Not Just Bikes — Best Videos According to Hacker News

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How Self-Driving Cars will Destroy Cities (and what to do about it)

Not Just Bikes

“It's long, but well worth an hour of your time.”

17 HN recommenders · 2024–2026

explainer

Stroads are Ugly, Expensive, and Dangerous (and they're everywhere) [ST05]

Not Just Bikes

“This video from the Not Just Bikes channel shows the stark difference between a street and a road”

12 HN recommenders · 2021–2025

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Why This Channel Exists (and why I hate Houston)

Not Just Bikes

“I watched an excellent video about Houston”

11 HN recommenders · 2021–2025

explainer

Why American Cities Are Broke - The Growth Ponzi Scheme [ST03]

Not Just Bikes

“I can't recommend this video [1] by Not Just Bikes enough.”

14 HN recommenders · 2021–2024

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The Wrong Way to Set Speed Limits [ST06]

Not Just Bikes

“it really opened my eyes on the relationship between rules and actual behavior.”

9 HN recommenders · 2021–2025

explainer

Cities Aren't Loud: Cars Are Loud

Not Just Bikes

“Fantastic video with that very name exploring just how true this is”

10 HN recommenders · 2021–2025

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Why Canadians Can't Bike in the Winter (but Finnish people can)

Not Just Bikes

“winter cycling has nothing to do with the weather, and everything to do with safe cycling infrastructure.”

10 HN recommenders · 2021–2026

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The Best Country in the World for Drivers

Not Just Bikes

“One of the many excellent videos on the Not Just Bikes YouTube channel [1] shows how the Netherlands has done it.”

9 HN recommenders · 2021–2026

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Why Grocery Shopping is Better in Amsterdam

Not Just Bikes

“had me pretty convinced land use was the key to breaking through a bad food waste vs shelf-stable food trade-off.”

7 HN recommenders · 2020–2025

explainer

The Truth about American Cities - Part 1 - Strong Towns [ST01]

Not Just Bikes

“A good introduction on that part is the strong towns playlist by the youtube channel Not Just Bikes”

7 HN recommenders · 2021–2026

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Why We Won't Raise Our Kids in Suburbia

Not Just Bikes

“Not Just Bikes has a really good video on why suburbia (usually single family housing) is often worse for children than denser environments.”

7 HN recommenders · 2022–2026

explainer

These Stupid Trucks are Literally Killing Us

Not Just Bikes

“a very relevant video about the very real problems that SUVs and modern trucks have on urban environments.”

11 HN recommenders · 2023–2026

explainer

How Bankrupt American Cities Stay Alive - Debt [ST04]

Not Just Bikes

“I highly recommend this video on the finances around urban sprawl and their long term consequences”

7 HN recommenders · 2021–2024

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Suburbia is Subsidized: Here's the Math [ST07]

Not Just Bikes

“Good overview of the research on this”

5 HN recommenders · 2022–2026

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The Lively & Liveable Neighbourhoods that are Illegal in Most of North America

Not Just Bikes

“Not Just Bikes talks about zoning in the US vs Dutch cities in this video”

5 HN recommenders · 2021–2024

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The Houses that Can't be Built in America - The Missing Middle

Not Just Bikes

“you need to watch the NotJustBikes overview of the Missing Middle problem”

4 HN recommenders · 2021–2023

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The Gym of Life

Not Just Bikes

“The best public investment to promote physical activity is designing cities to enable "the gym of life"!”

4 HN recommenders · 2022–2026

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Do Your Buses Get Stuck in Traffic? (The Downs-Thomson Paradox)

Not Just Bikes

“NotJustBikes has a good introduction to it”

4 HN recommenders · 2021–2023

explainer

The Dumbest Excuse for Bad Cities

Not Just Bikes

“For a video describing how wrong it is, refer to Not Just Bikes”

4 HN recommenders · 2023–2026

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Why Cars Rarely Crash into Buildings in the Netherlands

Not Just Bikes

“tl;dw: because they actually do what you suggest, and they incorporate their findings into better road designs.”

