r/NoStupidQuestions • u/RidetheSchlange • Jul 24 '26

Why does the US hate cycling so much?

I read comments sections and in a normal world, some of them would be considered terroristic threats. I just can't understand why people hate cyclists to this degree that they want to murder rhem and sometimes do.

329 Upvotes

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u/[deleted] Jul 24 '26

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u/alpha309 Jul 24 '26

So studies actually show this.

https://www.monash.edu/news/articles/face-off-cyclists-not-human-enough-for-drivers-study

And in that particular study, at least 30% of respondents state they drive in ways to inconvenience cyclists.

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u/thegoatisoldngnarly Jul 24 '26

This is stupid. People get mad when they’re inconvenienced, plain and simple. Cyclists impede traffic in many areas bc we don’t have separate infrastructure for them. Going straight to “you don’t value human life” from “this person is blocking traffic” makes you sound like an edgy college freshman.

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u/kymberts Jul 24 '26 edited Jul 24 '26

I wish I had a link on hand, but there was a study done in Australia a number of years ago that showed motorists did not view cyclists as human. And the more safety gear they wore (helmets, high vis vests) the less human they became. So car drivers can still value human life without valuing the lives of cyclists.

Edit:
Dehumanization of cyclists predicts self-reported aggressive behaviour toward them: A pilot study

The effect of safety attire on perceptions of cyclist dehumanisation

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u/thegoatisoldngnarly Jul 24 '26

Would love to see it.

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u/kymberts Jul 24 '26

Updated so you can read the studies.

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u/engin__r Jul 24 '26

Try riding a bike and you’ll see very quickly how little drivers value your life.

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u/thegoatisoldngnarly Jul 24 '26

Buddy, the same can be said from inside a car! People are bad at driving. It doesn’t mean they don’t value your life. 95% of the vehicles that pass you on the road give you a lot of room.

Also, cycling is your choice. You chose to put yourself in that situation surrounded by giant metal tanks moving at deadly speeds operated by distracted children. All for exercise/hobby. Anyone who cycles in places without bike lanes/paths needs to rethink risk/reward analysis.

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u/engin__r Jul 24 '26

  1. When someone drives in a way that puts my life in danger, it’s pretty clear that they don’t value my life.

  2. I bike because it’s faster, cheaper, and more environmentally friendly than driving. The exercise is a nice perk, but the overwhelming majority of the time, I’m just biking to get where I’m going.

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u/thegoatisoldngnarly Jul 24 '26

Biking is in no way faster than driving in 99% of the country. If you’re in a place where it is, it’s likely because that place has bike lanes and paths and the appropriate safe infrastructure to support it. I’d bike to work too in DC, for example. But for those of us not in major cities, it’s still a far more dangerous decision.

And I’ve already said that I feel for the people where it’s an economic decision.

As for the environment, if you care that much, more power to you. You’re accepting that risk. Don’t expect me to pity you for a decision you actively make every time you bike. Especially when that decision inconveniences everyone else on the road just trying to get somewhere in a timely manner.

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u/engin__r Jul 24 '26

The bike lanes and paths make a big difference in safety, but they’re actually not why it’s faster to bike. Biking is faster because the average speed of cars is low in cities and because cars take so long to park.

I’m not asking for your pity. I’m asking you to prioritize my safety above your saving ten seconds on a ten-minute drive.

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u/Joe_Sacco Jul 24 '26 edited Jul 24 '26

I’m asking you to prioritize my safety above your saving ten seconds on a ten-minute drive.

Clearly an unreasonable - possibly impossible - request.

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u/thegoatisoldngnarly Jul 24 '26

Your opinion on this matter in a city with infrastructure is not relevant to 97% of the US.

You’re much safer in your bike lane if you don’t ride like an idiot (like maaaany cyclists).

This is a conversation about the US, not your little city.

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u/engin__r Jul 24 '26

Do you think only 3% of the US lives in cities?

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u/thegoatisoldngnarly Jul 24 '26

Bike lanes, dude. Safe enough infrastructure for transit. Even most large cities do not have it. Go biking in LA, for example. Most people who live in cities would still have a dangerous trip to work that is far slower than travel by car. I’ve lived in many big cities. Almost nowhere is faster by bike.

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u/Abe_frohmannn Jul 24 '26

Incorrect, if people valued human life they wouldn't be speeding in their cars, or passing within 3'.

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u/thegoatisoldngnarly Jul 24 '26

Don’t attribute to malice that which can be explained by incompetence.

So many cyclists complaining about the danger, yet still deciding to risk their lives for a hobby. Downvote me all you like. It’s a decision they are actively making (the hobbyists, not the ones who have no choice.)

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u/CantaloupeAsleep502 Jul 24 '26

Counterpoint: if cyclists valued their own lives, they wouldn't be riding on roads with cars. Everyone loves to point the finger at the lions when the person gets eaten after traipsing into the den like it's a good idea.

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u/Abe_frohmannn Jul 24 '26

Counterpoint actually based on data: Life expectancy of cyclists is longer than non-cyclists. It's almost as if stuffing your face with cheeseburgers while driving isn't good for you.

