8 ms·

I think 10-20% is a wild overstatement. There are certainly cyclists who do stupid and inconsiderate things (and in my experience those people are generally rep

I think 10-20% is a wild overstatement. There are certainly cyclists who do stupid and inconsiderate things (and in my experience those people are generally reprimanded by other cyclists), but just because they are doing something that you as a driver find inconvenient doesn't make them assholes. For instance, riding side-by-side is often a deliberate strategy because cars will often try to pass you without veering into the opposite lane or slowing down at all. Depending on the width of the traffic lane this is probably illegal (at least where I live and you are required to give cyclists 3 feet of space when passing). Riding side by side just forces the driver to do what they should be doing anyway. Likewise, if a cyclist is in the road despite their being a bike lane, it is quite often for a reason. Believe it or not we do not enjoy riding within inches of cars and try to avoid it if possible. Sometimes bike lanes are full of debris and broken glass and it is safer to ride in the lane than have a tire blowout at high speed.

fxtentacle 5y ago
I genuinely believe the number might be that high in my area. We have regular events organized by people who like bicycling where they deliberately drive on the road and then stop to create huge traffic jams. The organizers proclaim that this is to demonstrate for their right of way on the road. But obviously the government disagrees and banned them, so people will post suggestions on Facebook and then people will "spontaneously" go on a bicycle trip together and block a main road on Friday evening. If you don't believe in their cause, that's mainly a huge provocation to everyone else. Especially because these events regularly ignore traffic rules. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Critical_Mass_(cycling) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Critical_Mass_(cycling) "Because Critical Mass takes place without an official route or sanction, participants in some cities have sometimes practiced a tactic known as "corking" in order to maintain the cohesion of the group. This tactic consists of a few riders blocking traffic from side roads so that the mass can freely proceed through red lights without interruption" "criticized to be contrary to Critical Mass' claim that "we are traffic", since ordinary traffic does not have the right to go through intersections once the traffic signal has changed to red" "an event known as "Critical Manners" was created as a response to Critical Mass. Critical Manners rides through the city on the second Friday of the month, with riders encouraged to obey all traffic laws such as stopping at red lights and signaling" If you have a counter-event that encourages people to obey the law, that might be a hint as to how the majority views your event ;)
- thinkharderdev 5y ago
  Yeah, I agree that Critical Mass is wildly counter-productive but would also be extremely surprised if anywhere close to 10-20% of regular cyclists participate in such events.

fxtentacle 5y ago

I genuinely believe the number might be that high in my area. We have regular events organized by people who like bicycling where they deliberately drive on the road and then stop to create huge traffic jams. The organizers proclaim that this is to demonstrate for their right of way on the road. But obviously the government disagrees and banned them, so people will post suggestions on Facebook and then people will "spontaneously" go on a bicycle trip together and block a main road on Friday evening. If you don't believe in their cause, that's mainly a huge provocation to everyone else. Especially because these events regularly ignore traffic rules. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Critical_Mass_(cycling) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Critical_Mass_(cycling) "Because Critical Mass takes place without an official route or sanction, participants in some cities have sometimes practiced a tactic known as "corking" in order to maintain the cohesion of the group. This tactic consists of a few riders blocking traffic from side roads so that the mass can freely proceed through red lights without interruption" "criticized to be contrary to Critical Mass' claim that "we are traffic", since ordinary traffic does not have the right to go through intersections once the traffic signal has changed to red" "an event known as "Critical Manners" was created as a response to Critical Mass. Critical Manners rides through the city on the second Friday of the month, with riders encouraged to obey all traffic laws such as stopping at red lights and signaling" If you have a counter-event that encourages people to obey the law, that might be a hint as to how the majority views your event ;)

thinkharderdev 5y ago
Yeah, I agree that Critical Mass is wildly counter-productive but would also be extremely surprised if anywhere close to 10-20% of regular cyclists participate in such events.