This City Built an Outstanding Bike Network. Will E-Scooters Ruin It?
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- čas přidán 18. 05. 2024
- I had intended to make a video about how Valencia, Spain became a world bike capital, but then I got here and it seemed as if half the vehicles taking up space in the vast network of protected bike lanes were not bikes, but e-scooters!
So this became a video about how a city can have the right conditions (weather, flatness) and make the right moves (tons of investment in protected facilities), but they can't necessarily control how people use the infrastructure.
This video is broadly about the importance of advancing micromobility of ANY kind, but dives into important distinctions between bikes and e-scooters, and aims to help you think about...how to think about new micromobility, if that makes sense. Safety characteristics, interactions with other public space users, personally owned vs. app-enabled dockless rentals, etc.
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Previous CityNerd Videos Referenced:
- None! But go watch them anyway
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Resources:
- E-Scooter Safety: Issues and Solutions (from the National Academies) nap.nationalacademies.org/dow...
- Portland 2009 Climate Action Plan www.portland.gov/bps/climate-...
- Valencia Municipal Bicycle Agency www.valencia.es/agenciabici/e...
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Images
- Stockholm Escooters (thumbnail) By Rlbberlin - Own work, CC0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index...
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Music:
CityNerd background: Caipirinha in Hawaii by Carmen María and Edu Espinal (CZcams music library)
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I deeply appreciate your on camera delivery. It's dry and perfectly witty. Ignore the haters. Keep pumping great content. Thanks!
CityNerd>CityOrator
Plus one. I feel like it goes with the persona.
Exactly. If I had to sum it up in one word, I'd say "genuine" - which we don't see enough of in our visual media these days.
Yeah, definitely wouldn't call his on-camera presence awkward, it's dry and sardonic, but definitely not awkward.
keep focus on content. delivery is fine.
City Nerd's delivery of dry wit is one of the things that attracted me to this channel, and great content of course.
Much appreciated!
Come for the urbanism, stay for the snark.
@@jonmeyrick I came for the snark, and stayed for the snark.
@@jonmeyrick Eh, snark you get everywhere. I like the content. Not that the snark is bad, though.
@@Kriss_L”less annoying people..”
As a San Diego resident, this breaks my heart to see what we could be.
The NIYMBY's yell the loudest here against even one bike lane.
Seriously! Getting bike lanes on Convoy and Park Blvd was like pulling teeth
Gotta give credit for them pushing ahead no matter what the NIMBYs say. I live in the same place as Todd Gloria and personally thank him all the time for making the city more bikable.
Pretty sure NIMBYS are correlating stronger with Republicans
The A holes in Del Mar would rather see a train full of people fly off the bluff than allow the track to move one inch inland.
Yup, that’s what most of you voted for! Keep voting for woke libtards and enjoy the consequences, just don’t come here ok?
People mock your style?! I find it hilarious how dry and straight-faced you can deliver punch lines. It makes the jokes even funnier. Never change!
I loved the line "I play a nerd on CZcams, but make no mistake....I am a nerd in real life." - LMAO
😂 cracked me up
I’m not surprised at all. :)
I am a traffic engineer and recently found your channel. I truly appreciate your takes on these topics. Please keep up the good work.
I live in France and have bought an e-scooter for one crucial reason: it fits in the TGV (high speed train) right with the luggage. I travel every week between Paris and Bordeaux (500km) and it feels absolutely amazing to be able to dash to the station, spend 2h in the train, and then dash to my workplace. The whole trip takes less than 3 hours door to door. Perfectly reliable, perfectly confortable, and perfectly green (about 2kg of CO2 per trip).
Gracias por poner a España en el foco de la cuestión. Tenemos mucho trabajo que hacer aquí respecto a la lucha contra el automóvil, pero espero que poco a poco los ciudadanos vayamos recuperando nuestras ciudades y nuestras regiones.
Enhorabueno. Ojalá pudieramos hacer tan progreso aquí en Estados Unidos. Pero casi no es posible por la manía de los automovilistas y los políticos que reciben dinero de los constructores que sacan provecho de un desarrollo suburbano dependiente del automóvil.
Estamos muy malacostumbrados. Los barrios americanos que a los estadounidenses les parecen enormemente paseables, a mi me parecen totalmente centrados en coches. Hablan de esfuerzos para, algun dia, lograr que puedas llegar a los sitios mas importantes en 15 minutos a pie... Cuando mi madre en Oviedo protesta cuando una tienda esta a mas de 5 minutos.
La ciudad menos densa de la peninsula es mas densa que el barrio mas denso de donde yo vivo en Estados Unidos
Everyone who is on an e-scooter is one more person who chose not to bring a 2 ton metal box with them. That is admirable- very considerate not to inflict noise, danger and asthma on everyone when you travel.
