cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/15976653
Man with suspended license appears in Michigan court over Zoom while driving
cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/15976653
Man with suspended license appears in Michigan court over Zoom while driving
This is kind of true for me. My parents technically in another city, but the same metropolitan area. About 25-30 minutes by car, about 40-50 minutes by e-bike.
But the last time I biked there, I (and my little dog, strapped to my chest) almost got killed by a driver who was impatient with me not going enough over the speed limit. I was going about 27 or 28 in a 25mph zone. They passed me illegally, almost got hit, and would’ve slammed into me if they had gotten hit.
Bike infrastructure just isn’t here in most places. Our cities are sprawling because much of the US has no shortage of land, and cars are an integral part of navigating them. It blows.
It’s not just infrastructure, it’s the drivers as well. When I visit my parents I usually take the scenic route, which consists for a large part of narrow 60km/h roads that are shared with cars. The difference is that pretty much everyone who drives a car also cycles a lot. It’s also drilled into us during driving lessons to watch out for cyclists, since they are everywhere.
I’m so envious.
The ironic part is that I live in West Michigan. A huge portion of the population here calls themselves “Dutch” because their families immigrated here from the Netherlands a few generations ago. There’s a saying around here, “If you ain’t Dutch, you ain’t much.” So many names have “Van” or “Vander” or “stra” somewhere.
But of course they aren’t Dutch, they’re American. And their families left the Netherlands for many reasons, but a major one for the families that have been here the longest is that the Netherlands wasn’t conservative enough for them. So they’re like, the polar opposite of the modern Netherlands.
But there is a pretty good biking culture here compared to some other parts of the US. Unfortunately, that comparison isn’t particularly useful since most of the US doesn’t seem to care at all about cyclists.
I never understood that about Americans, claiming to be some other nationality. If you’re Dutch, then show me your Dutch passport.
It’s so weird, because when I as a European hear someone say “I’m <nationality>” I assume they are a citizen of that country, not that their great-great-great grandparents lived there. I wouldn’t even know where my ancestors lived that far back. I know my grandparents were Dutch, but I have no idea whatsoever about any generations before that.