks for the collab Tom, it was super fun! 🤩 I can't wait to see your video myself either, as neither of us knows yet how the other one will score Calgary and Oulu 😅🤗
I can't wait to see your video too, Pekka. It will be really interesting to see our different perceptions of things!
This was great. I can’t wait for the video where you analyse each other’s viewpoints. I first saw Tom’s video and thought he was very harsh on Calgary but after seeing Pekka’s ride in Oulu and after that, his video, I’m totally with Pekka. Oulu seems such a great city to bike (hence the amount of cyclists and pedestrians you see). Because he’s used to such great infrastructure, he immediately notices the lack off it in Tom’s video. It made me (Belgian) look at it on an all other level too. And Pekka, your opinion on (not) using salt is soooo truly right. Someone should explain that to all the responsible administrations for infrastructure in the world!
I think this episode off the game is even better then the one with Jason because you can see the importance off things like lighting and signalisation for biking in less favourable conditions.
Really great stuff. Keep on going!
What kind of Bike don you ride? (1950`s, or older?) and is that your normal commuter Bike?
@@AtheistDD My bike in the video is a regular single speed, coaster brake bike from 1937. It's probably my best bike for daily commute rides and errands 🥰
@@PekkaTahkola And as another Finn, using such an old bike is pretty rare. I would say most bikes you see on the roads are less than 10 years old.
Most teenagers seem to be even riding bikes with hydraulic disk brakes.
I've never considered travelling to another country to cycle in the winter time until now. Checking flights to Oulu.✈
WTF - Welcome To Finland 🤗
Oulu is indeed quite at the forefront with Finland's biking scene. But if you want to see more of the "winter wonderland" / nature, go >200km to north, or >150km northeast - close to the regions where the winter resorts are. T: Lappilainen (Lapland).
From a finnish guy who lives in Oulu. and removes snow for living. the city center areas are required to remove snowpiles as soon as possible, so they dont clog the sidewalks. some areas have room for temporary piles. Some piles might stay for a week tops. Secondary point of plowing by gliding over the packed snow is, you dont damage the pavement.
Thanks for doing a winter edition of urban cycling. Now I have detailed footage to show friends that it is possible to have cycling culture in winter with good infrastructure.
My visit to Oulu years ago really opened my eyes to the potential of winter cycling. It's a great city.
Pekka has more videos in which he for instance shows how their paths are maintained (vehicles, organisation, financial side). So there's really no excuse to not cycle in winter. You only need the local political willingness to enable it.
@@peterslegers6121 My excuse is that we have so good public transport (metro, trams, buses) that cycling doesn't make a sense here in Prague
@@kosskrit All of your examples require investment per direction or time. Cycling is free, if you don't consider bike maintenance. Not really comparable in my eyes.
@@kosskrit Oulu also has amazing public transport, it’s not really an argument
Fun fact: the "so safe it's boring" path was actually widened a couple of years ago. I never thought it too be too narrow before, but I guess it was because it's one of the new major bike routes in the city. There's a lot of those routes in Oulu and some of them are main routes and then there's different smaller routes and they're connected with normal multi-use paths. I think there must've been some type of campaign, because they widened and painted some routes and added route numbers to the signs (before they just had distances to different places) and also added those projectors you mentioned.
That underpath was indeed heated. One notion though, I've never thought that mixing cars with bikes in those suburban areas to be a problem, because the traffic is pretty much non-existent and when there is, the cars have to drive slowly. Kids often play all kinds of games on those streets, and it's no danger. As soon as the cars get out of the proximity of those streets, there will be bike paths as well.
Haha I gotta love how we both ended up mentioning people pretty much not using helmets in Oulu at the exact same spot in our respective videos, totally unbeknownst to each other 😂🤗
I thought wearing a helmet was mandatory by law in Finland. Is it not enforced?
@@buckwylde7965 It's not mandatory. It's in the law, but at the same time it's only a recommendation, which naturally also causes a lot of confusion.
@@buckwylde7965 As a Finnish bicyclist, I can almost guarantee that if lacking a helmet became an enforced offense worth a fine, it would crash the number of bikers by tens of percents. That's the horrifying reality that keeps politicians from changing the law. It would basically ruin the pro-biking efforts of the recent decades.
@@herrakaarme Ja ja ja, Herra, if you had to ride a bicycle here in North America you would definely wear a helmet and buy more life insurance! I have relatives in Finland I plan on visiting this summer, Mr. Putin notwithstanding. I will be on a bike the whole time and probably will have to be kicked out of your country after enjoying the bicycle infrastructure. I won't want to leave.
@@buckwylde7965 You should wear one here as well, that's what the law suggests, but when people are biking every day to school, hobbies, work, shopping, visiting friends, and so forth, using familiar, safe routes, it can get tedious because the helmet is an extra, big item. I basically only wear one when the road conditions are terrible or when I'm making a long trip, especially one involving roads shared with cars.
One thing that I would take note of is that there are blue guide signs to different locations on multi-use pathways in Oulu. Then on the main bicycle corridors there are guide signs that also show the number of the current corridor in addition to where they are taking you. But those are somewhat hard to notice in a video that was recorded when it was dark, as you probably wouldn't be able to read the text from it.
Great point. Thanks for sharing.