That's if they replace car travel.
In practice most e-scooter rides replace public transportation rides, at least in European cities and other countries (not in the US of course).
@@udishomer5852 Here in the UK they seem to be used for similar journeys to bikes and many people will use cars just to go round to the shops, many of the journeys are made by those too lazy, or physically unable to cycle and on routes not well served by buses and since our buses are expensive and awkward to use for many journeys, these journeys probably are replacing car journeys in many cases. Dungeons with a free bus pass will use the bus, I use my bike because it is cheap to maintain, scooters offer an alternative to people who won't pay for or wait for a bus or don't wish to pedal up all the hills in Scotland. Definitely prefer them to cars, the similar speed to a bike makes them easy to integrate- mobility scooters could use bike paths too and any number of micro-mobility vehicles that go 20 or less. Many car journeys can be replaced and stealing shares from public transport isn't inherently bad, just run smaller buses, at least a scooter is reasonably efficient for one passenger. A lot better than a big gas guzzling cage!
Then the problem is public transit not offering better service than using a scooter. Scooters would just be a symptom.
@@marquiseh5128 Scooters aren't a bad option even if replacing public transport, there's still health & fitness benefits to them, and they keep people on the streets creating a vibrant city community. Whereas particularly metro systems have a tendency to suck people underground out of touch with the businesses & communities that live in those places.
@@udishomer5852Taking a crowded bus, tram or metro in the city every day can be a miserable experience. Those people deserve a dignified way of getting around outside in the fresh air as well.
Thanks for being aware of not becoming one of those youtubers who just hates on American cities! I do understand that Europe has better infrastructure and city fabric than us. I just hate how pessimistic they can be and how they make it seem like everything is so static. It's not. Cities were changed to look like this and they can change again. Hope and believing that things can change are necessary for people to actually get out there and do things and I dislike how some youtubers put people doing their best down.
It's not hate, it's critique, and it's healthy, because if you do not know any better - you will never be better
Agreed. I know the US has a long way to go, but it's where my life is and I can't leave it, I appreciate a little optimism. I love hearing about how a good city could run, but had to unsubscribe to most other urbanist channels because they were just making fun of the US all the time and got depressing.
@@speedracer2please yeah is getting to he point we’re I see anything positive about the USA or one of its cities I scream with glee because of rare it is.there is small towns in he USA that’s are very walkable because the town was built before the car.And there is us towns and small cities that have been heavily focusing on bikes and walkability and density.
it’s okay to be angry at american cities
Not Just Bikes has really been obnoxious in this regard. We get it, the Netherlands are amazing and we're all jealous of you. Please move on now to other topics.
I lived in Valenica for a year and am planning to move back! Super exciting to hear you talk about this criminally underrated city that opened my eyes to the greatness of bikeability and excellent public transport. The 30 euros for a year of Valenbisi was one of the biggest steals of my lifetime.
I'd be happy to answer any questions you have.
how do i move there ha ha
@@thehellezell lol that one I’m still figuring out. Last time I was on a student visa, and I’ll be on one if I get to go back this year. Long-term citizenship is a much larger animal, though
It's so good!
Lots of places are available since Brexit cost the Brits their ease of access.
? does "criminally underrated" mean criminals are under rating its potentials?
City nerd is the Bob Dylan of youtube hosts. The unique quality of delivery lends itself to the well-timed jokes, making the researched material even more digestible. Don't change anything.
I kinda fancy myself the Dan Fogelberg of CZcams hosts -- smooth delivery like the finest yacht rock, but might put you to sleep
i’m a recent e-scooter convert. i was skeptical because yeah, they do get left in bad places on sidewalks, but the benefit they provide is immense. my city’s very very limited bikeshare network is not really suited to the kind of neighborhood-level trips i make, and not having to find a dock at the beginning and end of my trips is ideal. it’s eliminated a ton of car trips for me, especially to places like my gym or my favorite bar that are over 20 minutes on foot. it’s so convenient in fact that i recently sold my bike and bought my own e-scooter off my coworker. maybe that’s insane, but i’m not someone who likes working up a sweat while running my errands.
I've not been much of a bike rider but was riding a lot of scooter rentals through a work benefit and I feel like it's far more suited to a person like me that is not always wearing bike appropriate clothes and also doesn't want to deal with taking care of a vehicle after the ride ends. We just need more options.
Do you not find the scooter rentals egregiously expensive? When I've seen it here in Australia it's been more expensive than car share.
