Skip to content

Friday Video: What if We Let Bike Haters on Social Media Plan Our Cities?

Spoiler: nothing good!

Every time a bike lane gets built in what used to be a lane for cars, someone comes out of the woodwork to complain about how few people cycle in it — and how much worse it’s making their daily driving commute. And in some cities, mayors are even using these myths as the basis for policies to rip bike lanes out and stop neighborhoods from building new ones.

In his latest video, Nic Laporte unpacks what would really happen if we let bike lane skeptics have their way — and considering how many U.S. communities never built people-centered infrastructure in the first place, he doesn’t have to use that much imagination. So the next time you’re tempted to get into a flame war on social media, you can save yourself some peace of mind and send the haters this link instead.

Streetsblog has migrated to a new comment system. New commenters can register directly in the comments section of any article. Returning commenters: your previous comments and display name have been preserved, but you'll need to reclaim your account by clicking "Forgot your password?" on the sign-in form, entering your email, and following the verification link to set a new password — this is required because passwords could not be carried over during the migration. For questions, contact tips@streetsblog.org.

More from Streetsblog USA

The End of Gas Pain? Oregon Launches Nation’s First Road-User Charge

April 29, 2026

Chuy García: Let’s Stop Letting Truck Companies Cheat Crash Victims

April 29, 2026

Are U.S. Cities Ready for the Robo-Taxi Revolution?

April 28, 2026

Tuesday’s Headlines Pay for Roads Whether We Use Them or Not

April 28, 2026

Urban Truth Collective: The One-Hour City Conspiracy

April 27, 2026
See all posts