3 ms·
In my anecdote, both cyclists had helmets, gloves, and other safety gear. The pedestrians they ride through and around do not. Cyclists operate in the uncanny
by shermantanktop 3y ago
In my anecdote, both cyclists had helmets, gloves, and other safety gear. The pedestrians they ride through and around do not.
Cyclists operate in the uncanny valley between cars and pedestrians. They have the speed of cars, the mass of pedestrians, and the predictability of a spooked squirrel.
- itishappy 3y agoRight. Pedestrians have nothing, bikers have helmets and gloves, and cars have two ton steel frames. They're entirely different threat classes. A better comparison than squirrels might be dogs. A large dog has about the speed, mass, and predictability of a bicycle, and I bet they're regulated similarly as well. You're expected to remain in control of your dog/bike and it takes an egregious infraction to face legal repercussions.
- shermantanktop 3y agoI’m saying something that other people here said. It may not make sense to you, and perhaps it is irrational, but: I spend more time being afraid of cyclists than I do being afraid of cars. The intensity of fear may not be as high, but the frequency is very high. If I see a car, it’s a car. If I see a cyclist zooming toward me, I am looking for what I can do if and when they do something crazy.
- itishappy 3y agoOh, I'm not suggesting you're wrong to be! I also totally mean my dog example. I think you'd be crazy not to keep a small part of yourself constantly aware of every strange dog you meet. What I am suggesting is that societal effort would be wrong to be. Cars are killing people in ways bikes just aren't.