@@thegreentimtam scooter share here was only about $3 plus $0.15 per mile. not sure about car share
I also bought my own e-scooter and I love it. I’ve put so many miles on it here in Denver that I wore out the tires and had to get new ones 😂
Love my scooter, got a emove cruiser and roadrunner, super fun!
tears in my eyes as I see my favourite youtuber visiting my city. i'm a daily cyclist here in valència and we continue to push for more anti-car policies and tactical urbanism. still loads of street space dedicated to cars and parking but we've definitely made some good progress considering we're the 3rd largest city in spain
It's super important that you talk about how this is the result of a concerted effort by city governments over many years. It hasn't always been like this. It's easy to get stuck in the mindset of everything in the EU always has been and will be good, and everything in North America always has been and will be bad. The reality is that it wasn't always like this for bike infrastructure. Things can change rapidly if we make them change 👍
And even here in Valencia, it wasn’t made without opposition. The conservative party (PP) and its voters are louldly in opposition of any addition of bike infrastructure. It’s a very individualistic and car-centric political party.
I live in Germany and content like this constantly reminds me of how bad the area I live is with using my hard earned tax money to benefit car drivers instead of me. So no it's not about US vs Europe at all, even within the EU there can be stark differences, and even within the same country this applies. On the other hand, in Germany you can get your town to adopt these changes easily, as we already have mixed use neighborhoods. In the US and Canada you have to first change zoning laws, then physically rebuild the suburbs, and only then can you even really start physically benefiting from things like public transport and bike infrastructure.
@@seeibe Also the stroads in EveryTown USA with business accesses nearly every 50ft dramatically limits the safety of bike lanes.
I lived in Valencia for 3 months and it’s wild to see you talk about an intersection I walked by every single day
I live in Oregon and my city wants to convert one lane from each of the major north/south roads into bike only lanes and the uproar against it was overwhelming. It would have to be protected lanes because I fear drivers will just ignore painted markings. The driving mentality is strong here.
I Hope there is a vote on it to prove that most people want more bike lanes
What city is this? I'll bet the "overwhelming" uproar was actually a few "stakeholders" making a lot of noise for their numbers. That's why TriMet couldn't shut the transit mall in Portland to car traffic and why LTD had to divert the West Eugene EmX a mile from the most direct route. Enough with these people.
EScooters get a bad wrap, mostly because of their association with people who are tourists or people that don’t live there renting them or them being left in the middle of sidewalks or piled up somewhere. But they are a great way to get around a (particularly flat) city. They are smaller and easier to take with you into buildings or on mass transit, especially if they are collapsible. They’re more maneuverable and have a smaller footprint. Bikes are awesome but EScooters definitely have their place for many people as well. Valencia looks like a cool city!
Anything that lets people transport themselves round cities without taking a huge metal box with them is good in my book.
I get the e scooters aren’t everyone’s cup of tea but it’s inevitable that some people won’t want to cycle but are willing to scoot. We need as many non-car transport choices as possible.
As long as the scooter users safety conscious are which they are not.. they are ALWAYS in a rush and expect pedestrians to get out of THEIR way... and there is no safety regulation.. the people that use a scooter are displaced drivers.. drivers that probably lost their license and doing the same reckless behavior they did in a car, on the sidewalk. I grew up in NYC and never learned how to drive; hence I walk those scooters make it dangerous to be an individual walking; the scooter users are entitled, high, drunk, impatient, irresponsible and indifferent ... just like a lot of the bicyclists that are injuring and killing people on the sidewalks in NYC and other major cities (look it up - no one wants to admit that bicycles could ever be bad)... I am all for alternative transport in its' lane and NOT on the sidelwalks where the blind, the toddler, the disabled, the feeble are trying to go about THEIR life ... the lack of safety for pedestrians regarding scooters on sidewalks is shocking; it is clear cities or the scooter providers could care less that they are facilitating terrorizing and assault on pedestrians. Cities make sure people pay parking tickets though!
@@andrejka_talking_out_loud I mean... no they aren't killing people. But yes, we want larger side walks and dedicated lanes for scooters and bicycles. We aren't your enemy, it's the car drivers who refuse to give up an inch of space for alternate forms of transport who are your enemy.
Studying abroad in Valencia is what made me realize how bad most transport in the US is especially in similar sized cities
As a Spaniard, I usually think how underrated Spanish urbanism is compared to other European countries (even by us, Spanish people). I’d say that the fact that most of our non motorised transport is done by foot rather than by bike is a big influence in the way people see our mobility. While we have similar levels of urban car use to other renowned European countries like the Netherlands, the fact that it is done mainly by foot can subtract from our image as a sustainable mobility country (as we don’t have as many shiny bike infrastructure). I’d also say, although this is just a personal opinion, Spaniards have not been historically good at selling ourselves and usually have an inferiority complex when we compare our country with others. This is not a problem for other countries that are much more prone to see their way of doing as the best (I’m not going to name any specific country, but I’m sure you can think of some xdd)
I also want to thank you for not limiting yourself to the usual cities and countries and add to the conversation with less talked about places like Spain. I’m just fed up with Americans (also Canadians) in Europe saying how an specific way of doing something of the Netherlands is much superior to the rest of the world (like, for example, once I saw an absolutely stupid video on how street garbage bins are so groundbreaking. Maybe I wasn’t the target but those exist al around the world wtf xdd)
We have an e-scooters pilot project running here in North Vancouver, curious to hear what the city reports back with.