Yes, I found that quite notable as well. I'd say it also shows that it's not just recreational - "bike anywhere for fun" - but a serious piece of the local transportation network and gets treated as such, with appropriate wayfinding.
I live in Finland and my primary mode of transportation is bicycle.. Interesting point about having to plan a safe route, that's something I've never thought about. I have the privilege of being able to just assume I can go wherever I need to by bike.
I think you're skipping the most important issue when it comes to the differences between North America and Europe (at least Northern Europe!), which is training. Back in my late teens, I went to High School in the US, and took Drivers Ed. Then, once back in Scandinavia I had to do it all over again. The difference is immense, to put it lightly. European driver training is much more comprehensive and expensive. And one of the most important issues, which is completely missing in America as far as I'm concerned, is the notion of you being the stronger part in traffic, which means you have a duty! to yield to weaker, softer individuals on the roads - pedestrians (children who walk and bike to school in particular, because European kids do that as opposed to American kids) and bicyclists. The penalty for not yielding could potentially lead to you losing your drivers license and face a hefty fine. If you injure or cause harm a 'soft target' in traffic, not to talk about if someone dies because of you not yielding, you will almost always be held responsible and face harsh punishments. This means that (North-) European drivers deal with pedestrians and bicyclists in a very different way. I've never been so afraid as when I'm in American, walking in cities. Never so happens in Europe. The American rule which says you can turn right on red, is perhaps indicative describing how insanely anti-pedestrian and -bike American roads are, and how American drivers regard what we call 'soft' road users in Europe. Car drivers yield, they are trained to do so - and they know the punishment is severe if they don't. Which means you as a bicyclist is considerably more safe, even if the infrastructure were the same.
I am, by the way, a winter biker in the very cold winter city of Hamar, about 180km/110miles north of the Capital Oslo, and very much appreciate your videos.
Yea i just finished my motorcycle license and been seeing how things are done in usa for example is a night and day... There they get the license with almost no training at all.
Yeah only issue we have that 90 percent of cyclist dont know the rules, so basically just trying to avoid dive bombing insane cyclist here in Finland. After cyclist breaking the rules, we the car drivers get flipped the middle finger. Good stuff.
@@Sinr0ne Väistä vaan. Ymmärrän että hölömöjä ihmisiä on olemassa mutta oot varmasti ajanut pyörällä ja huomannut kun autoilijat ei esim. pysähdy suojatien alueella, ihan sama taluttaako pyörää vai ei. Mikä ero pyöräilijällä ja juoksijalla on kun mennään tien yli? 6-vuotiaat jo monesti ajelevat pyörällä niin ei voi olettaa että osaavat liikennesääntöjä. On huomannut että on ne oppinut pelkäämään autoilijoita kun pysähtyvät suojatielle ja anovat katseella lupaa mennä yli vaikka ihan oikein taluttavat pyörää. Eikö se oo helpompaa että vastuu on autoilijalla kerta kun meillä on niin hyvin pyöräteitä ja yleensä jos mennään autotien yli siinä on suojatie?
mostly true but finland prob has the least comprehensive driving school in europe
One thing is that some cyclists do take it as granted. A couple of years ago I was working for a summer in Helsinki as a trash collector and we were driving around emptying trashcans. Then came a turn left and some cyclist desided to cut the corners by cutting right infront of us onto the road, from a bike/walkway. And if our driver wouldn't have had such good reflexes, that biker would have been hit by us and flown onto some parked cars on the side. It was a couple of centimeters apart as we came to a stop, the car had very excellent brakes I have to say, and the cyclist didn't even seem to notice or care. But I want to reiterate, it was in Helsinki, where nobody can drive for shit with anything anyways.
I like your take on underpasses. Moving from Boston to Innsbruck Austria, the biggest difference I noticed in underpasses is that you build up your speed with the downhill first and it feels like very little to no extra effort to go up the incline on the other side. So simple, but it makes a drastic difference.
those underpasses are clearly designed to be "rolled" VS the CGY overpass that was designed to be WALKED and NOT rolled on
Innsbruck is a niiiice town. Been there a few years ago, ate Bauernkrapfn at a Christkindlmarkt and enjoyed myself quiiite a lot. stay safe & happy cycling.
The bigger thing is also that underpass needs less elevation change than overpass. Overpass needs at least 5 meters elevation to fit the big trucks under the overpass bridge.
Under pass can get away with just 3 meters of elevation change to get people and blowing equipment under the road.
26:50 Bicycle routes in Finland are designed so that you can go pretty much everywhere with a bike because teenagers/minors are expected to pretty much everywhere with a bike independently. As a result, we want those routes to be safe.
I'm in a Facebook group for cyclists in Oulu with Pekka, and seeing the two of you collaborating is like a dream come true for me. I'm trying to learn to ride my tricycle as an adult due to disability, so whatever info I can get about Oulu from a cycling point of view is precious to me. And even though I'm Finnish I prefer most of my cycling content/info to be in English. Great job guys!
So heartwarming to hear this! 🤗
@@PekkaTahkola Hei, mitäs mieltä olet noista Oulun punaisista pyöräteistä? Erityisesti niissä kohdin missä ylittää tien? Omasta mielestä ja samaa muiltakin kuullut, että ovat todella liukkaita tässä kun lähestytään nollakelejä. Hiekkaahan ne niille laittaa, mutta ei aina aivan ajoissa, nappularenkaat tietysti auttaa. Sanoisin, että kun seuraavan kerran kun niille jotain tehdään, niin pinnanlaatu tarvis tarkastuttaa tuolle lämpöalueelle.
