Not Just Bikes

The second video from my new YouTube channel, ‪@ilovethecity‬ is now available on YouTube!

As usual, the next episode is available on Nebula, so you can watch the third episode on Nebula right now. I'll put a link to it in the pinned comment.


I'm not going to post all of these videos here, so if you're interested in these (admittedly, totally different style) videos, you should probably subscribe. I do plan to post the first few releases as they come out, as people are still learning about the new channel's existence, so if that bothers you, you can object with a strongly worded letter.

1 week ago | [YT] | 563

Not Just Bikes

‪@theurbanistagenda‬ podcast is back! This episode is an interview with Ellory Smith, who works for the LA nonprofit organisation Streets for All. She's also a standup comedian and a writer for my new YouTube channel, ‪@ilovethecity‬ . Check it out!

3 weeks ago | [YT] | 313

Not Just Bikes

Our new comedy urbanism channel, I Love the City is now live! @hecity

I Love the City is a ridiculous (and often silly) take on urbanist topics, and unlike Not Just Bikes, it's actually funny because other people write the jokes! The ILTC writers are standup comedians, and they've worked on several other comedy projects that you've likely heard of, including The Daily Show, Robot Chicken, Those Who Can't, and more.

Check out our first episode, about how cars killed the hat!

Not Just Bikes will continue as usual of course, but I wanted to start something totally different. If Not Just Bikes is a hearty video essay meal, then I Love the City is the popcorn snack. And while I'm the voice of I Love the City, it's definitely not just my channel: I'm working with about a dozen people who are contributing with writing, editing, graphic design, video ideas, and every other aspect of the project.

I Love the City is also being created with the support of Nebula, and as a thanks to our supporters, every episode will be on Nebula first. That means that whenever an episode releases on YouTube, the next episode will be released on Nebula. So if you're a Nebula subscriber, the next episode is available (right now!) on Nebula. Link in the pinned comment.

So check it out, if you're interested in an urbanist channel that is incapable of taking anything seriously. And if you're more of a fan of serious video essays, you'll be glad to know there's also a new Not Just Bikes video today too. Merry Christmas!

4 weeks ago | [YT] | 480

Not Just Bikes

I enjoyed the new ‪@TypeAshton‬ video about municipal debt, comparing the US to Germany. You might enjoy it too!

https://youtu.be/w-2XqR6YHnU

1 month ago | [YT] | 571

Not Just Bikes

NOS recently released this video (in Dutch) about the problem of "fatbikes" in the Netherlands, and it's a good summary of the issue for anybody interested!

Fundamentally though, I really don't understand why there is so much talk about creating new laws to restrict fatbikes. We already have a definition of an "e-bike" in the Netherlands: 250W motor, speed-limited to 25 km/h, and you must pedal to make the motor turn on (no throttles allowed).

If a bike meets these requirements, it can be ridden on the bike path. If it does not, then it cannot, and it should be treated like a bromfiets or a speed pedelec.

The vast majority of these fatbikes have throttles (which makes them a bromfiets), motors > 250W (which makes them a speed pedelec), and their owners remove the speed limiter (which is already illegal). I hate it when people ride these things at high-speed through a crowded fietspad of course, but it seems like a problem of a lack of enforcement of existing laws to me.

Plus, as Meredith Glaser points out in the video, cars and trucks are way more dangerous than any of these ebikes.

1 month ago (edited) | [YT] | 1,019

Not Just Bikes

I came across this video of a British driving instructor who visited Eindhoven, in the Netherlands, to see if he would have problems driving with so many people cycling around. His reaction is priceless, and he keeps asking, "why don't we do this in London?!"

I try to explain that designing proper cycling infrastructure actually makes the streets better for everyone, *including* drivers, but it's so hard to get people to understand. Maybe this video will help.

1 month ago | [YT] | 1,169

Not Just Bikes

It's the 30th Anniversary of the classic game Transport Tycoon!

I'll be joining @Hellish-Gaming and his friends in a multiplayer game of OpenTTD to celebrate. Come join the livestream on YouTube or on Twitch!

2 months ago (edited) | [YT] | 273

Not Just Bikes

My latest video is finally ready (and it almost broke me).

It's a collection of all of my thoughts about self-driving cars ... and it's nearly an hour long. 😱 I've been working on this video in the background for two years, and intensely for the past two months.

I know that other video essayists make marathon-length videos, but they also use mostly "talking head" shots where they talk to the camera. Making a video this long and complicated in the style of Not Just Bikes was ridiculous. I spoke with several advocates in cities that have self-driving cars and contracted researchers, animators, and multiple videographers in different cities to make this happen, in addition to my usual video and audio editors.

My next few videos are going to have to be shorter and more straightforward or I'm going to lose my mind. 😂

This was by far my most expensive video to date, so I'm putting it up on Nebula first (link in the comments), as a thanks to all of the people who support me there.

There is no way I could have afforded to make this video without the support I get from Nebula. So if you'd like to see it early, you can sign up to Nebula via the link in the description.

2 months ago (edited) | [YT] | 8,635

Not Just Bikes

I found this short ‪@BicycleDutch‬ video to be very interesting: a comparison between a relatively new bridge in NYC compared to an older bridge in the Netherlands.

At first glance the two bridges look extremely similar, but the longer you watch the more differences you find!

https://youtu.be/1hNlPYxBor8

2 months ago | [YT] | 523

Not Just Bikes

I enjoyed this extremely accurate portrayal of the average Canadian man buying a pickup truck. It's practically a documentary.

2 months ago (edited) | [YT] | 1,146