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Cycling in North America is terrifying. Many drivers feel like you re not allowed to use the road and will negligently (or actively) try to kill you because the

Cycling in North America is terrifying. Many drivers feel like you re not allowed to use the road and will negligently (or actively) try to kill you because they can and because murder by car is frowned upon but very lightly punished if at all. I’m saying this as someone who has ridden a bicycle in traffic almost daily for years in Montreal and Toronto. It takes nerves of steel and that’s very wrong, but it’s the reality. Try taking the lane when at least one asshole a day will make a point to pass you with 10cm clearance when there is one or two spare lanes they could have used. Or threaten physical harm using their car as a weapon just because you dare make them arrive 15 seconds later at the next red light. I live in a much more civilized country now where it isn’t open season on cyclists and don’t miss it one bit.

btrettel 4y ago
I fully agree that riding a bike in North America can be terrifying. I was responding to someone who seemed to think that cyclists need to keep up with traffic to improve safety, which I don't agree with. A fast cyclist and someone riding an ebike are still much slower than most motor vehicles. I offered several better solutions for getting respect on the road. > Try taking the lane when at least one asshole a day will make a point to pass you with 10cm clearance when there is one or two spare lanes they could have used. This hasn't been my experience. I regularly take the lane and this seems to have significantly reduced close passes vs. riding far to the right when there isn't enough space. I get passed closely maybe once per week on my current commute, which is over 10 miles long and is mostly suburban.
- starkparker 4y ago
  > This hasn't been my experience Can you step back and recognize that your experience doesn't matter in discussions like this? That, if anything, it's detrimental when you use it to try to solution-engineer concerns that you don't understand?
  - rootusrootus 4y ago
    Isn't this entire thread about experiences? Anecdotes as far as the eye can see.
midoridensha 4y ago
>I live in a much more civilized country now where it isn’t open season on cyclists and don't miss it one bit. Yep, me too. Cycling is commonplace, there's no guns, no toxic Christian-nationalist politics, society is pretty stable, public transit is excellent, people are polite, life is good here. Moving out of America did wonders for my mental health.

btrettel 4y ago

I fully agree that riding a bike in North America can be terrifying. I was responding to someone who seemed to think that cyclists need to keep up with traffic to improve safety, which I don't agree with. A fast cyclist and someone riding an ebike are still much slower than most motor vehicles. I offered several better solutions for getting respect on the road. > Try taking the lane when at least one asshole a day will make a point to pass you with 10cm clearance when there is one or two spare lanes they could have used. This hasn't been my experience. I regularly take the lane and this seems to have significantly reduced close passes vs. riding far to the right when there isn't enough space. I get passed closely maybe once per week on my current commute, which is over 10 miles long and is mostly suburban.

starkparker 4y ago
> This hasn't been my experience Can you step back and recognize that your experience doesn't matter in discussions like this? That, if anything, it's detrimental when you use it to try to solution-engineer concerns that you don't understand?
- rootusrootus 4y ago
  Isn't this entire thread about experiences? Anecdotes as far as the eye can see.

midoridensha 4y ago

>I live in a much more civilized country now where it isn’t open season on cyclists and don't miss it one bit. Yep, me too. Cycling is commonplace, there's no guns, no toxic Christian-nationalist politics, society is pretty stable, public transit is excellent, people are polite, life is good here. Moving out of America did wonders for my mental health.