Not Just Bikes: the videos Hacker News recommends
Not the channel's most viewed videos: the ones HN commenters kept linking with real commentary. The top pick, "How Self-Driving Cars will Destroy Cities (and what to do about it)", frequently recommended in autonomous vehicle and Waymo threads as the main counterargument, a long but worthwhile video essay on how self-driving cars could affect cities.
- 17 HN recommenders 12 months 2024–2026commentaryFrequently recommended in autonomous vehicle and Waymo threads as the main counterargument, a long but worthwhile video essay on how self-driving cars could affect cities.
- 12 HN recommenders 11 months 2021–2025explainerHN links it constantly as the standard introduction to stroads and Strong Towns-style arguments about car-centric design.
- 11 HN recommenders 10 months 2021–2025commentaryStrongly recommended as the entry point to a channel on urban planning and car dependency in North America.
- 14 HN recommenders 10 months 2021–2024explainerHN keeps pointing to it as the clearest explanation of how low-density infrastructure is financed and why it is unsustainable.
- 9 HN recommenders 9 months 2021–2025explainerRecommended again and again in traffic-safety threads as an eye-opener on road design versus posted limits and driver behavior.
- 10 HN recommenders 9 months 2021–2025explainerHN cites it constantly in threads on noise, EVs and car-free cities as the source that cars, not cities, are loud.
- 10 HN recommenders 10 months 2021–2026explainerHN links it whenever someone claims cold or snow rules out cycling, as the concise rebuttal that infrastructure and maintenance decide it.
- 9 HN recommenders 8 months 2021–2026explainerRecommended as the argument that better alternatives to driving also improve things for drivers, and as an introduction to Dutch urban planning.
- 7 HN recommenders 7 months 2020–2025explainerLinked in urbanism and car-dependence threads as a concise case for walkable fresh-food shopping.
- 7 HN recommenders 7 months 2021–2026explainerHN people recommend it as the best introduction to why sprawl and car dependence are fiscally unsustainable, often pointing to the whole series.
- 7 HN recommenders 7 months 2022–2026explainerThe standard link in threads about child autonomy, helicopter parenting and car-centric planning.
- 11 HN recommenders 5 months 2023–2026explainerIt is HN's default link whenever vehicle size comes up, with commenters recommending it for the history of the light-truck loophole and the safety effects of tall bumpers.
- 7 HN recommenders 5 months 2021–2024explainerRecommended as an introduction to the finances of suburban sprawl and its long-term consequences.
- 5 HN recommenders 5 months 2022–2026explainerThe go-to link in urban planning threads for the claim that suburban infrastructure costs more per resident than it pays back.
- 5 HN recommenders 5 months 2021–2024explainerHN commenters link it in zoning, housing and car-dependency threads as an accessible explanation of how single-use zoning and parking rules shape cities.
- 4 HN recommenders 4 months 2021–2023explainerRecommended as the standard short overview of missing middle housing and its link to zoning reform.
- 4 HN recommenders 4 months 2022–2026explainerHN recommends it whenever fitness, aging or cycling comes up, as the clearest statement that city design is the best public health investment.
- 4 HN recommenders 4 months 2021–2023explainerHN points to it as a clear introduction to why widening roads fails and why transit-only lanes matter.
- 4 HN recommenders 4 months 2023–2026explainerHN users cite it as the standard rebuttal whenever someone says that America is too big for rail or good urban design.
- 4 HN recommenders 4 months 2020–2023explainerHN cites it for the systems-over-blame view of road safety and for Dutch infrastructure design.
- 4 HN recommenders 4 months 2020–2025explainerHN commenters point to it in road safety and pedestrian death threads as the practical alternative to US road design.
- 4 HN recommenders 3 months 2022–2024explainerCited in threads about cyclist safety and traffic law as an explanation of why removing stop signs can improve safety.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2021–2024explainerHN users point to it as a vivid example of how simple, intentional street design makes a big difference for pedestrian safety.
- 4 HN recommenders 3 months 2021–2022explainerHN recommends the channel for understanding why North American road design makes cycling dangerous and how the Dutch approach differs.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2024–2025explainerHN people link it in threads on big vehicles and road safety as a comparison of US and Dutch fire department approaches.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2021–2025explainerLinked in self-driving and car-dependence threads as an example of small vehicles that help disabled and elderly people without full-size cars.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2021–2022explainerHN commenters share it as a good overview of car-light street design and its effects in discussions of car-centric cities and the 15-minute city.
- 3 HN recommenders 2 months 2021–2026explainerHN cites it in zoning, density and housing threads as an illustration of the missing middle between city center and car-dependent sprawl.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2022–2025commentaryRecommended in transit threads as a clear video essay on why American transit fails: infrequent, isolated and car-oriented surroundings.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2022–2025explainerHN cites it as an example of a business park that is drivable yet bike and transit friendly, in urbanism and transport threads.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2020–2025explainerUsed as the standard reference for what genuinely smart traffic signals look like, in threads about traffic engineering and self-driving cars.
- 3 HN recommenders 2 months 2022–2026explainerHN commenters reach for it whenever cargo bikes come up as a practical car replacement for families.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2022–2024explainerHN commenters cite it as a concise illustration of how the Netherlands narrowly avoided car-centric planning and then built its bike culture.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2021–2024explainerCited in urban planning threads as an accessible explanation of why low-density suburbs cost more to maintain than they bring in.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2021–2023explainerCited in cycling and helmet discussions as the standard explanation of the Dutch bike and its safety benefits.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2021–2023commentaryMentioned in threads on stroads and road safety as an example of the channel's critique of wasteful car infrastructure.
- 2 HN recommenders 1 months 2022–2023explainerLinked in road-safety threads as a good explanation of how street and signal design prevent pedestrian deaths.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2022–2023explainerHN cites it in threads on sprawl, density, and climate, especially for the point that everything is a short bike ride from downtown Amsterdam.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2023–2025explainerPointed to as a good rant on car-brained design and as evidence that country size is not what drives car dependence.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2025explainerHN uses it as an example that car-free, leafy suburbs where kids can bike independently are possible.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2022explainerReferenced in urban planning threads on making cities less car-centric, and the channel is recommended for road and bike safety.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2021–2023explainerCited in transit debates to show the cost and low utilization of commuter rail and the case for dense housing around stations.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2023–2026explainerUsed as a go-to reference in car-dependence debates to show that small towns and rural areas can work without cars.
- cited 3× 0 months 2022–2024explainerUsed as a concrete example of what a car-free neighbourhood looks like and of the demand for them.
- cited 4× 0 months 2021–2025explainerHN commenters use it as an example of segregated bike infrastructure and of how quiet and pleasant car-free streets are.
- cited 5× 0 months 2022–2023explainerHN cites it as an example of public transit that runs like clockwork and is convenient enough to rival cars.
Questions
Which Not Just Bikes video does Hacker News recommend most?
How Self-Driving Cars will Destroy Cities (and what to do about it): recommended in 12 different months by 17 HN users between 2024 and 2026.
Is this every Not Just Bikes video?
No. Only videos that at least three different HN users linked, in at least three different months, with at least a sentence of their own commentary. That filter is what makes the list useful.
Video list and Hacker News comment labels from HackerTube (prompted by @karpathy), released under ODC-By 1.0, built on the open-index/hacker-news archive. Hacker News data is provided by Y Combinator; comments remain the work of their authors. Video titles, channel names and thumbnails belong to their creators and are shown via YouTube. HackerTube Watch is an unofficial edition. Data export of 2026-10-31.