Happened to be born in Oulu and not realizing that the bike infra what we have is not that common was an awakening moment. Never really thought about it until I traveled plenty of countries.
Loved this, well the Finnish section 😁 I lived in Kuopio Finland many years ago. The winter cycling was also amazing, separated paths all over. I used to cycle to work all winter long, totally relaxing.
lol....such a great comparison video.
Realistically of course most of us would be adding a +1 every 10 seconds for Oulu. The infrastructure, and the treating of cyclists and pedestrians 'like they actually matter', is almost dream-like...you know, like the feeling you have when you've had a wonderful dream, and you wake up smiling. What strikes me is that there are so many cities in Canada of the same size and with a similar climate to Oulu - think how much better our quality of life could be.
One '+1' that was probably not evident is that a lot of traffic lights outside the city centre in Oulu are apparently radar-controlled to go green for bikes approaching the intersection...imagine! 🙂
Traffic light control can be done traditionally with signal loops in the asphalt/tarmac, with different pressure sensitivities for car lanes and cycle lanes. That way you can detect approaching traffic and regulate traffic/the lights in the most efficient way. www.youtube.com/@OntarioTrafficMan has a few great videos on traffic light "management". New technology is used in several experiments with mobile phone apps that signal cyclists approaching a crossing, and enabling a kind of green wave on a whole stretch of lanes.
If you did that with North American cities people would be out cycling more, even in the winter. Increased cycling would also lead to a overall healthier general population. Market share in automobiles and pharmaceuticals would plummet. What are you some kind of communist?
Should it be "dream like?" Kinda the same as school shootings in usa "are *just* things that happen" It shouldn't be like that.
@@paavorajamaki7429 no it should not bee dream like, but the motor industry rule, as do mining and farming STILL.
@@devilselbow less cars on the road because other people bike IS a quality of life improvement for you, though!
Nice to see you continuing this series with other places!!
A few thoughts on biking infrastructure in the suburbs of Finland, which seems from this video to be similar to how it is in Sweden. Car traffic and bike/pedestrian traffic are always separated on arterials and collectors, but not always on local streets, since on local streets the speeds are usually low enough for it to be acceptable. Multi-use paths are used to connect areas, giving cyclists and pedestrians a short-cut which the motorist won't be able to use.
Also, in the suburbs there is lot of space to add separate infrastructure for cyclists/pedestrians, compared to the city centre, where there often is less space available for good separation. Yes, it is definitely possible to do it better, it is just a lot easier to allow for better separation when there is space for all kinds of traffic at the same time. Not enough complaints for building a separate bike/ped path, but remove cars from one street and you have a ton of motorists loudly complaining.
In North America the problem is that even in the suburbs where there is space. Most of that space is already privately owned. So adding a cycle path through property that is owned by many different individuals and businesses will be a legal mess.
Governments use eminent domain happily to build new highways, but I can't imagine any politicians willing to endure that blowback for the sake of a bike path sadly.
@@kb_100 Most videos and pictures I've seen from American suburbs show roads that are wide enough to fit in a European highway. That's also the reason why people drive into houses... in America! My guess is that you could easily nibble a bit of space from such a wide road, for two seperate bike lanes on either side, plus two strips of grass and trees to keep them separated.
@@peterslegers6121 for the quiet residential roads yes. But these roads are disconnected from each other by design. Each residential sector (subdivision) is isolated from the next one. You need to get onto the main stroad to move between them.
The stroads are very hostile and dangerous to anyone outside of a car.
@@kb_100 And yes, getting in paths that connect the cul-de-sacs directly to major destinations, is a pain. But if you want to make car-centered suburbs more pedestrian and cycling friendly, it is the thing to do. And those paths don't need to be very wide either.
It's quite reasonable but tbh it's not good enough for kids. Such streets should be designated as shared space between all traffic modes, including pedestrians and cyclists, and the speed limit must be low.
Great video! It was fascinating watching Pekka's perspective after seeing yours. Canada could learn so much by simply looking to Europe, in urbanism and beyond. One suggestion for your next such video; it would be interesting to see the routes taken by each of you on a map. Kind of think of it, that would be interesting in any of your ride videos.
Oulu is on the same latitude as Fairbank, Alaska. It is amazing to find people biking this far north. In general, I don't bike when it is below freezing here in Michigan. This video inspired me to bike to gym this afternoon😃.
FYI it is so much better to bike in frost conditions than in cold rain conditions !! (On the premise snow gets ploughed in time before it becomes snirt).
Around christmas and new year we had +0C plus rain in NL and I get instantly in winter blues. ( Short days, with clouds, rain and mud .. 😞).
Whereas mid december and this week we had (night) frost and I immediately feel better ! Just put on gloves and a head cap against dry, crisp cold ( not even thermo pants needed yet) 🧑🎄.
Against rain cold it is hard to dress. The humid cold gets in my bones and feet , a rain suit can do only so much ..
Enjoy the bike rides ! ( I hope they plough half as good as in Oulu in you place .)
Surprisingly, Oulu isn't really that cold with monthly average in January between -6 and -14.
And it's actually better when it stays below -5ish all the time. It's when snow starts to melt and freeze again, then walking, driving and cycling really begin to suck..
