23 ms·

Bicyclists are allowed to terrorize pedestrians with impunity. And indeed, you can easily get a ticket for jaywalking, but you'll never get one for riding a bi

Bicyclists are allowed to terrorize pedestrians with impunity. And indeed, you can easily get a ticket for jaywalking, but you'll never get one for riding a bicycle against traffic, failing to stop at a stop sign, etc.

SamBam 8y ago
Oh boo... let's not start a pro-/anti-bike fight. The data and conclusions here are interesting enough and can be discussed without that.
- throwaway5250 8y ago
  I was merely pointing out that the parent poster's characterization of bicyclists as third-class citizens is wildly counterfactual.
  - TulliusCicero 8y ago
    It's not. Just look at the infrastructure investment. Bikes are lucky to get an order of magnitude less money than walking, or two orders of magnitude less money than cars. Cities spend a few tens of thousands striping a handful of haphazard miles of painted bike lanes, then spend hundreds of millions widening freeways, then pat themselves on the back for how bike-friendly they are. It's absurd. It's true that many cyclists behave poorly, but look at countries like Denmark or the Netherlands where they actually support biking, and the cyclists there behave normally. Almost like people don't respect a system that clearly doesn't respect them. Take a Dutch person and ask them to bike in the US, and see how quickly they either adopt the aggressive habits of American cyclists or just give up entirely.
    - throwaway5250 8y ago
      I live in one of the most bike-friendly cities in the US (according to Bicycling magazine). The behavior of bicyclists here, as far as riding safely and in a law-abiding manner, is _far worse_ than other cities I've lived in. Every day when walking down a sidewalk, I'm buzzed by one of these idiots riding by at high speed. I've seriously considered getting a "rear-view" mirror just to protect myself. Though I've cycled thousands of miles in prior years, I no longer do, partly because I don't want to be associated with such behavior.
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SamBam 8y ago

Oh boo... let's not start a pro-/anti-bike fight. The data and conclusions here are interesting enough and can be discussed without that.

throwaway5250 8y ago
I was merely pointing out that the parent poster's characterization of bicyclists as third-class citizens is wildly counterfactual.
- TulliusCicero 8y ago
  It's not. Just look at the infrastructure investment. Bikes are lucky to get an order of magnitude less money than walking, or two orders of magnitude less money than cars. Cities spend a few tens of thousands striping a handful of haphazard miles of painted bike lanes, then spend hundreds of millions widening freeways, then pat themselves on the back for how bike-friendly they are. It's absurd. It's true that many cyclists behave poorly, but look at countries like Denmark or the Netherlands where they actually support biking, and the cyclists there behave normally. Almost like people don't respect a system that clearly doesn't respect them. Take a Dutch person and ask them to bike in the US, and see how quickly they either adopt the aggressive habits of American cyclists or just give up entirely.
  - throwaway5250 8y ago
    I live in one of the most bike-friendly cities in the US (according to Bicycling magazine). The behavior of bicyclists here, as far as riding safely and in a law-abiding manner, is _far worse_ than other cities I've lived in. Every day when walking down a sidewalk, I'm buzzed by one of these idiots riding by at high speed. I've seriously considered getting a "rear-view" mirror just to protect myself. Though I've cycled thousands of miles in prior years, I no longer do, partly because I don't want to be associated with such behavior.

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