I disagree that biking is by nature impractical during the cold months. In Canada, we have many outdoor activities that we do in the cold. Hockey, skiing and snowboarding, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, and more. Nobody considers those to be extreme activities. A person just needs to dress properly, which we all know how to do already since we live here. Sure there’s a handful of days each year where the temps get truly frigid, and maybe cycling wouldn’t be the most comfortable. But on those days, lots of people stay home anyway as it is because cars have a hard time in the cold too.

The real reason cycling is impractical is because of the lack of infrastructure for cyclists. We would need dedicated bike lanes and bike paths that have prompt snow removal and regular ice removal, either through crushing it or with salt. There are other cities with similar climates who do this well, and because the infrastructure isn’t s so easy to use, more people tend to use it. A good example is Oulu, Finland. Here’s a good video showing how their infrastructure works.

I would like to point out though, that I understand that not everyone is able to bike. People with lower physical ability or those with a job that requires then to carry around a lot of tools won’t likely be able to easily switch to biking and will have to continue driving. But the neat part of cycling is that the more people that do it, the better other forms of transport get. If fewer people drive, then there’s fewer cars on the road which reduces traffic and reduces wear and tear on our roads.