3 ms·

I always tell people I am not a cyclist, I am a bloke who rides a bike. The vilification of a group is how you make harming them palatable to people, and we hav

by ehnto 6y ago

I always tell people I am not a cyclist, I am a bloke who rides a bike. The vilification of a group is how you make harming them palatable to people, and we have all heard the rhetoric surrounding "cyclists". I am far sooner a friend, a son, a partner and someone you know, than a cyclist. I don't even qear lycra, and I spend my whole ride trying to be courteous so at least extend me the same courtesy. Also, get off your fucking phone. Yes, you. Are you so basic and selfish you can't spend a second from your skinner box? Yes, at lights too. Driving your car is the most important thing you will do today, at least be present for the occasion. I promise the memes will be there when you get to your destination.

WalterBright 6y ago
> get off your fucking phone I generally look not so much at the car, but the driver, to see if he sees me. If he doesn't, I get off the road. Also if he's on the phone. If I'm behind the car, I watch for his brake lights and backup lights.
- ehnto 6y ago
  Likewise, I look for where their head is pointed. More often than it should be, they are enamored by their crotch while barelling along. It amazes me how quickly people shift attention too, some people are back on their phone before they even finish turning at a junction. You could almost be impressed, but then you realise it's just stupity meeting luck on a daily basis.
wozniacki 6y ago
and we have all heard the rhetoric surrounding "cyclists". Are you saying that not even a smidgen of truth belies such rhetoric? Cyclists roll through signals, intersections & stop signs as if they were mere suggestions and nothing more. I know how entrenched each sides are in this argument - drivers and cyclists. Neither will give an inch. The best way to get cyclists some kind of safety is to INSIST on a full bore licensing, registering, insuring framework for cyclists just as the ones that exist for motor vehicles. Yes some form of license plates, registration, driving licenses, point deductions for bad riding etc. And taxes and fees just like for motor vehicles, whether ICE vehicles or electric vehicles. You cant just hop on a bicycle use infrastructure others are paying for and expect to be treated like equals without paying into the system your fair share. Governments, underwriters, law enforcement & other stake holders just dont have any incentives to respond to your concerns, any other way. This is how the world works. It is in the interest of bicyclists to make it work for them through those ways.
- matsemann 6y ago
  Yeah no that's just BS. Why is it always okay to judge all cyclists by the worst offenders, but drivers are only judged by their own personal actions? If that's the way the argument should go, the group of drivers are far, far, far worse than cyclists. How many are killed by a cyclist each year, compared to a driver? So yeah, arguing about the merits of the "groups" is just plain useless. The taxes for a car aren't even close to offsetting their costs on society (infrastructure, external factors like pollution etc). I already pay for the infrastructure through taxes. And most cyclists (including me) also operate cars. So that's not really an argument. Making cycling cheaper is a also net win (health, environment,+++), so making cycling more expensive is a stupid idea. Actually, saying "cyclists should pay your fair share" would mean that cycling would end up cheaper than now, and cars even more expensive. So I'm all for it.
- jamil7 6y ago
  I can already be fined as a cyclist for running a red light or riding on the pavement. I already pay tax that funds city infrastructure for roads, bike lanes and shared spaces. Why do I need a new, convoluted administrative burden introduced that does basically nothing other than encourage less people to ride a bike?
- goodcanadian 6y ago
  Cyclists roll through signals, intersections & stop signs as if they were mere suggestions and nothing more. As do a lot of car drivers.
  - sneak 6y ago
    By the numbers, way more car drivers do.
    - tonyedgecombe 6y ago
      Yes, there have been a number of studies that show that’s the case.
- 29083011397778 6y ago
senectus1 6y ago
> Also, get off your fucking phone. Years ago... before smartphones become an epidemic on the roads, I got personalized number plates AFK as a very nerdy joke. But these days I see them as a message to everyone about staying off their phones...

by ehnto 6y ago

WalterBright 6y ago

> get off your fucking phone I generally look not so much at the car, but the driver, to see if he sees me. If he doesn't, I get off the road. Also if he's on the phone. If I'm behind the car, I watch for his brake lights and backup lights.

ehnto 6y ago
Likewise, I look for where their head is pointed. More often than it should be, they are enamored by their crotch while barelling along. It amazes me how quickly people shift attention too, some people are back on their phone before they even finish turning at a junction. You could almost be impressed, but then you realise it's just stupity meeting luck on a daily basis.

wozniacki 6y ago

and we have all heard the rhetoric surrounding "cyclists". Are you saying that not even a smidgen of truth belies such rhetoric? Cyclists roll through signals, intersections & stop signs as if they were mere suggestions and nothing more. I know how entrenched each sides are in this argument - drivers and cyclists. Neither will give an inch. The best way to get cyclists some kind of safety is to INSIST on a full bore licensing, registering, insuring framework for cyclists just as the ones that exist for motor vehicles. Yes some form of license plates, registration, driving licenses, point deductions for bad riding etc. And taxes and fees just like for motor vehicles, whether ICE vehicles or electric vehicles. You cant just hop on a bicycle use infrastructure others are paying for and expect to be treated like equals without paying into the system your fair share. Governments, underwriters, law enforcement & other stake holders just dont have any incentives to respond to your concerns, any other way. This is how the world works. It is in the interest of bicyclists to make it work for them through those ways.

matsemann 6y ago
Yeah no that's just BS. Why is it always okay to judge all cyclists by the worst offenders, but drivers are only judged by their own personal actions? If that's the way the argument should go, the group of drivers are far, far, far worse than cyclists. How many are killed by a cyclist each year, compared to a driver? So yeah, arguing about the merits of the "groups" is just plain useless. The taxes for a car aren't even close to offsetting their costs on society (infrastructure, external factors like pollution etc). I already pay for the infrastructure through taxes. And most cyclists (including me) also operate cars. So that's not really an argument. Making cycling cheaper is a also net win (health, environment,+++), so making cycling more expensive is a stupid idea. Actually, saying "cyclists should pay your fair share" would mean that cycling would end up cheaper than now, and cars even more expensive. So I'm all for it.
jamil7 6y ago
I can already be fined as a cyclist for running a red light or riding on the pavement. I already pay tax that funds city infrastructure for roads, bike lanes and shared spaces. Why do I need a new, convoluted administrative burden introduced that does basically nothing other than encourage less people to ride a bike?
goodcanadian 6y ago
Cyclists roll through signals, intersections & stop signs as if they were mere suggestions and nothing more. As do a lot of car drivers.
- sneak 6y ago
  By the numbers, way more car drivers do.
  - tonyedgecombe 6y ago
    Yes, there have been a number of studies that show that’s the case.
29083011397778 6y ago

senectus1 6y ago

> Also, get off your fucking phone. Years ago... before smartphones become an epidemic on the roads, I got personalized number plates AFK as a very nerdy joke. But these days I see them as a message to everyone about staying off their phones...