I'd love a video on secure bicycle parking infrastructure. It's the single biggest hold-up for myself and most people I talk to here when I ask "what's stopping you from biking more rather than driving?"
TransLink is working on rolling out more secure bike parking including lockers and parkades. It’s not nearly enough, of course, because there’s never enough funding going around, and I’m not sure how much of it has made it to the North Shore, but it’s a start! I’m hoping for a future with full bike parkades a la Dutch cities near Skytrain stations and downtown
Secure bike parking is the biggest hold up for me in San Diego, too. I don't want some crackhead stealing or otherwise molesting my bike while I'm having dinner. I'd be way more inclined to ride places if I knew my bike was going to be present and intact when I got back to it.
I'm blown away by how the Dutch and Japanese do it. Their parking garages, underground, are nicer than our shopping malls.
Huh. So it turns out you _can_ get around in other ways, and it's not just bikes.
0:48 I feel seen.
I was literally about to try and tag you in a comment 😎😎😎
8:36 But then he walks it back in the funniest way. 😂
Ba dum tsss
I see what you did there with the "Not Just Bikes" shoutout
All this time, I had no idea I was participating in Spanish culture by taking evening walks through the city with my dog after work and before dinner 😂 Me encantan mis paseos nocturnos!
Another great video! I'm a shared scooter user myself. They're great when you want to get somewhere with no physical exertion and also don't want to leave your bike locked up somewhere unattended for hours. For example, I rode one downtown recently to get to a concert. It was a more formal concert so I had a suit on and didn't necessarily want to bike, but renting a scooter was the perfect solution. My friends who I was meeting commuted an hour into the city to get to the show and it took longer for them to get from the edge of downtown to a parking garage and then walk over to the venue than it did for me to scoot down from my apartment (a 1.5 mile scooter trip for reference). I actually made it back home after the concert before they even got out of downtown and then they had another 45 to 50 minute drive after that once they got out 😂
P.S. The change of scenery from Las Vegas to Valencia is a welcome one. I'm sure even more so for you haha
I have an E-scooter that I ride a couple miles to work with (in Scottsdale, AZ) and while I love using it, the public scooters are the worst. They're littered all over since almost no one parks them where they should go, they're always blocking ramps, sidewalks, etc. It also sucks since drivers hate any shape or form of pedestrians here so I have to be extremely careful just on my short rides to work.
At work and home you have a good place to keep your scooter. what if you go somewhere else with it and need to lock it up somewhere. will it be there when you get back?
@@kennj321 I sometimes take it to nearby parks to hike and lock it up at the bike racks. But I almost never go anywhere really populated with it because of that concern. These things really could be a great alternative for short commuters but there's still too much of a stigma towards them (rightfully so), not enough smooth bike lanes to ride on (they're bumpy rides often), and they still don't have good ways to lock them up more securely (I have to haphazardly wrap my lock around it like crazy).
Shoddy e-bikes and scooters have a habit of catching fire. I like that public e-bikes are purchased and maintained by competent people. And they are always outside.
@@kennj321 A bike lock works just fine with a scooter and bike rack. Untethered scooters, though... Arizona State's police department just reported a rash of scooter thefts on and around campus today.
@@sdorn Just saw that as well. I'd NEVER park my scooter anywhere near the ASU campus lol.
The pricing strategy is genius!, it basically subsidices long-term users using short-term ones (probably turists), at the same time if you live there you will just get the year-long subscription, which is better for the bikesharing, here in GDL mexico they do the same 1-7 days 100MXN ( 5USD) - a year (20USD)
I've seen the same system to the tee used in a different European city called Ljubljana in Slovenia and there it's taken up to an even more insane level of 1€/week or 3€/year
I also thought that it was one for tourists and one for people living there. The price per hour on the yearly was also half.
And that's okay.
I love, love, love Valencia, and its Central Market. As an Australian living in America, I'm shocked by how good the train/tram infrastructure is in Valencia given the metro area only has about 2.5 million people. I know a lot of this is down to the age of the city, general attitudes to urbanism, and government priorities. But I would love a video about the general differences between planning and co-operation between different levels of government be that federal/state/city or city-to-city. Living in Jersey City, I know that the only reason we have some metro-style rail connection to NYC is not because of government planning but because of capitalism (ie. a wannabe railroad baron) during the golden age of rail in the US. Would NYC's subway exist without businesspeople trying to make a killing in the age of rail, and would it continue to exist without NYC's consolidation from five cities into one?
