4 ms·

> And then there is the stigma that if your riding a bike, it means you obviously have DUI and/or other issues. How deep is this stigma in Florida? I guess tha

> And then there is the stigma that if your riding a bike, it means you obviously have DUI and/or other issues. How deep is this stigma in Florida? I guess that this stigma is regional. I definitely don't feel this stigma living in Western Europe.

bobbyadamson 11y ago
It's a consistent stigma across most of America
- donatj 11y ago
  I've never felt this stigma in Minnesota. I had no idea it was a thing. People hate on bikers for slowing down traffic, yelling things like "get a car, loser" but I've never heard anything DUI related.
  - 67726e 11y ago
    I've never really heard the bicycle/DUI connection before, but I've always heard the moped/DUI one, so I can see the mental leap to that idea.
- 67726e 11y ago
  That's really gonna depend on where you live. If you live in the affluent suburbs, you're definitely going to encounter that mentality. I was raised in what is possibly the most bicycle friendly town/island in the state of South Carolina and that mentality is still very much a thing. In cities that mentality is less present, but there is the hatred of bicyclists from drivers.
  - michael_h 11y ago
    > If you live in the affluent suburbs, you're definitely going to encounter that mentality. Counterpoint: many affluent suburbs are adding multiuse paths all over the place.
    - cptskippy 11y ago
      The trend around Atlanta is for the affluent to just build further from the city, not to revitalize or rebuild. The middle and upper middle class seem to be the ones doing the revitalization efforts as they try to move back into the cities away from the suburbs. It's leaving this ring suburban homes form the 60s-80s around the perimeter of Atlanta that are falling into disrepair.
- Tactic 11y ago
  I suspect that is regional. It absolutely is not the case in Minneapolis/Saint Paul.
Agustus 11y ago
Absolutely not. The bicyclists are all over the place down here. They drive in the speedo suits and are fully aware of their rights on the roadways.
- cptskippy 11y ago
  In metro Atlanta you don't see many people in the suburbs commuting on a bike, if they're riding around it bike shorts then it's either for hobby or sport and they're usually in packs. In downtown Atlanta most of the bike riders are younger people and they're rarely dressed for riding. They are however aware of their rights and usually ride with a chip on their shoulder.
cptskippy 11y ago
In most of Europe the land usage policies encourage people to live in cities and towns. Taxes, fuel surcharges and complexity in acquiring a driver's license make the barrier to entry in automotive ownership high. So public transit is more robust and bicycle usages is much higher. In the United States, the land usage policies actually encourage people to move out of towns and cities into the suburbs. This is known as urban sprawl or urbanization and it makes public transit less effective and more costly to implement and maintain. The taxes are much lower on vehicles and fuel, and acquiring a driver's license is trivial. Thus vehicle ownership is much more attainable and appealing. Because of the high vehicle ownership in the United States, communities have developed with distinct residential, commercial, and industrial zones that are often many miles apart. There are residential zones that touch commercial and industrial zones however they're often low income zones that are usually in disrepair or high in crime making them unfavorable. Because it's so easy to acquire a car and communities are planned around vehicle ownership, not having one raises questions and if you're not living in a low income zone, it's often assumed that your lack of a vehicle is due to a restriction such as a DUI offense.
- mironathetin 11y ago
  What do you want to say: it is hopeless to cultivate bicycle usage in the US?
  - cptskippy 11y ago
    No, absolutely not. In fact there is a growing trend away from single use zoning towards mixed use communities. With ride sharing services, people are finding less need to own a car and there's actually a lot of scrutiny of the poor public transportation situation. Times are changing but it's not going to happen over night. The OP asked about the stigma of bike riding and I was providing some context to help him understand why the stigma exists. I wasn't trying to advocate for or against anything, just trying to explain the current state of affairs. Apparently speaking the truth has become a punishable offense around here.
sevensor 11y ago
Anecdotally, I've had abuse yelled at me from automobiles in Connecticut, California, and Pennsylvania. Not to mention rolling coal on me, peeling out next to me, and passing close enough to almost clip me with the wing mirror. Most American drivers in my experience are just annoyed at cyclists, but some of them are actively hateful.

