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Your cycling fallacy is…

The weather isn’t right

“It’s too wet / dry / windy / hot / cold to cycle where I live”

The response

If it’s too cold, or wet, or hot to cycle, then it’s generally too cold, or wet, or hot to go out at all. When the streets are designed well, you are no more at the mercy of the weather when cycling, than you are when walking.

The Netherlands and Denmark routinely experience very cold winters, but good management of conditions, including clearing snow from major cycle routes, ensures that cycling remains practical as a mode of transport for most people. People still walk there when it's rainy, or cold, or hot – and they still cycle too. Research suggests that in cities with high-quality cycling infrastructure, people continue to cycle regularly even if the weather is bad. It is only in places with poor or absent cycle networks that cycling levels drop off in adverse weather.

While there may be some places with such extreme conditions that cycling is genuinely difficult, for most places this isn't true, and in no way justifies failing to provide a safe and attractive environment for cycling.

winter cycling in assen the netherlands the cycleway has been cleared of snow

Photo by A View From The Cycle Path (Copyright, used with permission)

People cycling in the rain in Utrecht

People cycling in the rain in Utrecht

Photo by BicycleDutch (Copyright, used with permission)