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As a cyclist, I get to decide if I'm a pedestrian or a vehicle. I can pop on/off my bike at will. I can ride on the road, then ride up a ramp onto the sidewalk

by Afton 8y ago

As a cyclist, I get to decide if I'm a pedestrian or a vehicle. I can pop on/off my bike at will. I can ride on the road, then ride up a ramp onto the sidewalk for 4 blocks, then back onto the road. Different rules and expectations hold depending on where I am, but I don't understand this criticism. At least where I live (Seattle), riding on the sidewalk is perfectly legal. I don't always signal, because bicycles have this major flaw that your breaking/steering tools work best when you have both hands on the handlebars. So if something hinky is happening ahead, I may need my hands to slow down instead of signalling. I try not to yell angrily when people do dangerous things around me but I do often need to yell loudly, maybe repeatedly, in order to stop a car that doesn't understand that my bike is front of them, and they can't proceed without killing me. But you should understand that the stakes are much higher for me a cyclist than for the driver of a car. They might hit me and that would suck for them. I might die or need months of physical therapy. So be patient with cyclists who appear to have unleashed random anger at you (you-the-driver), they are under more stress from the interaction. Also, the lawless cyclist trope, while often true, is often a case of the lawlessness you are unfamiliar with. I bike-commute most days, and EVERY SINGLE DAY I see cars: speed, run red lights, yield-instead-of-stop at stop signs, turn without signalling, wander into the bike lane, park or stop in the bike lane, drive without lights (at night), or with one light out. Also, it may not be illegal (but sometimes is!), but when I'm in a 'sharrow' lane, I will often get aggressively passed by people who can't be bothered to look 200 ft ahead to the red light, or who pass over a double-yellow in order to get ahead of me, then turn left/right 5 seconds later. But because we're all used to those kinds of infractions (and because they are partially 'our' infractions as drivers) we don't notice them. Because there are so few cyclists, and they aren't 'our' infractions, it's easier to notice their driving transgressions. Anyway, super long rant. Not claiming all cyclists are angels, but as someone who is literally making it easier for the cars on the road BY NOT DRIVING TO WORK, I wish I got a little respect instead of the barely tolerated contempt I get a lot of. yada yada yada, plenty of good drivers out there as well.

grawprog 8y ago
> As a cyclist, I get to decide if I'm a pedestrian or a vehicle. I can pop on/off my bike at will Keywords there being, on or off the bike. Off the bike, walking beside it sure, you're a pedestrian, on your bike, riding a vehicle. >I don't always signal, because bicycles have this major flaw that your breaking/steering tools work best when you have both hands on the handlebars. I don't always signal because cars have this flaw where you need your hands on the steering wheel and you have to take it off to flick the signal switch. There are lights you can get to signal on bikes, if you're not comfortable signalling using your hands, maybe invest in one of those. It's just dangerous to turn in traffic without signalling. That shit causes accidents. I don't know the laws there, but here if a cyclist causes an accident because they turned without signalling, they're considered responsible the same as a car would be. Cops will also ticket you. >Also, the lawless cyclist trope, while often true, is often a case of the lawlessness you are unfamiliar with. I dunno about the trope, I was speaking from personal experience. Honestly, I get pissed at drivers and pedestrians that do dangerous shit by breaking traffic rules. >as someone who is literally making it easier for the cars on the road BY NOT DRIVING TO WORK, I wish I got a little respect instead of the barely tolerated contempt I get a lot of. You're not a superhero by riding a bike. You're not making it easier, you're adding one type of obstacle for everyone to look out for. One that's small, fast and fragile and behaves unpredictably. Maybe instead of demanding respect from everyone, use situational awareness and understand people are probably pissed at you, because they're worried about killing you. Acting like you can just ride anywhere, anytime with impunity makes the act of not killing you more difficult.
- rimunroe 8y ago
  > I don't always signal because cars have this flaw where you need your hands on the steering wheel and you have to take it off to flick the signal switch. I don't think I've ever taken my hand off the wheel just to use the turn signal. Is this just a product of hand size, or does your car have an unusual setup? [edit] To clarify: I flick the turn signal lever with the my ring & middle fingers while keeping my palm against the wheel.
- bhandziuk 8y ago
  > I don't always signal because cars have this flaw where you need your hands on the steering wheel and you have to take it off to flick the signal switch. I think you know this is not true. You don't take your hand off the wheel to flip the signal switch and if you do it's certainly not the safe effect as taking your hand off the handle bar of a bike.
  - kelnos 8y ago
    Not to mention that flicking the signal switch on a car takes a small fraction of a second, while removing your hands from the handlebar of a bike to signal is usually done for several seconds, not to mention at a particularly dangerous juncture: when entering an intersection and about to make a turn.
- Afton 8y ago
  > grawprog 49 minutes ago | parent | on: Dehumanization of cyclists predicts self-reported ... >> As a cyclist, I get to decide if I'm a pedestrian or a vehicle. I can pop on/off my bike at will > Keywords there being, on or off the bike. Off the bike, walking beside it sure, you're a pedestrian, on your bike, riding a vehicle. Sorry, that's just a wordo. I can pop on/off the road/sidewalk _on my bike_. I assume context would have made that clear. It's legal to ride on the road AND the sidewalk in my city. > You're not a superhero by riding a bike. You're not making it easier, you're adding one type of obstacle for everyone to look out for. One that's small, fast and fragile and behaves unpredictably. Maybe instead of demanding respect from everyone, use situational awareness and understand people are probably pissed at you, because they're worried about killing you. Acting like you can just ride anywhere, anytime with impunity makes the act of not killing you more difficult. This is the most ungenerous read of my comment I can imagine. In any case, I can see that you want to be angry and right. Good day.