bobbyadamson 11y ago

It's a consistent stigma across most of America

donatj 11y ago
I've never felt this stigma in Minnesota. I had no idea it was a thing. People hate on bikers for slowing down traffic, yelling things like "get a car, loser" but I've never heard anything DUI related.
- 67726e 11y ago
  I've never really heard the bicycle/DUI connection before, but I've always heard the moped/DUI one, so I can see the mental leap to that idea.
67726e 11y ago
That's really gonna depend on where you live. If you live in the affluent suburbs, you're definitely going to encounter that mentality. I was raised in what is possibly the most bicycle friendly town/island in the state of South Carolina and that mentality is still very much a thing. In cities that mentality is less present, but there is the hatred of bicyclists from drivers.
- michael_h 11y ago
  > If you live in the affluent suburbs, you're definitely going to encounter that mentality. Counterpoint: many affluent suburbs are adding multiuse paths all over the place.
  - cptskippy 11y ago
    The trend around Atlanta is for the affluent to just build further from the city, not to revitalize or rebuild. The middle and upper middle class seem to be the ones doing the revitalization efforts as they try to move back into the cities away from the suburbs. It's leaving this ring suburban homes form the 60s-80s around the perimeter of Atlanta that are falling into disrepair.
Tactic 11y ago
I suspect that is regional. It absolutely is not the case in Minneapolis/Saint Paul.

Agustus 11y ago

Absolutely not. The bicyclists are all over the place down here. They drive in the speedo suits and are fully aware of their rights on the roadways.

cptskippy 11y ago
In metro Atlanta you don't see many people in the suburbs commuting on a bike, if they're riding around it bike shorts then it's either for hobby or sport and they're usually in packs. In downtown Atlanta most of the bike riders are younger people and they're rarely dressed for riding. They are however aware of their rights and usually ride with a chip on their shoulder.

cptskippy 11y ago

In most of Europe the land usage policies encourage people to live in cities and towns. Taxes, fuel surcharges and complexity in acquiring a driver's license make the barrier to entry in automotive ownership high. So public transit is more robust and bicycle usages is much higher. In the United States, the land usage policies actually encourage people to move out of towns and cities into the suburbs. This is known as urban sprawl or urbanization and it makes public transit less effective and more costly to implement and maintain. The taxes are much lower on vehicles and fuel, and acquiring a driver's license is trivial. Thus vehicle ownership is much more attainable and appealing. Because of the high vehicle ownership in the United States, communities have developed with distinct residential, commercial, and industrial zones that are often many miles apart. There are residential zones that touch commercial and industrial zones however they're often low income zones that are usually in disrepair or high in crime making them unfavorable. Because it's so easy to acquire a car and communities are planned around vehicle ownership, not having one raises questions and if you're not living in a low income zone, it's often assumed that your lack of a vehicle is due to a restriction such as a DUI offense.

mironathetin 11y ago
What do you want to say: it is hopeless to cultivate bicycle usage in the US?
- cptskippy 11y ago
  No, absolutely not. In fact there is a growing trend away from single use zoning towards mixed use communities. With ride sharing services, people are finding less need to own a car and there's actually a lot of scrutiny of the poor public transportation situation. Times are changing but it's not going to happen over night. The OP asked about the stigma of bike riding and I was providing some context to help him understand why the stigma exists. I wasn't trying to advocate for or against anything, just trying to explain the current state of affairs. Apparently speaking the truth has become a punishable offense around here.

sevensor 11y ago

Anecdotally, I've had abuse yelled at me from automobiles in Connecticut, California, and Pennsylvania. Not to mention rolling coal on me, peeling out next to me, and passing close enough to almost clip me with the wing mirror. Most American drivers in my experience are just annoyed at cyclists, but some of them are actively hateful.