@@highlanderspb averages and weather are different, and Oulu has weather too. Sometimes it's colder sometimes warmer and this January has been unseasonably warm with a long thaw period. The key is adapting the maintenance to fit the weather condition, not to make weather dictate the condition on the bike path.
@@jaakkohuuki1850 Sure, Jaakko. My point was that even at high latitude one place may be much warmer than another. I visited Oulu several times (mostly in winter) and first time was taken by surprise, I did expect it to be absolutely freezing, given that it is quite far north, but the weather was much milder.
And yes, bike infrastructure was top notch even back then (15 years ago)
How was your ride?
This proves perfectly that "Winter cycling is dangerous" isn't a factual statement in on itself but just a matter of proper infrastructure
Thanks for this!
My city just put in a bike signal with a red arrow on right for the cars. The cars run the red right arrow anyway.
I live 300km south from Oulu, three times smaller town. When i go to my parents house across the town i need to cross one road, the rest is separate paths and shortcuts thru a forest. What makes that shortcut special is that it is the same one we used when going to upper school and they tried to stop us using it.. until it was time to build the bike/pedestrian infra and they used the EXACT same path we had carved for ourselves. Back in my day there were even cops at some days monitoring that shortcut so that we would not use it..
There is a separate network of paths no matter which direction i go, apart from quiet residential neighborhoods that use a lot of shared streets but speeds are so much lower there that it isn't a problem.
yea, I live in a small eastern-finnish town and my home-work trip is 4 km of shared paths and bikeroads, crossing only my own street to the sidewalk and at the workside the last 50 meters to the gate.
You should come to Valencia, Spain. It has changed a lot in the last years thanks to european funds and the cityhall being more mindful about bike infrastructure. It's not the best, but you see the differences between old and new bike lanes and has increased a lot the use of bikes to go to the city center.
Would not have thought this kind of video could be so interesting, well done, it was great :)
Another thing I like about biking in Finland is that usually bikeways are the scenic route. Like in this video, in central Oulu, it’s the bikeway that goes right on the beautiful waterfront.
One of the things that makes me mad about my city is that even though there is a lot of biking infrastructure, there are almost no bike racks to actually park your bike where your going. As you mentioned, the bike racks at most big box stores are a bit hidden as they are usually for the employees. A grocery store near my house that I always drive to that I COULD bike to, I cannot only because they don't actually have a bike rack anywhere on the property.
Bad bike parking is a problem in many cities, and it really can stifle cycling. If there's no safe place to lock a bike, a lot of people won't ride.
If you speak to the general manager of the store. Or write them a letter they might add a bike rack. Staple racks can cost as little as $150 each and can be installed with practically no tools. Just drill into the concrete then hammer in the nails.
You are already transporting your groceries on your bike, so just bring it into the store and collect your groceries with your bike. It's no bigger than a shopping cart.
@@AssBlasster yup bring that dirty bike and smear that ice and mud all over the supermarket, brilliant, someone get paid to clean that floor anyway right?
My local walmart actually removed their bike rack for some reason. Unfortunately there just isn't much incentive. The worst part is that every time i go there I see at least 2 bikes locked to the posts or trees.
Back in the day North America was really the symbol of modernity, but now, looking at it from Europe, it seems so backward
was it?, more like marketing to support the car industry. the width of roads is obscene, as are the size of their vehicles.
imo that bike rack at the end is the best, it's so hecking easy to use.
I could use a bit more slowed down footage before you wanna point something out, music ducking all the way to 0 also got a bit too noteable, otherwise really nice to see some more comparaisons 😄
That bike rack would be a bad decision in many parts of the US because people would just unscrew the wheel and steal the frame or hack through the bike lock, but it'd be fine somewhere with lower crime rates.
In north america you really need to lock the frame to the rack. Locking just the wheel, especially the front wheel is asking for trouble.
@@kb_100 That was my thought. It looked impossible to lock your frame to this bike rack.
@@AssBlasster One just needs the “Dutch-style” frame-mounted lock with a “headphone-jack-style socket for a chain or a cable) and a short chain (or, in less crime-heavy regions the short cable). It will reach from the rack to the lock (and if desired, one can bind it through all big parts in a few seconds: the front wheel, the frame, and the rear wheel). The bigger problem with this type of rack is that it is not compatible with fancier wheels (as one risks damage to a lightweight wheel with too few spokes). The latter of course is less of an issue in places where the “Dutch-style” bikes are the norm. The heavy-duty 32- or 36-spoke front wheel can take the lateral loads of the rack just fine for years on end. Of course, the cable or chain will also work with a D-lock, but the frame-mounted locks can carry the lock and the cable in the bike itself.
@@wodediannao4577 You can use chain with that kind of rack, but it must be quite long. Usually they're so empty that U-lock would work too (just don't use the busiest rack). I don't like these either, some are better than others. Sometimes they're more comfy than more "advanced" racks.
You’ve really highlighted the challenges we face here in Reno, NV for winter biking. Most of our bike lanes are painted & unprotected and when they snow plow they don’t bother doing the bike lanes - they become a snow mound. And our one major protected bike lane they don’t plow at all!
Really cool concept for bike infra education across the world - looking forward to seeing more of these!
crazy seeing my relatively small hometown on your channel! I could pinpoint all the locations in the video!
