>>2003739>There's no reason why people can't just buy a bicycle with low gears>It will never catch on there because of stupid laws such as no sidewalkYou pretty much indirectly answered your own question here. People don't want to pedal flat out up a steep hill making miniscule progress while some boomer aggressively accelerates past mere inches from you. I hate it too, which is why I never cycle uphill on a busy road, instead I jump on the footpath if it's wide enough and gets very little foot traffic, or find a better route with a less busy road.
I know some roads with dedicated bike lanes on hills solely for going up which are a really good idea.
Also I don't know if you live here in Aus but the idea that you're actively stopped or policed from riding on the footpath or wearing a helmet is a total meme. It's really not enforced, I've ridden past cops without a helmet multiple times. They do do raids occasionally but here in Sydney I don't think they've done it for at least five years.
And most people are wearing helmets for their personal bikes anyway, it's usually only sharebikes where people can't be bothered.
