There’s really no winning as a cyclist when most people are in cars. If you stop at all stop signs, and obey they right-of-way, people will yell at you and/or try to wave you through ahead of your turn dangerously. If you do an Idaho stop (which is the safest way to approach a stop, whether it’s legal or not), people will honk and yell at you and possibly try to run you off the road.
I used to commute by bike a lot during rush hour. If there was a lineup of cars waiting at a red-light, and I just waited in line, people in cars behind me would honk at me as if me preventing them from being one cars-length further ahead in line would somehow affect them. If I filtered forward, like I should, people would actually edge their cars over to try and block me.
I think for the most part, it’s misplaced anger from drivers who don’t want to face the fact that they are the source of danger on roads. The worst bicycle collision is way less severe than a car crash. They also really hate when bicyclists can get anywhere faster than them, which is often the case because it shows them just how much time they waste being traffic.
If it were codified like this as law everywhere, people would accept it better. The rule breaking is what pisses a lot of people off. It would be much more predictable and safer too.
Yeah, the government needs to get behind it (and tell people about it). I’ve come up to stop signs before, and been nearly run over from behind by cars that didn’t expect me to stop.
I have literally never seen this hypothetical ‘rules following’ cyclists, but I do have several dings on my car from cyclist’s lane splitting in traffic, which is illegal in our state.
You know, I was actually curious about the legality of lane splitting. I’ve never really done it cause I never bike on roads with more than one lane in each direction. I looked it up state-by-state (all 50), looking only at the actual law, or official state department of transportation documents.
I did not see a single law that prohibits bicycles from lane splitting. Most states that have laws against lane splitting specify that it applies to “motorcycles”. Most states are literally just copy-pasted from each other.
Another good chunk of states say that “vehicles” can’t lane split, but the official legal definition (which I checked for each state) specifically excludes human-powered devices like bikes from being called “vehicles”. In those states, e-bikes and other motorized bicycles would not be allowed to lane split.
One state (virginia) even goes so far to have a law that explicitly states that lane splitting is legal on bikes.
None of that means that you won’t get harassed by cops, but it’s at least fair to say that there is no state where lane splitting on a regular bicycle is illegal.
if you can get a dui on a bike it is a vehicle, there is no exemption for bike-type vehicles on lane splitting. There ARE exemptions for lane splitting on motorcycles in stupid places like California.
I’ve seen FAR more asshole drivers than asshole cyclists. It’s just a majority of drivers have a bias in their head against modes of transport that aren’t cars, they see it as abnormal, so they’re much quicker to stereotype the groups than they are to stereotype “drivers”, which they, themselves, are a part of.
Lol not in Amsterdam and many other cities. And even outside of those cities, there are a higher % of drivers which are assholes than cyclists which are assholes. You are just an irrational person, there is absolutely no world where more cyclers act like shit in traffic than drivers, proportionally. The average driver absolutely acts like a baby compared to the average cyclist…
Classic, I’m guilty of this. The best part about cycling in my small city is squeezing into the gaps and not waiting around in the wind for the lights to cycle.
I see it as my reward for biking instead of driving to be both a pedestrian when I want (go through red lights when traffic is clear on safe streets) and a car when I want (take a lane to get around a delivery truck)
When you are riding in and around drivers in 2 ton machines because your city doesn’t have proper bike infrastructure, you take every single opportunity to avoid them. Call me a “bad cyclist” but I’m going to prioritize my safety over a law or someone’s bad driving any day.
That’s not “for absolutely no reason”. Some cyclists make a bad name for the rest.
Edit: Oh my goodness, you guys. I’m not saying hate for cyclists is justified, that I hate all cyclists, or that “all cyclists do x”.
Some cyclists ride like they have a death wish. So do some drivers. Anyone, regardless of their vehicle, who is willing to put their life in my hands is someone I want to stay far the fuck away from.
Downvoted for saying the truth. Most cyclist I met here are absolutely jerks, they drive not even on the sidelines - no, they fucking drive in the mid of the road and if you try to surpass they move to the left.
For some it’s not their fault they are a bit of a nuisance obviously (those who cycle near the sidewalks, who signal were they are going etc), the cyclist infastructure is non existent here
Cyclists, some people just see red when they came across cyclist at the road.
Cycle infrastructure, even.
There’s really no winning as a cyclist when most people are in cars. If you stop at all stop signs, and obey they right-of-way, people will yell at you and/or try to wave you through ahead of your turn dangerously. If you do an Idaho stop (which is the safest way to approach a stop, whether it’s legal or not), people will honk and yell at you and possibly try to run you off the road.
I used to commute by bike a lot during rush hour. If there was a lineup of cars waiting at a red-light, and I just waited in line, people in cars behind me would honk at me as if me preventing them from being one cars-length further ahead in line would somehow affect them. If I filtered forward, like I should, people would actually edge their cars over to try and block me.