This is a great format and you should do a couple more with different cities and different destinations
We've done a few. Here's a playlist. czcams.com/play/PL9VVRCsi30Sk0_tUjy3O0Y8HIYztR-GNA.html
I think Oulu is my favourite bike friendly city, even ahead of Utrecht. Not in terms of parking, but in terms of the width of the paths and the total relaxing feel you seem to get with the lack of cars. Especially in winter when the snow adds to that feeling of total serenity. And the tracks look so wide and well groomed that you could probably cross-country ski around the city. Maybe not for commuting but for leisure I could imagine it.
Thanks! Yes, often it's possible to ski on these paths and sometimes you see ppl doing that. Not too often though, since there's a separate ~350 km network of nordic skiing trails within the city, which is of course much better for that. That network makes it also possible for some to even commute by ski. And of course you can bike to ski ⛷🚲
Oulu is less dense so getting from place to place is a whizz. In Netherlands you have cycle congestion. In Oulu you can also ride very fast bikes safely.
I think cycling routes being better in the suburbs is pretty common in Finnish cities because city centres have less space to make a good separate network. Especially Helsinki is really hard to make bike friendly because the buildings and roads have been established for so long
Slowing for cars is wise in case the car cannot stop (ice on road).
I grew up in Canada (island of Montreal) but have lived in Finland over 30 years. Though I cannot ride a bike anymore (medical reasons) my city, Jyväskylä, has almost identical bike conveniences to Oulu.
Sorry to hear about your medical condition! I hope you’re doing well anyway and find joy in other things!
This is an inspiration for cities everywhere. Thank you for showing this comparison!
16:01 packed snow offers traction. bike, ped lane marking light projection! 16:53, 17:43 brief discussion 20:40 Could use this in Boulder along Broadway along campus (e.g. Baseline to Grandview), perhaps other areas, too.
I agree that packed snow can definitely offer protection, and I don't see it utilized this way very often. Seems like a missed opportunity.
@@Shifter_Cycling Kudos to Oulu! Utilizing the packed snow is somewhat of a privilege for areas where temperatures stay below freezing for longer periods of time. A counter example to Oulu would be coastal southern Finland where you can have winters (like this year) where the temperatures go back and forth between above and below freezing every week. Even a little bit of thawing and the conditions on ped/bike lanes are ruined. New snowfall alleviates the situation somewhat but enough thawing/freezing cycles and the surfaces become very bumpy and dangerous for the rest of the winter.
There is still something to be said about using salt on the roads which creates that snow-salt-dirt.
Packed snow is also much nicer to ride on if you have studded tyres, but for packe snow to work, you really don't want the weather to warm over zero celsius and have it turn into ice with grooves from bike tyres when it freezes over again. Then you have to use some road maintenance equipment to even it out.
Awesome video! It'd definitely be interesting to see this style of scoring used for other cities, particularly those that claim to be bike friendly.
Washington, DC has implemented the Idaho stop.
Started winter riding in Regina this year but just for recreation. The streets are terrible. Snow piled on the sides making the roads very narrow, no bike lanes, and a lot of 'snirt'. I put my bike on my car rack, drive to the park, ride and then drive home. The pedestrian/biking paths in Regina are wonderful, sadly they don't work for commuting since they just go around the parks. I have been cycling for decades and had never done it in the winter and I totally agree with you it can be very pretty.
Let's face it, the main reason for having to wear a helmet is because of the metal monsters zooming past you on the road.
true
And the helmet may not even increase the probability of surviving an accident with a car or truck.
My main reason for not wearing a helmet is the amount of padding I already have due to the cold. On the other hand, the helmet keeps all that padding tighter over my ears, not letting wind in, so it actually helps against the cold too.
Oulu looks so good it's like a night and day difference compared to Tampere Finland.
I think that's just Tampere in general :P
i was surprised too. it looked as developed as here in Helsinki! my thought was that because Helsinki is the capital, its been stealing development from other places but it seems that i was wrong! maybe it was so before or something.
21:35 Those buildings are in remote heating system where the heat is transferred via hot water in huge pipes from remote location. After the water is used to heat the buildings, the return water pipes release remaining heat to the street before the water is circulated for re-heating. When it's really cold (like -35 °C) the remaining heat after warming the buildings is so low that the streets may get frost or even snow.
This year is the first year I'm making an attempt at winter biking. Today I did a trip across the city and it went well. Need to just keep to a reasonable pace and choose your route a bit more carefully. It was both faster than my other options of transit or walking, plus it was good exercise and basically free!
Your comment on there being 2 really separate infrastructures for cars and cycles in Oulu is really accurate. I lived in Oulu starting from the beginning of 90's and used a car for the first year. When I switched to bicycle after the first year, I had to re-learn all my typical routes. After commuting with a car for a year I had no idea how to get to for example my school or the city center by bike, the routes are totally different.
Great video, I live in Tallinn, Estonia, I ride my bicycle in the winter, and the pedestrian/bicycle lanes here are pretty similar to Oulu’s for what I can see in the video, specially connecting the districts in Tallinn… I tend to avoid the city center and the old town on my bike, but the city government has been making investments in the last couple of years I have been living here. Love your channel, thanks for the great content! … I have to say, one big advantage of winter riding is that there are no electric scooters going around 😅
This is great to see! I am glad this series is continuing! Will you compare Canadian towns and cities? I have a GoPro and omafiets if you need any shots of a small town and soon be moving to a city in Ontario.
here in Sydney Australia, i would give our city a generous -369 score.
plus if you were able to leave your bike unattended for a few mins without it being torn to pieces , you have unlocked an award!