Just as an explainer, all that great rail network in Spain was paid for [mostly] by the EU. Spain had pretty bad trains after Franco etc, and it was one of the clearest ways to help Spain develop. And it has worked well.
Sorry, but I don't see any railroad tycoons anymore...
@@dama9150 I didn’t know that
I wish we bring back the American golden age if rail.
The golden age of rail was enabled by government policy. The government acquired the landed needed for the railways and gave it to the railroads.
Hearing the natural conditions for a bike friendly city you listed at the beginning of the video, it makes me really sad that my city didn’t take that opportunity.
A lot of US cities have great natural conditions and no follow-through, yes
@@CityNerd If you're looking for a US deep-dive, Somerville, MA and Cambridge, MA have landscapes that have radically changed for the bike-friendly better since 2018.
Same... I'm in Austin, and while we're slowly changing for the better, we really missed a great opportunity ~80 years ago.
@@lifeinhd4053 im also from Texas (Fort Worth), Austin and Fort Worth are both great cities with great climate and natural landscape, and it’s sad that cities in Texas haven’t taken their chance
Video idea: the potential of car free cities on islands.
Here in Germany we have a few islands (like Langeoog) that do not allow cars (apart from emergency vehicles of cause).
While they do not have a big population they are very touristy.
Just from looking around on google maps I feel like there are a lot of cities on islands that could go car free without much work on infrastrukture.
While I have never been there, Nassau seems like a good example. The island is small enough to be accessible by bike and maybe busses. And while it would be a risk for tourism, it could also attract people.
The biggest advantage of islands is, that litterally everyone going there takes public transport, or at least private transportation that is not cars.
Mackinac island USA is a car free touristy city that is in my state.and I went there many times and it’s nice. It has a highway meant only for bicycles and horses making it the only car free highway in USA
Manhattan, Nantucket and the smaller Hawaiian islands all seem like natural candidates, but they cling tenaciously to car use.
I don't believe that Fire Island even has roads on the inhabited part of the island.
@@ThreeRunHomer A number of people I see driving on Nantucket with large SUVs is horrible. I rented a bicycle and got everywhere on bicycle there’s some bicycle paths that I really Beautiful and peaceful and away from cars but there’s one really long bike path on that parallels a car road that you just hear the car noise
I heard the locals on Nantucket were trying to lobby to limit cars that the tourists take, but they didn’t get it past. There’s way too many cars with the tourist to make it so peaceful. Nantucket already has a bus service at least during the tourist season that stops off at many places so it would be possible to have less cars and then it would be a much peaceful vacation in Ireland.
I meant to write island instead of Ireland.
As a bike commuter in San Diego.... 😭😭😭😭 Also, e-scooters are insanely fun and yes while I did break my ankle riding one it was user error actually, not poor road conditions.
I just love the dry humor/sarcasm with which you get your points across, Ray
The only US city I've visited where e-scooters seemed to be a net positive was Indianapolis...because downtown was soooo spread out, it had minimal pedestrian traffic, and wide sidewalks/bike path.
I live in Indy and they are a real hazard on Mass Ave. They are abandoned in the middle of the sidewalk which is a real trip hazard. E-Scooters are prohibited from riding on sidewalks but that's where 90% of them are ridden and they playing the game of chicken with pedestrians.
That alien-ship looking building is actually a Valencia Opera facility with concert halls and a network of underground rehearsal spaces (Boston's Berklee college of music also occupies some of the space). It's an amazing space that had some corruption issues during the construction process in the 2000's IIRC
As a former New Yorker that visits NYC frequently, I hit like before even watching just because this is a topic that came to my mind last week. Thanks!
Have a great time in Spain!! I’m so insanely jealous of the walking culture of Europe.
I am European and I wanna defend San Diego: There is a really nice park where you can wander around in amazing architecture and even see a cactus garden with lots of different cacti. Also, they have a street with bars and clubs, which they close for cars an weekends. They have useful trams and busses as well.
I remember when these things appeared randomly in Oakland. The cities couldn’t keep up with the legislation to regulate them. The scooters were everywhere, people riding them dangerously throughout the streets, and sometimes dumping them in Lake Merrit
This sounds a lot like what happened to the dockless bike share here in Victoria. The program shut down but you still see the occasional stolen one around. Turns out if you can park it anywhere, you can easily hide it long enough to cut off the built in lock and GPS 🤷
Here in Copenhagen (Denmark), helmets for e-scootists were made mandatory a year ago. I think they mentioned that the accident rate for e-scooters is about six times higher than bikes. They have also had to implement restrictions on the number of e-scooter operators in the city and where the scooters can be parked, because they were every-bloody-where for awhile.
