Why motorists hate bicyclists
A nice short article in the Guardian
"The motorist is born free, but everywhere he is in queues... [The bicyclist] demonstrates the freedom that car drivers have traded for comfort."
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Lisa Curcio on
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Quite interesting introspection--we all hate "cheats" but we don't see ourselves as "cheats" even when we are cheating. Thanks for posting.
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Permalink Reply by Zoetrope on
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So the author is driving more slowly now. I'm sure cyclists everywhere really appreciate that -- especially the dead ones and their families.
This guy makes some good points, but it's nothing more than preaching to the choir at best. Fact is, the overwhelming majority of drivers behave antisocially (and worse) while in their vehicles. The reason for this is not simply that motorists "hate our freedoms"; that's really insulting and hardly a new thought, anyway. Why doesn't he mention how gas is so expensive, how people are losing jobs (and can't find a job when overqualified), how just having 'a bad day' can make you drive like a maniac at put others in serious risk? Take these broken, frustrated souls and put them in a caged hunk of steel and you're almost handing them a license to take out their frustrations on anyone for anything, and to walk away with a slap on the wrist in most cases, if you even manage to be tracked down. But, since there's no money to be made off of fining or jailing bad drivers for harassing cyclists, not to mention killing them, it's not a priority for law enforcement or 'government.' Which goes without saying that there's no money to be made off of pointing out how the car has essentially ruined us as a society, either. No, just drive slowly - everythings gonna be alright.
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Permalink Reply by 1zt7hr8qm0y90 on
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I postulate that we are hated by motorists by the impression we created of ourselves. I ride my bike as if it were a motorcycle. I stop in the line of traffic which eliminates the chance of getting "right hooked." I take the center of the lane in a left turn lane to avoid getting passed which is illegal and dangerous in a left turn only lane. I signal if vehicles are close enough that I deem it necessary. And I always stop for red lights and stop signs which is Kass' biggest complaint. I have found that letting motorists know my intentions and being predictable gains a lot of respect from motorists, at least here in the burbs. Try it. Hopefully you'll feel good about yourself. And to Zoetrope there is no such thing as being overqualified. If I needed brain surgury I want the surgean with decades of experience as opposed to the surgean fresh out of med school.
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Permalink Reply by Mike Zumwalt on
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The cursed courier and other "cheaters".
I don't know about London traffic but blowing a light in Chicago traffic is dangerous if not impossible, and when it's raining, cold, windy... please tell me how I'm getting away with something?
What psychological affect does it have to stare at red taillights for minutes/hours? It's not a calming color.
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Ever wonder why Harley riders and other motorcyclists refer to a car as a cage?
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Permalink Reply by S on
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Zoetrope said:So the author is driving more slowly now. I'm sure cyclists everywhere really appreciate that -- especially the dead ones and their families.
This guy makes some good points, but it's nothing more than preaching to the choir at best. Fact is, the overwhelming majority of drivers behave antisocially (and worse) while in their vehicles.
Is this any different for cyclists? Between cyclists that shoal regardless of how fast they go, salmoning cyclists that play chicken, bike ninjas dressed in black at night and without any lights, there's quite a few cyclists that engage in antisocial behaviour on their bikes.I think it comes down to most people are jerks and that's doubly so if it's in regards to people they can't identify with or don't know.
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The behavior of motorists doesn't warrent breaking traffic laws on a bike. Only half the population has an IQ of average (100) or higher. Ever heard of the Darwin Awards? An example is someone who uses a cigarette lighter to check the level of gas in the can and by killing himself he has done the human race a favor by not passing on those genes. Here is a very informative website about motorists, cyclist and prdestrian rage.
drdriving.org/pedestrians/bicycling.htm
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I've been around long enough to know that any time someone starts a sentence with "Here is a very informative website" it's going to be filled with all kinds of bullshit that only agree's with things that person believes to be true.
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You are wrong this time zoetrope. This website covers lots of viewpoints I don't believe in such as bikes only belong on sidewalks. It covers the gammet of human nature. Visit this website and let me know what you think. It is very long and was written by Dr. Driving. There are many topics both statistical facts and opinions. Some of which only proves that there aren't many Einsteins out there.
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Doug, nobody cares about what Dr. Driving has to say, and nobody gives a fuck about IQ, either. Does Dr. Driving have a doctorate in driving? How about cycling? No? Great.
IQ is some abstraction created by humans and it really serves no purpose in helping the human race at all, and Dr. Driving can kiss my ass because he's a hack that doesn't have a doctorate in driving.
The site is rubbish. Try to stay on topic, too, yeah?
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Permalink Reply by Gort 12-mile Pinklegneep on
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I can't even begin to guess what this post is trying to say.
Douglas Iverson said:The behavior of motorists doesn't warrent breaking traffic laws on a bike. Only half the population has an IQ of average (100) or higher. Ever heard of the Darwin Awards? An example is someone who uses a cigarette lighter to check the level of gas in the can and by killing himself he has done the human race a favor by not passing on those genes. Here is a very informative website about motorists, cyclist and prdestrian rage.
drdriving.org/pedestrians/bicycling.htm
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I am on topic. Read between the lines. Why motorists hate cyclists is the topic. What percentage of motorists hate cyclists? Is a person who salmons at night without a headlight as smart as someone who doesn't do this realizing the danger? Are common sense and IQ related? Is common sense arbitrary? Why do different people react to the same situation differently? Have you taken any psychology or philosophy courses? An example is if someone is slapped one person will slap back, another person will curse and still another will say "I feel sorry for you." Give these people IQ tests. Guess who will have the lowest and highest IQ in this scenario. Would you hire a person who doesn't start a sentence with an upper case letter or uses there all the time instead of there, their and they're as opposed to another applicant who uses the grammar of an educated person. I really don't think you visited that website and if so then it went over your head. You say nobody cares about Dr. Driving's website. That means I'm nobody. It means none of the 7 billion people on this rock care. Then why does he pay to keep it active? This forum is for all of us to express ourselves and the rules say not to bash anybody. If IQ is arbitrary then it's one hell of a coincidence that people like Albert Einstein, Stephen Hawking and all those scientists in all the fields therein have genius IQ's. You might be proving my point.
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