4 HN recommenders · 2020–2023

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Traffic Calming is Everywhere in the Netherlands

Not Just Bikes

“Consider this video on Dutch traffic calming”

4 HN recommenders · 2020–2025

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Stop Signs Suck and We Should Get Rid of Them

Not Just Bikes

“Here is a great video about life without stop signs in the Netherlands”

4 HN recommenders · 2022–2024

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The Dutch Solution for Safer Sidewalks - Continuous Sidewalks

Not Just Bikes

“talking about length of crossings on wide road, traffic signals, priorities, etc.”

3 HN recommenders · 2021–2024

explainer

Safe Cycling Showdown - Good vs. Bad City Design - Plus 1 Minus 2

Not Just Bikes

“Watch the bicycle infrastructure get better as he get out into the Amsterdam suburbs.”

4 HN recommenders · 2021–2022

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How American Fire Departments are Getting People Killed

Not Just Bikes

“shows quite well the major difference in approach between fire departments in the USA vs the Netherlands”

3 HN recommenders · 2024–2025

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The Miniature Microcars of Amsterdam

Not Just Bikes

“Please, please watch the videos I linked.”

2 HN recommenders · 2021–2025

explainer

Car-free Streets are Amazing (and we need more of them)

Not Just Bikes

“Good overview about autoluw streets and the effects they have”

2 HN recommenders · 2021–2022

explainer

Suburbs that don't Suck - Streetcar Suburbs (Riverdale, Toronto)

Not Just Bikes

“There is something in between NYC and an American-style suburb. I encourage you to take a look at Not Just Bikes”

3 HN recommenders · 2021–2026

commentary

America Always Gets This Wrong (when building transit)

Not Just Bikes

“great video essay on what north America gets wrong when building transit”

2 HN recommenders · 2022–2025

explainer

Business Parks Suck (but they don't have to)

Not Just Bikes

“makes a similar case for generic concrete business parks in the USA and Canada compared to one in the Netherlands.”

2 HN recommenders · 2022–2025

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Why the Dutch Wait Less at Traffic Lights

Not Just Bikes

“talking about length of crossings on wide road, traffic signals, priorities, etc.”

2 HN recommenders · 2020–2025

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The Car-Replacement Bicycle (the bakfiets)

Not Just Bikes

“I had my mind blown about Dutch-style cargo ebikes”

3 HN recommenders · 2022–2026

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How Highways Almost Destroyed Amsterdam - Plan Jokinen

Not Just Bikes

“about those plans, the fightback in the 1970s, and the resulting bike culture that Amsterdam has today.”

2 HN recommenders · 2022–2024

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How Suburban Development Makes American Cities Poorer [ST02]

Not Just Bikes

“Not Just Bikes is a great channel on urban development”

1 HN recommenders · 2021–2024

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Why Dutch Bikes are Better (and why you should want one)

Not Just Bikes

1 HN recommenders · 2021–2023

commentary

Throwing Good Money After Bad Car Infrastructure - Wonderland Road

Not Just Bikes

“Not Just Bikes on YouTube covers road/pedestrian/bike safety extensively.”

1 HN recommenders · 2021–2023

explainer

Crossing the Street Shouldn't Be Deadly (but it is)

Not Just Bikes

“there's also just re-designing the streets to prevent the accidents in the first place”

2 HN recommenders · 2022–2023

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Dutch Cities are Better for the Environment (and my sanity)

Not Just Bikes

“These are pretty snarky, but fun videos and the authors list their sources.”

1 HN recommenders · 2022–2023

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This Tiny Island has Insane Traffic

Not Just Bikes

“Not Just Bikes did a great rant on the carbrain of The Bahamas”

1 HN recommenders · 2023–2025

explainer

The Best-Designed Town in the Netherlands (and therefore, the world)

Not Just Bikes

“It's possible to build a low density suburb that kids can bike through safely”

1 HN recommenders · 2025

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How to (Quickly) Build a Cycling City - Paris

Not Just Bikes

“Not Just Bikes on YouTube covers road/pedestrian/bike safety extensively.”

1 HN recommenders · 2022

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The Trains that Subsidize Suburbia - GO Transit Commuter Rail

Not Just Bikes

“explored more on the NotJustBikes YouTube Channel”

1 HN recommenders · 2021–2023

explainer

Even Small Towns are Great Here (5 Years in the Netherlands)

Not Just Bikes

“Here’s a nice video about how rural towns can be configured to not be car dependent”

1 HN recommenders · 2023–2026