I used them briefly in Berlin a couple of years ago, but I'd much rather bike. Why stand up when you can be sitting down?
Valencia was already on my travel bucket-list, just for the architecture, but now it's even more so!
Would love a video about the affects of roundabouts for pedestrians. Especially, looking at Carmel IN. My experience growing up there was that it was great for car traffic but not much better walking. Also it's annoying how at first people bitch about them, not know how to use them, then finally figure them out and love them.
I like your deadpan delivery and dry humor. It's perfect for the topic. Keep up the good work!
Wow, I'm regretting not going to Valencia when I was in Spain! Although all the cities I visited were still leagues above cities in the US (Barcelona probably even more so than Valencia). From hostel to hostel people (Americans, maybe some Germans too) were saying to pass on Valencia saying it was "boring"... I guess they weren't urbanists ;)
Loving the Spain content! You're making me crave another visit though...
Now we need to make Valencia, California as bike-friendly as its Spanish counterpart.
I'd love to see a video on mid-sized North American cities that do everything big cities do well. Like which ones are most bike-able and walkable despite their relatively smaller size
My wife and I are talking about retiring in the Valencia area. We've talked about making a trip to get a feel for the city. It looks amazing. Bonus points for access to trains, bike lanes, etc.
Don’t come please, stay in your woke libtard american city you destroyed. You’ve done enough damage already, reap what you sowed ok?
you should do that. we visited twice before moving here last year.
City Nerd's sarcasm and monotone delivery crack me up every time. Don't ever change!
lol I like your camera delivery. it's one of the reasons I subscribed to the channel (the other bits were because I enjoy the stats about different places. being disabled and in a wheelchair, I always try to see what places might look more accessible than others. that being said, you do you.
Your narration is the best. Sounds very informative.
In Australia, their e-scooter rentals come with a helmet, and you get a discount for leaving it in a marked zone. These seem like inexpensive ways to address safety and clutter problems that I haven't seen yet in the US.
Another fan of your on-camera delivery. I like the rhythmic, halting cadences in your sentences. Makes you distinctive.
E-scooters as a viable micromobility option hinges on the city's ability to prevent scooter litter. If you don't have dockless scooters cluttering every street in random places, they don't stick out as a problem so much.
The main reason I watch is your vocal delivery! I love everything you're saying, but the delivery really makes it!
I lived in Valencia for a year. Extraordinary city! It DOES get pretty hot in summer though!
Never change your delivery! It’s perfect. Love the dry witty sense of humor. That, paired with the well researched content keeps me eagerly awaiting new episodes.
I love your delivery. Obviously you're striking a chord. Keep doing what you're doing.
So awesome that you went! I'm glad you're enjoying the city, I lived there in 2014 so I had no idea how many new upgrades they have made since then. This video was a delight for many many reasons! My nostalgia is overflowing!
If you're feeling homesick, there is a pub called Portland Ale House in Valencia's Eixample neighborhood (which is similar to Barcelona's Eixample grid). It's really fantastic, and was the only bar I knew of in Spain that brewed their own beer. Pretty sure an expat runs the place.
Hope you continue enjoying and being inspired by this European journey, looking forward to what comes next!
I was actually going to visit Valencia last year but couldn't because I was sick. Really regretting it now! Spain is lovely!
I live in San Diego and I sure wish we had the bicycle infrastructure Valencia, Spain has!
I was lucky to live in Valencia for 10 months a few years back at Berklee satellite campus. Getting nostalgic!
This channel is my new obsession, love your videos!
This is an interesting topic. I am fully on board with quality public transportation so I don't have to drive my own car as much. Save money on gas and maintenance as well as help the environment. I moved to Denver, which has a good rail system. I drive my car to the parking lot of a railstop when I need to go into town, and with me I bring an e-scooter I bought to commute around downtown Denver. I love my scooter. Saves me so much time and money from having to drive everywhere
I’m also in the Denver area and have put hundreds of miles on my e-scooter. Love that I can walk it onto the commuter rail cars with me. Most shops and restaurants let me store it inside while shopping/dining as well.
@@bshelley234 yep, I'm right there with you. Just wish the rail was cheaper, I think it's overpriced
@@Osiris3657 Agreed! I actually have a Commuter Eco Pass through my work that I can use to ride all trains and buses for free as a benefit, but the singe ride or day pass tickets in Denver are higher than most cities I've visited. Phoenix I got a day pass across the whole Metro system for $4!