Oulu at the beginning of the video when turned onto another street. It is one part of Oulu's main cycle route network, which is maintained faster as a result of accumulated snow.
I can't seem to get enough of your bike videos! They're addictively entertaining! 😄
Thanks for sharing. It's so interesting to see how Finland manages their infrastructure. Pekka seemed to go so much faster until you mentioned the packed snow. I wonder if they salt the their roads?
..and as for roads. Some national highways do get small amounts of liquid salt brine. But only when it's absolutely necessary. For other national roads and city streets it's really, really rare.
Как же круто в городе Финляндии! Очень рад за людей живущих там и имеющих возможность передвигаться на велосипеде круглый год по безопасным и красивым улицам!
Key point, The separation of modes... #comfortable
I’ve just moved to Finland for a few months. And when I learn driving at school, what they taught is Finland had a year of disaster when many people died because of traffic, and then the law has changed a lot to protect lives. One of the key point for them to prioritize is who will get hurt the most or easiest lead to lethal situation in traffic. So that’s why pedestrian and cyclist is on top of the priority.
Awesome collab, didn't expect to see Canada vs FInland for Bicycling of all things.
Great video! It's amazing the difference in Calgary between the cleared and separated lanes dowtown which looked great to ride down and the snirt covered "shared" roads and bridges which are a truly awful and unsafe place to be. It's amazing to me that in Canadian cities the default answer is just "no one would bike half the year because we have winter". Its not the weather that keeps people from commuting by bike it's the infrastructure provided!
I would have done a LOT of -2 for the "snirt" on the bike lane and that BRIDGE crossing being FORCED to ride in the motor vehicle lane and that could get "ugly" if a semi truck / bus cam behind you and COULD NOT move over and that would cause major backups in traffic if NOT a MAJOR accident if the truck-bus tries to pass
Thanks so much for the support! The snirt is the worst, and I'd argue that building bike lanes just to better manage the snirt would be well worth the investment. Thanks for watching
Hope much more of the public everywhere will actively support a greater need for proper safe bikeways and cycle paths . Give bicycles priority for noise polluting car traffic.
Nice. I skipped the Calgary section because I live in Winnipeg and yep it’s the same. So no point for me .. But the Finland section is super cool ! I’m envious.
as a PEGGER myself I have bean "watching" the bike trails and the level of clearing and MOST look like my "Dutch bike" wont be good on with the low quality snow grooming / clearing
@@jasonriddell yeah that’s why I have 650b wheels with studs. Although the clearing has been better so far this year.
Riding in Finland is quite a breeze. I like how they keep walking and cycling as one route system but happens to be parallel with car routes at times, but staying close to nature and enjoying scenery is priority for walkers/cyclists, while driving is geared towards practicality, directness, not necessarily speed. And of course, public transport like tram, metro, light rail are options of travel too, so I appreciate these varying options to get around a city.
Heard you on CBC this morning! Good job with the interview. Neat to see a youtuber I follow end up on the radio :D
As someone who lives in Oregon, I thought I had it rough compared to Montreal / Europe, but man Calgary is even worse! Props to you for surviving in such a rough place to bike
Oulu is known for great cycling infra maintainance. In some other parts of Finland it can be a hit and miss, especially if it has been snowing and the route can be plowed/not plowed alternating and there is no assurance that route has been mostly plowed when you leave for work in the morning, routes may not be continuous and instead of underpasses there can be a lot of traffic light to stop on. Also when they leave a lot of packed snow, it gets a pain to ride on when people also walk there. When it melt a bit, it gets full of foot holes and when it freezes it is so bumby.
Even in those conditions I still find winter cycling quite possible where I live. Just take a bus or car after it has been snowing a lot and the route has been plowed for the day after.
Mixed pedestrians and cyclist is also often a problem and slows you down. Especially on narrower lanes it takes only a couple persons walkin near the center to block other traffic passing safely at faster speed. Sometimes it is also problematic that using a cycling path is mandatory in Finland, if one exist.
The Canadian trip was terrifying! In the UK your SNIRT is our SLUSH.Canada trip would have been even more terrifying at night!
If your city has freeze/thaw in winter, like in my area, or Calgary where I used to live, packed snow becomes thick sheet ice, possibly wet. I suspect that it works in Oulu due to it staying cold.
Keep advocating for the Idaho stop. It makes things so much better. My state adopted it last year, and it's been great. I've not read any complaints about it.
Oh we have plenty of freeze and thaw cycles here in Oulu as well. Way way too much. The trick is to keep the packed snow layer really thin, just a few millimeters at best. No problems when such a thin layer softens.
I disagree. I doubt that most people's yards in Calgary are thick sheets of ice. It's the areas that get shovelled or plowed that turn into ice sheets, right?
@@wodediannao4577 It's the packed snow that turns to ice, not the loose fluffy stuff. Like on sidewalks where many feet have packed down the snow. If the snow isn't removed when it is still soft it will eventually harden and become icy and slippery.
