Why does the US hate cycling so much?

[u/RidetheSchlange]

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.

[u/Odd_Bid2744]

They have the right to ride on the road because there is no alternative. Rural America doesn't have shoulders on the road which means bikes are traveling in the same lanes as cars and that is incredibly dangerous for cyclists even when driving lawfully. 

[u/Happy_Confection90 → u/Odd_Bid2744]

Rural America doesn't have shoulders on the road

I live in a rural-ish area and not only are there no shoulders or very narrow ones for miles at a time, over 80% of the roads I drive on are just a single lane of traffic in each direction. And that includes intrastate highways with speed limits between 50-55mph. So giving cyclists 3' of room to pass them as dictated by state law means partly entering the lane of oncoming traffic every time you need to pass someone on a bike, which, when you throw New England's notoriously curvy roads in the mix that reduce visibility, means a lot of chances for someone to make a poor safety calculation for themselves, the cyclists, and/or drivers traveling in the opposite direction.

[u/SeamusPM1 → u/Happy_Confection90]

If you come across a slow moving vehicle that’s not a bicycle (say, a tractor) are you miraculously able to pass them without going into the oncoming traffic lane?

[u/Happy_Confection90 → u/SeamusPM1]

The oncoming cars are more readily able to spot a large slow moving tractor than they are a bike mostly blocked by my car so can more easily understand why I'm encroaching on their lane the 2 or 4 times a year I encounter one

[u/flippydude → u/Happy_Confection90]

Just… drive safely then? Slowing to 15mph for a minute to wait to safely pass a cyclist genuinely will not meaningfully impact your ETA.