@@bshelley234 Nice man, but I'm very jealous!
Very helpful as Valencia is currently at the top of my list of places I think I may want to live, but haven't yet visited.
Great video! I completely understand the distaste for dockless scooters/bikes, but I think there is some nuance to it and possible solutions. Here in Chicago, the docked areas can be pretty far apart, especially out in the neighborhoods, and around an event time and place (i.e. near a stadium) the docks can be either completely empty or completely full (so one cannot return a bike at that location), so the option of dockless bikes/scooters is definitely beneficial. I recently visited Denmark and tried a bikeshare with a dockless system. While dockless, the bikes can only be parked in certain areas (usually near bus stops or other public bike racks), and the system won't let you end your ride unless the bike is one of these areas (which you can view on the app on your phone). Seemed to work really well.
EScooters are great! I enjoy riding mine because it’s easier to hop on a bus or train with it, than it is with a bike. That said, the problem with the public scooters being scattered all over the place is real. Not sure how to fix that.
Anecdotally, I live next to a light rail station in Seattle, so we're the start/end point of lots of dockless scooters and bikes. People are getting _better_ about polite parking, but its a sloooow improvement.
Cities with really strict regulations are doing a better job of containing the chaos, but it often comes at cost of the companies being able to operate in them at all (usually at a huge loss). Not sure how to balance that currently.
Maybe they could fix that with the public scooter company requiring a deposit and you only receive it back if you put the scooter into the right dock and log it in.
Thank you for the comparison and quick analysis between a car oriented city and a people oriented city. Please keep up the good work. 🎉
I do like the E-scooters; I used to use them a lot when I worked in downtown Cleveland. It was a lot easier to pick one up and ride it to somewhere else downtown than to move my car and have to pay extra for parking. Occasionally I will see a scooter that isn't parked in an ideal location, but overall I don't think there as much of a nuisance here as they are in other places.
Thank you for your work!
Your delivery and wit make you one of the few channels I watch at 1x speed.
OMG! You are here in Valencia! Let's have a drink if you have time! You just filmed where I walk my dog every day.
I own an electric scooter since 4 years ago and I also do bike often around the city with the city bikes (they are heavy though).
You got everything right in your video. Even the weird pricing of the city bikes. You can rent the bikes on an app as a tourist, unlike other cities.
I hope that you have a good time in Valencia!
I've lived in Washington DC for 6+ years and have seen what a menace scooters can become. Basically Chinese manufactured metal scrap and battery trash all over the streets. Scooters enable teenagers, soccer moms, and all sorts of tourists to book it down our sidewalks at 20mph without helmets charging straight on at pedestrians, I rarely see a scooter NOT on the sidewalk. People rent them and then abandon them in the middle of sidewalks and bike lanes. As a cyclist and someone who doesn't own a car in the DC my life is in danger daily by either scooters or ubers in the bike lanes.
That's an idiot/unprotected painted gutters problem. If bikes could be on sidewalks you'd see so much of that too because they dont want to get run over by idiots in cars either.
Every upload from this channel makes me so happy
eScooters seem to share most of the benefits of bikes, and really, I suppose they're even smaller and even more maneuverable so they demand even less precious urban space. They also work well on existing bike infrastructure. So on a societal level, they mostly seem like a solid choice? On an individual level, there seem to be some greater safety concerns, perhaps somewhat compensated-for by safety equipment and/or riding a scooter with larger wheels. They also seem to have less utility since you can only really carry what you can wear on your back.
How much more carry does a bike have if you have a basket on the front of a scooter?
It looks like Valencia also has some interesting architecture.
Useful video, thank-you.
Such a phenomenal video. Enjoy Valencia
Ah, Valencia--the... Chicago? of Spain...? Ok, probably not. The dry delivery and moments like your 8:36 "I lied" is exactly why we all show up on Wednesdays for refreshing urbanist content. Still holding out hope for "CityNerd's shameless European urbanism ASMR" 2nd channel, by the way.
I watch your videos because I love you delivery style.
Glad you visited here in VLC, Ray! I'll buy you that cup of coffee via CZcams, although I'd hope to do it in person. I'm sure you're somewhere else by now.
Great video of the best city ever. Keep 'em coming!
How very dare they, you've got a marvellous speaking voice! :) Isn't Valencia wonderful - my parents have retired nearby and I love the city! Tempted to move over there myself.
Glad you made it to Valencia! Great video. Hope you’ll get to see Alicante for its beautiful pedestrian boulevard the Esplanade of Spain
In Calgary we stopped calling bike lanes bike lanes, they're now mobility lanes or cycling facilities. Part of this in response to the political wildfire of bike lanes, but the other part was to adapt to the different types of users.