by Afton 8y ago

grawprog 8y ago

> As a cyclist, I get to decide if I'm a pedestrian or a vehicle. I can pop on/off my bike at will Keywords there being, on or off the bike. Off the bike, walking beside it sure, you're a pedestrian, on your bike, riding a vehicle. >I don't always signal, because bicycles have this major flaw that your breaking/steering tools work best when you have both hands on the handlebars. I don't always signal because cars have this flaw where you need your hands on the steering wheel and you have to take it off to flick the signal switch. There are lights you can get to signal on bikes, if you're not comfortable signalling using your hands, maybe invest in one of those. It's just dangerous to turn in traffic without signalling. That shit causes accidents. I don't know the laws there, but here if a cyclist causes an accident because they turned without signalling, they're considered responsible the same as a car would be. Cops will also ticket you. >Also, the lawless cyclist trope, while often true, is often a case of the lawlessness you are unfamiliar with. I dunno about the trope, I was speaking from personal experience. Honestly, I get pissed at drivers and pedestrians that do dangerous shit by breaking traffic rules. >as someone who is literally making it easier for the cars on the road BY NOT DRIVING TO WORK, I wish I got a little respect instead of the barely tolerated contempt I get a lot of. You're not a superhero by riding a bike. You're not making it easier, you're adding one type of obstacle for everyone to look out for. One that's small, fast and fragile and behaves unpredictably. Maybe instead of demanding respect from everyone, use situational awareness and understand people are probably pissed at you, because they're worried about killing you. Acting like you can just ride anywhere, anytime with impunity makes the act of not killing you more difficult.

rimunroe 8y ago
> I don't always signal because cars have this flaw where you need your hands on the steering wheel and you have to take it off to flick the signal switch. I don't think I've ever taken my hand off the wheel just to use the turn signal. Is this just a product of hand size, or does your car have an unusual setup? [edit] To clarify: I flick the turn signal lever with the my ring & middle fingers while keeping my palm against the wheel.
bhandziuk 8y ago
> I don't always signal because cars have this flaw where you need your hands on the steering wheel and you have to take it off to flick the signal switch. I think you know this is not true. You don't take your hand off the wheel to flip the signal switch and if you do it's certainly not the safe effect as taking your hand off the handle bar of a bike.
- kelnos 8y ago
  Not to mention that flicking the signal switch on a car takes a small fraction of a second, while removing your hands from the handlebar of a bike to signal is usually done for several seconds, not to mention at a particularly dangerous juncture: when entering an intersection and about to make a turn.
Afton 8y ago
> grawprog 49 minutes ago | parent | on: Dehumanization of cyclists predicts self-reported ... >> As a cyclist, I get to decide if I'm a pedestrian or a vehicle. I can pop on/off my bike at will > Keywords there being, on or off the bike. Off the bike, walking beside it sure, you're a pedestrian, on your bike, riding a vehicle. Sorry, that's just a wordo. I can pop on/off the road/sidewalk _on my bike_. I assume context would have made that clear. It's legal to ride on the road AND the sidewalk in my city. > You're not a superhero by riding a bike. You're not making it easier, you're adding one type of obstacle for everyone to look out for. One that's small, fast and fragile and behaves unpredictably. Maybe instead of demanding respect from everyone, use situational awareness and understand people are probably pissed at you, because they're worried about killing you. Acting like you can just ride anywhere, anytime with impunity makes the act of not killing you more difficult. This is the most ungenerous read of my comment I can imagine. In any case, I can see that you want to be angry and right. Good day.