this post was submitted on 28 Feb 2024
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I think the thread was titled poorly. Anything that gets a lot of hate usually has some sort of reason, even if it may not be justifiable.
There's absolutely no reason to hate on a cyclist when you wouldn't hate on a car polluter, because unlike car polluters, we aren't murderers.
Truth. Furthermore, accidents involving a bike and a car have mostly happened because of a lack of infrastructure and options for safe travel on bikes. Public residential streets, for example, are for all modes of transportation, not just cars. Car brains are hysterical and don't like that, and my life has been threatened many times while riding my bike on residential streets. I even had an older woman match my speed, roll down her window, and say "Next time I see you I'm running you over." Cyclists do absolutely nothing to deserve this, and even if they're holding up traffic, it's no excuse for homicide.
I'm sure there are many reasons to hate on a cyclist, (not that I personally believe this, but) such as when they block a single lane road slowing traffic to a crawl and placing the responsibility of possibly accidentally killing a cyclist in the motorist's hands, though you could argue that's more about the fact that the roads don't have dedicated bike lanes, and that's not the cyclist's fault, but it is still a reason, not that that reason is justified, I like cyclists!
For thousands of years, people walked on roads. That's what they were for. They were also for horses, donkeys, and carts, but humans were a big part of it. And none of those four things really goes faster than a bike. Cars are new. Taking people and horses off roads is new. Being able to drive the speed limit is a new, temporary condition, and it can be taken away at any time. Blaming this on cyclists is a reaction based on a misunderstanding of what roads are for. Personally, I support legislature to let people walk on the road however they like again.
That's exactly what I was trying to say. I was also a (very cautious) cyclist until my bike was stolen.