Well, I do love your camera delivery, because, on one hand, your topics are pretty much always interesting.
On the other hand, if I want to take a nap, I'll put up the less interesting (to me) topics.
It's perfect, keep up the good work! :)
Great video. Hope you will someday visit Prague and do a video about it, preferably in the summer if you like Spain. Its not as great as spanish cities, because it was under soviet rule for 50 years. But still a great walkable city with very good public transit. I mean 10 minute interval is seen as very bad, 20 minute is almost unusable and 30 minutes is only for the night trams. Compare this to Memphis where 30 minutes is express 🙂with infrastructure for bikes we still have a long way to go, because we lack good roads even for cars somewhere and it is a really hilly city
bro i love your on camera delivery. keep it dry and snarky just the way i like it
I see what you did there at 4:02 and I appreciate you
I already said on twitter that I think scooters are superior but here maybe a bit more nuanced. I got an e-scooter about 5 months ago, I replace basically every trip I did by car with the thing, I live in a pretty rural setting (for Germany) and its just a blast. I am very much aware of the problems that can come with not wearing a helmet, but since the expected incidents (by german insurance, which is necessary to drive an escooter on the road) got slashed in an 1/8 after the first year because they are so safe, I am willing to continue that. Also, I did pretty long trips with the thing, around 20 kilometer and it still was a blast. When it comes to parking I also like it much more than a bike, I have it in the stairwell and can grab it and go instantly and since I know I am too lazy to get my bike, I before that just literally grabbed the car keys. And when I can't make a trip with the scooter, I at least throw it in the back of my small trusty hedge back and use it in the city I am at and try to avoid driving there.
All in all, the thing changed the way I see mobility and I think people should bury their grudge and just let people have fun. Bikes are nice, but especially ebikes are expensive and let me be honest, I am too lazy to ride a normal one, my friends got escooters too and doing trips with them is one of the most enjoyable thing I ever did. Maybe when I can afford an ebike I will use it, but right now, the scooter is too good, too fast to use, to portable and too cheap to disregard them because that will just lead to people using their car.
I've been waiting for this video, very curious on the judgement.
Fantastic....seeing Valencia's gorgeous train station made me misty eyed (the paella made me bawl). Time revisit. Good call: much more pleasant than looking at Vegas.
I visited Brussels last years and I couldn’t believe the amount of E-scooters available for rent. They were literally, everywhere - almost too much to be honest.
Perhaps worth a visit there too!
I heard "not just bikes" and like a reverse Pavlovian reaction was waiting for that bell
Being able to safely park my bike at the destination is key part of being ride-enabled.
My gut reaction to e-scooters on my city trails was outrage and frustration. It took a couple days to get myself to calm down and really just rationally think about them in general, but I still feel that instinctual discomfort for whatever reason. I'm not alone, either. My city group was/is full of people who were outraged and frustrated with the e-scooters. Justifying it for various reasons, not many giving cause to the level of frustration we feel with them. I remember introducing them to a new way of seeing it (I think it was the "another car off the road and another person on green transport!" viewpoint) but something still sits wrong with me on the topic of e-scooters.
Why is it that we feel this way? There must be *something*. This many people do not get this frustrated with a specific thing for no reason. Is it because, in car-dependent North America, we feel like biking and active transport is some sort of microculture? We share in the struggles and efforts in the physical activity and the inconvenience compared to the support cars get, so when we see these new people whizz by recklessly with zero effort, recklessly and unintentionally ignoring every ounce of trail etiquette, we get mad because our culture and place is being infringed upon? Or is it something else?
I don’t know if that’s it for you but I read a study that says escooters don’t actually eliminate traffic they just eliminate walking. As in, drivers don’t usually make the switch but pedestrians do. And in my book I think if we want to encourage active mobility, the scooters are the wrong path to go down because they set the wrong incentive.
I love your speaking style. It doesn't sound like everybody else. I'm so over the radio DJ voice so many use.
Another sensational video!
I love the way you speak, CityNerd. Keep on being yourself!
Total not obvious "Not just bikes" reference, love it.
In Vienna, we bild a second riverbed just in case of folding the Island 500 meters 20 km between the Danube and the new Danube is the best reaction spot in the city and hosts our biggest festivals every year. It is also a grate bike trip
Would love a video on how cities like Valencia can encourage e-scooter use without having them blocking sidewalks and such. I'm in Berkeley and it's such a problem cause students leave them everywhere :( big fan of less driving, not a big fan of having to walk in the street to avoid 4 e-scooters
Require the companies that rent e-scooters to create spaces for them to be parked and a system were if you don't park them it's still costing money for the irresponsible user. Here in Valencia companies like this operated a few months and they were banned from the city later instead of doing this.
By far the best urban education channel on yt!