That's why people are quick to shovel the snow on their properties. If you leave it there it can become dangerous over time as you walk on it and also much more difficult to remove.
Finland isn't frozen all winter. They have warm periods just like here in Sweden. And winters are unstable as heck. One day it's -20C° and a winter wonderland. Two days later it's +2C° and everything is ice, water and misery... Studded tires are a must have and they are very common. I've cycled to work here in Östersund and had water up to my wheel hubs on some streets. Slick ice underneath of course.
Bought your book! Loved it, loved this video, can't wait for the next one.
Amazing! Thank you so much. The support means a lot. I appreciate it very much.
Well, this was awesome to watch! Thanks for sharing, Tom and Pekka! I would love to do one of these with you too-- I'm in Brooklyn, NYC, USA. Let me know if you want to join forces. Cheers
What a fun video! Thanks for doing it!
Great video, will be watching Pekka's video next, and I am adding Oulu to my bucket list of places to go for a bike ride!
Welcome to Oulu! 🤗
The shared street at 20:46 has the sign "Bicycle street" so vehicle traffic should give priority to bicyclists and drive at their speed. There is also a sign that says motor vehicles are not allowed and the addition of "huoltoajo sallittu" that literary would be "maintenance drive allowed". That means transports for maintenance, heavy goods delivery or picking up/leaving children or adults with disabilities are allowed. It is also just that type of traffic to the building along that street, you can never use it to just drive through that street.
After the street crossing it is again a "Bicycle street". Anyone can drive there but it is a dead-end street for motor vehicles so only traffic to the parking will be on that street.
England is way behind the curve for bike friendly infrastructure, this is a true eye opener......!
Another awesome video Tom! Not at all surprised Oulu crushed it, but astounded as you were at the amazing consistency and connectivity and separation from cars in Oulu! I could feel myself relaxing just watching Pekka's video! Surprised however at the degree of bike infrastructure and it's maintenance in Calgary as compared to us herei n Hamilton! You really are ahead! I will watch Pekka's video now but I know where I would want to live given the choice. I think that thisis also a vey important point. Cities, to remain viable will have to draw people to them to stay vibrant. Many in North America are losing to Europe. The Jason Slaughtersof the world are voting with their feet and literally relocating for better quality of life for their families. Videos like this obliterate objections about winter cycling. All the myths elegantly exploded with infrastructure evidence of best practices! Sharrows are not infrastructure! Couldn't agree more! Thanks to you both and looking forward to more!
LOVE LOVE LOVE! This is why motorists here in North America always claim that one cannot cycle in winter. Lack of infrastructure is the real reason.
p.s. Tom, you are nearby where my parents lived
In oulu I wear a helmet, and use stud tyres, as its the autumn and spring just before/after the snow when there is black ice, or this month with effects of global heating where you're likely to come off the bike and crash onto the pavement. Which usually happens a couple of times per winter. Helmet reduces risk of concussion.
You don't wear a helmet for someone else, you wear a helmet because you could clip a curb or end up going head over handlebars, and I can bet most people would wish they wore a helmet when that happens, and it will, not one person in history has ridden a bike and not fallen off it at some point.
@@johnkapwn don't know who you are replying to, but in Oulu there is little chance of clipping the kurb, with only 2 cycle lanes 1 away/1 toward the rail station from/to city centre. All other cycle lanes/routes don't have kurbs, as they are not needed and reduce effectiveness of snow removal.
26:20 As a 8 year Oulu resident I think this point is the most apt in describing our ped/cycling infrastructure. At no point have I felt like I have to plan a route somewhere, because I know that the city has already built a road for the route I'm taking.
I almost envy areas that get winter snow. Riding in the rain and wind (there's always wind here) is much more problematic. And +12 to Oulo for leaving that layer of snow!
Yeah, having a proper winter winter, not slush winter, eases things quite a bit. But you have to do more research, maybe there's a solution.
Oulu tends to be quite windy most of the days as well :D
A hearty shout out to Oulu, my grandfather emigrated from there to the states well over a hundred years ago.
The downtown of Oulu could be a bit better with separation of bike lanes, but the good thing is that it's small enough that you can walk everywhere. Helsinki also has nice bike paths in the suburbs but considering how much bigger the inner city is they really need to do something about all the streets filled with parked cars on both sides.
I would have given the heated square a -1 for the fact you have to go through a clearly PEDESTRIAN ZONE and are forced to slow to WALKING speed
@@jasonriddell It's a zone for both pedestrians and cyclists and as someone who lives in the city I can tell you that while you do have to slow down a little, you can still safely bike at around 15-20 km/h which is way faster than walking speed. Though it could still be even better if there was a bit more separation. In Oulu in general if you can bike on 99% of the pedestrian paths and sidewalks bike. And because of the low density of people there it is nearly never an issue as the sidewalks are not crowded at all.
Funny thing is, the street that was shared with cars... is actually a bike priority street! And no, I don't like those cars parked either. I always have to keep my eye on them and ride the other side.
The thing on the pedestrian area is that you're supposed to give way with your bike and be extra polite.
@@jasonriddell He didn't have to go there, he chose to do so.
Oulu is a phenomenal place to cycle in. I lived there for about seven years and it was typically faster to get from A to B by bike than by car. It was always perfect summer/winter. It's shame this route wasn't from the university--that area is even more impressive. Thousands of bikes all parked in huge parking grids. The path that Pekka took actually starts from the university and goes down through the entire city. You really only cross paths with cars a handful of times like in the city itself.