I think for the most part, it’s misplaced anger from drivers who don’t want to face the fact that they are the source of danger on roads. The worst bicycle collision is way less severe than a car crash. They also really hate when bicyclists can get anywhere faster than them, which is often the case because it shows them just how much time they waste being traffic.
what’s an Idaho stop?
If you are on a bike, you treat stop signs as yields, and red lights as stop signs. Iit has been shown to be safer.
If it were codified like this as law everywhere, people would accept it better. The rule breaking is what pisses a lot of people off. It would be much more predictable and safer too.
Yeah, the government needs to get behind it (and tell people about it). I’ve come up to stop signs before, and been nearly run over from behind by cars that didn’t expect me to stop.
I have literally never seen this hypothetical ‘rules following’ cyclists, but I do have several dings on my car from cyclist’s lane splitting in traffic, which is illegal in our state.
You know, I was actually curious about the legality of lane splitting. I’ve never really done it cause I never bike on roads with more than one lane in each direction. I looked it up state-by-state (all 50), looking only at the actual law, or official state department of transportation documents.
I did not see a single law that prohibits bicycles from lane splitting. Most states that have laws against lane splitting specify that it applies to “motorcycles”. Most states are literally just copy-pasted from each other.
Another good chunk of states say that “vehicles” can’t lane split, but the official legal definition (which I checked for each state) specifically excludes human-powered devices like bikes from being called “vehicles”. In those states, e-bikes and other motorized bicycles would not be allowed to lane split.
One state (virginia) even goes so far to have a law that explicitly states that lane splitting is legal on bikes.
None of that means that you won’t get harassed by cops, but it’s at least fair to say that there is no state where lane splitting on a regular bicycle is illegal.
if you can get a dui on a bike it is a vehicle, there is no exemption for bike-type vehicles on lane splitting. There ARE exemptions for lane splitting on motorcycles in stupid places like California.
I literally just looked it up for every state. I found no state with a law against lane splitting for bicycles. It’s legal in every state.
Ignoring the impact (death for the cycler), I’ve seen plenty of asshole bikers who deserve a good yelling at and 100% deserve the hate.
What they don’t deserve is getting run over.
I’ve seen FAR more asshole drivers than asshole cyclists. It’s just a majority of drivers have a bias in their head against modes of transport that aren’t cars, they see it as abnormal, so they’re much quicker to stereotype the groups than they are to stereotype “drivers”, which they, themselves, are a part of.
Yeah. Turns out there are a ton of cars, not a ton of bikes.
The rest is just made up in your head.
Lol not in Amsterdam and many other cities. And even outside of those cities, there are a higher % of drivers which are assholes than cyclists which are assholes. You are just an irrational person, there is absolutely no world where more cyclers act like shit in traffic than drivers, proportionally. The average driver absolutely acts like a baby compared to the average cyclist…
But not the cyclist as the cycle right through it.
Classic, I’m guilty of this. The best part about cycling in my small city is squeezing into the gaps and not waiting around in the wind for the lights to cycle.
I see it as my reward for biking instead of driving to be both a pedestrian when I want (go through red lights when traffic is clear on safe streets) and a car when I want (take a lane to get around a delivery truck)
That and getting places faster!
Congratulations, you’re one of the dickheads giving cyclists a bad name.
Studies show all the things I do actually make it safer for me as a biker. Example: https://www.vox.com/2014/5/9/5691098/why-cyclists-should-be-able-to-roll-through-stop-signs-and-ride
When you are riding in and around drivers in 2 ton machines because your city doesn’t have proper bike infrastructure, you take every single opportunity to avoid them. Call me a “bad cyclist” but I’m going to prioritize my safety over a law or someone’s bad driving any day.
Except Berliner cyclists. They scare me.
That’s not “for absolutely no reason”. Some cyclists make a bad name for the rest.
Edit: Oh my goodness, you guys. I’m not saying hate for cyclists is justified, that I hate all cyclists, or that “all cyclists do x”. Some cyclists ride like they have a death wish. So do some drivers. Anyone, regardless of their vehicle, who is willing to put their life in my hands is someone I want to stay far the fuck away from.
Yeah I know an A-hole driver so all drivers must be A**holes.
No some people just don’t have good reason.
You can say ass on the internet bud, it’s ok.
Every single interaction I have had with a cyclist has been unpleasant, every one.
Logicalfallacy.txt
Not what they said🤣
I think the thread was titled poorly. Anything that gets a lot of hate usually has some sort of reason, even if it may not be justifiable.
Downvoted for saying the truth. Most cyclist I met here are absolutely jerks, they drive not even on the sidelines - no, they fucking drive in the mid of the road and if you try to surpass they move to the left.
For some it’s not their fault they are a bit of a nuisance obviously (those who cycle near the sidewalks, who signal were they are going etc), the cyclist infastructure is non existent here