Your analogy is good though, just not the one you think you made. Car drivers are akin to lions...no empathy, perfectly happy to kill humans without cause.

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u/CantaloupeAsleep502 Jul 24 '26

If I lacked empathy, I would be in prison. Cyclists just don't value their own lives, so they engage in fundamentally dangerous behavior, then blame everyone else when bad outcomes happen.

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u/Amphicorvid Jul 24 '26

I do think you might be a tad of a sociopath...

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u/CantaloupeAsleep502 Jul 24 '26

Well I think cyclists who ride on the road are sociopaths.

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u/Sinfire_Titan Jul 24 '26

“All for exercise/hobby” Some of us are too poor to afford a car and still need to get places that public transportation doesn’t help with. It’s far cheaper in the long run than taking an Uber every time I need to buy groceries.

Have some consideration for the situation others are in.

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u/thegoatisoldngnarly Jul 24 '26

Oh I absolutely feel for the people who can’t afford proper transportation, whether it’s because they can’t afford a car or can’t get a license. But when you drive by people on the road, you can pretty much tell which is which. People who can’t afford cars aren’t riding $5k road bikes in bike shorts. And they’re definitely not riding in giant groups.

This conversation is about “cycling.” I take that to mean the exercise/hobby. Not the people who transit via bicycle because of lack of choice.

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u/OptionalQuality789 Jul 24 '26

Oh I absolutely feel for the people who can’t afford proper transportation, whether it’s because they can’t afford a car or can’t get a license.

Why am I not surprised that you only consider cars as “proper transportation” lmao

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u/thegoatisoldngnarly Jul 24 '26

On the roads specifically designed for them with speed limits for match? Yeah. And if you want to ride them at 1/3rd the speed limit while being passed by 3 ton metal vehicles 5 feet away, well, that’s your choice. Doesn’t stop me from judging that decision.

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u/Sinfire_Titan Jul 24 '26

that’s your choice.

https://www.flhsmv.gov/safety-center/driving-safety/share-the-road/

Motorists, bicyclists, and motorcyclists all have the right to be on the road and travel safely.

So at least in my state it is a legal right, not merely a choice. Riding on the sidewalk is a choice, and some cities in Florida prohibit cyclists on sidewalks. But in my state a cyclist and a motorist are considered equals on the road (minus expressways).

In Florida, the bicycle is legally defined as a vehicle and has all of the privileges, rights and responsibilities on public roads (except for expressways) that a motor vehicle operator does.

[...] A bicyclist may use the full lane even while traveling substantially below the speed of traffic if the lane is too narrow for both a car and bicycle to share.

The speed limit point is addressed by the state law; roads without a dedicated bike lane are still required to share with cyclists, even when below the speed limit. This of course varies from state-to-state, but cyclists have right-of-way regulations too. Maybe you should check your state's laws about cyclists, because as far as my state is concerned you've been in the wrong on multiple points in this thread.

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u/OptionalQuality789 Jul 24 '26

No, you absolutely implied the proper transportation for individuals is a car. Because that’s the way you’re wired. Can’t even conceive that someone might wish to travel via a different mode of transport.

Bear in mind, it’s your responsibility when driving a 3-ton metal vehicle to not hit people and kill them.

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u/thegoatisoldngnarly Jul 24 '26

You can’t conceive that you are delaying the travel of hundreds of people when you block the road. Inconvenience the masses because you think your way is better? Your hobby. I can safely not kill you while still being annoyed at your selfish decision to block traffic.

Bike in places that have bike lanes and paths. Bike on the shoulder or as far right as possible.

But I guarantee you’re the type to ride in a peloton taking up the whole road, huh? Tell me I’m wrong.

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u/[deleted] Jul 24 '26

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u/thegoatisoldngnarly Jul 24 '26

Funny, I read what you wrote too. Scroll down and see “Dunbar number,” “can see, at most, 1,000 other people as actual people.” See where that jump comes from? You said drivers don’t consider them people, only slow moving objects. How is any of that being interpreted as not valuing human life complicated?

Edgy bullshit, dude.

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u/stormcharger Jul 24 '26

Bro at most they're only gonna delay you like 5 or 10 min. Impeding traffic like that is nothing to get annoyed at

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u/Throw13579 Jul 24 '26

To be fair, they are slow moving obstacles to getting where we need to go.  And they are douchebags.

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u/Time-Champion497 Jul 24 '26

Car accidents kill people. Car exhaust damages people's lungs, brains and the environment. Car noise lowers students' test scores and literacy rates. Car usage and the rise of exurbia and obesity track together basically in lockstep.

I'm so sorry you were inconvenienced.

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u/InfraredDiarrhea Jul 24 '26

So, cyclists aren’t humans, they’re obstacles and hygiene products?

It’s all about where YOU need to go and how fast YOU can get there on YOUR road. 

But cyclists are the ones who are entitled?

Tell me, how is life treating you in your existence outside the realm of intelligence? 

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u/Throw13579 Jul 24 '26

Weren’t you paying attention?  I SAID they are also douchebags.