I'm now in Levi which is a few hundred km north of the Arctic Circle so even further north than Oulu. It's a small skiing town but even this place has good cycling paths. The only issue is that it's even colder and the winter is significantly longer and darker. The sun sets for several weeks every year.
I really like the uniform bike guide signage in finnish cities with the blue signs showing direction and distance for bikes and pedestrians, and especially the new larger ones which look a bit like highway signage but scaled down to bike size
Hi! I suspect that the idea behind the packed snow method is that it keeps the surface more consistent. It's difficult to keep a pathway completely clear of snow, thus, the alternating patches of asphalt and snow are worse that thin show. Adding a few milimeters of nonuniform show (between plowing intervals) on top of the packed snow makes less difference than adding that on top of clean asphalt.
It also fills potholes and cracks making the lane smooth and also reduces friction
Thank you this was a really relaxing video somehow.
Very well done!
Thank you wery many Gents! Great video! Just shortly, the main thing for using/riding bikes is the safety for our children. I got 3 children and they want to use their bikes like always/everyday. For school, hobbies, friends, picnics, bike cross, downhill and forest trail biking. And I feel much more safe, when they can use these bike lanes. Ps. They are using helmets, always. Best Regards from Finland!
I like your channel because you compare both countries/continents fairly, unlike the other bike channel
This is bringing back some memories! As a former Calgarian I’d love to have you ID some of the avenues, streets and neighborhoods you’re riding through. Great videos!
Last winter I delivered mail at night with a bike in Oulu. People have no idea how hard it can be before the plowers wake up. Some stormy nights it was impossible to ride. All things considered it's a good city to ride, if you have a bike that hasn't been stolen that is..
As a dutchmen, i would have to say Calgary got of good compared to what i would score it... Oulo is very nice. I would feel right at home.
Really but Oulo don't have protected bike only lane. Bike riders there need to share road with peasant.
@@anubizz3 Didn't you notice how broad the roads are? It is very typical to build like this in Finnish suburbs and I've seen the same in more sparsely built Dutch neighborhoods as well. I will admit though that the downtown doesn't have the best bike infrastructure but Oulu is probably the most American looking city in Europe because it is mostly suburban sprawl with single family houses and nature yet most people bike since the network is really great.
City of Oulu !
Hey, I read your book about winter riding. Great book!
I love these. Always fun. This year’s route seemed much more comfortable. Sudbury Ontario désignâtes bike lanes as “snow dumping zones” so the 3.5 million they want to spend on separated bike lanes along ONE road will be a complete waste. I cannot commute to work if the lane is not plowed, and I am not brave enough to bike in traffic, on a stroad, during winter conditions.
Wow. Impressive for Finland. I want to move there.😮
Watching both videos on the two channels I came to the conclusion that in cities with bad bike infrastructure you lose the sense for how beautiful and lively things could be, since you have to focus on surviving and waiting all the time.
I think you missed (at least!) 2 +1s in the Oulu video @Shifter: firstly, the narrow residential street (unlike yours) enforcing low speed; and all the bike-lane signage. You were talking about route planning to find a safe route; in Oulu it appears that you don't even need route planning to find where to go!
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Fun video & great collaboration, my town is way behind Calgary, probably would have scored a minus 20, & that's without snow in the winter 😋
24:01 in the nordic countries or at least finland, bikes and pedestrians were grouped into 1 group in city planning in the 60s or whatever and cars into another group. Why this approach works so well in oulu imo is because they had a clean slate to build these paths (tho oulu does go the extra mile compared to other finnish cities). In Helsinki this approach doesn't really work for the center cause the center is bigger than oulus and "bike lanes" just take pedestrian space away making it very narrow, but in the suburbs biking is really nice, though during the winter helsinki doesn't seem to pave these paths as well as in oulu. (this is a very anecdotal comment)
The bike trails in Alou are amazing. Really nice.
Oulu looks amazing to bike in :) Of course, in this winter lighting you can't really see too much of the architecture etc. Is it worth visiting as a city? :)
it is pretty nice. I'm biased, though. grew up there.
@@solared That's good to know :) Thanks
As someone that used to live on 12th and then just off Richmond Rd by the old children's hospital and that has ridden that entire route many times, I can appreciate how much better it is now than it was 10 - 20 years ago. There's still a tonne of room for improvement but back then you wouldn't dream of riding on 12th unless you had a death wish. Then the only option was to head north and follow the river. The thing you forgot to mention about Scarboro is how the wealthy there have manage to block ingress into their neighborhood by having so many roads closed along 17th.
Ooh this should be good!
Can't wait until we can get one for Australia haha
Think it is kinda hard to judge australian cities on winter biking. 🤗
@@hendman4083 hmm you're right
I was kind of generalising the Plus 1 Minus 2, but I guess we have Canberra (our cycling city) for winter cycling (our coldest city). It gets temperatures closer to temperate parts of Europe in winter (down to neg8C), so not exactly continental like the video, but it gets frost and occasional snow.
@@betula2137 I was just kidding, plus 1 - minus 2 is just a fun way to compare the cycling infrastructure between 2 cities, seen through the eyes of one its habitants. 🤗 It does not need to be mid-winter to run the comparison, any type of weather will do.