3 ms·

I have moved from a bike riding culture type of country to a suburban car driving country and I am also finding myself angry with bike riders while driving. In

I have moved from a bike riding culture type of country to a suburban car driving country and I am also finding myself angry with bike riders while driving. In most bike riding countries the bikes don't mix with cars, they either got their own lanes like in Holland or intermix with foot traffic like in Japan. People drive on the road only when it is relatively empty from cars. But in my current country the riders ride on any road, sometimes on the side, sometimes as block of riders. It is more sporty type of riding rather than a commuter type of riding. Mixing it with cars cause a lot of stress to the car drivers because they have to slow or take over and be extra careful all the time. It is just annoying me both as a driver and as a bike rider. There is so much space on the footpath but I must ride on the road and try to keep up with much faster traffic.

d1zzy 7y ago
That definitely explains why some drivers may feel angry/frustrated but note that it's not an excuse. Legally and morally speaking bikes have equal rights to the roads. If those drivers drive around smaller/slower cars do they get equally frustrated/angry? Even if they do, what gives them the right too get angry at other participants in traffic that are legally using the road? As to why in the US a lot more bike commuters are also into recreational biking, it's because of a feedback loop created in combination with bad bike supporting infrastructure and urban planning: the current situation means that in many places commuters have to share the road with cars, which means that only those that really like bike riding and/or are comfortable with a high level of stress/risk do it which, as it happens, it overlaps largely with the traits of those that enjoy recreational biking. With a lot of these riders on the road drivers get a sense of "these bikers are enjoying themselves and annoying me at the same time so they don't deserve respect" which further reinforces the current situation.

d1zzy 7y ago

That definitely explains why some drivers may feel angry/frustrated but note that it's not an excuse. Legally and morally speaking bikes have equal rights to the roads. If those drivers drive around smaller/slower cars do they get equally frustrated/angry? Even if they do, what gives them the right too get angry at other participants in traffic that are legally using the road? As to why in the US a lot more bike commuters are also into recreational biking, it's because of a feedback loop created in combination with bad bike supporting infrastructure and urban planning: the current situation means that in many places commuters have to share the road with cars, which means that only those that really like bike riding and/or are comfortable with a high level of stress/risk do it which, as it happens, it overlaps largely with the traits of those that enjoy recreational biking. With a lot of these riders on the road drivers get a sense of "these bikers are enjoying themselves and annoying me at the same time so they don't deserve respect" which further reinforces the current situation.