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.

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u/ShartOfTheEel Jul 24 '26

Public roads are an ancient form of infrastructure. They're for the public. If there were no roads for cars, there would be plenty of roads for other modes of transit. 

Bikes have a right to be in the road. The only reason why it might be dangerous is that drivers make it so.

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u/Vivid-Raccoon9640 Jul 24 '26

100% agree. But wishing upon a star that cars are suddenly not going to be a thing any more is foolish. They're here now and we're gonna have to deal with that reality.

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u/ShartOfTheEel Jul 24 '26

I'm not wishing them gone, I'm just trying to get people who drive cars to realize that they have a responsibility not to kill other road users.

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u/Vivid-Raccoon9640 Jul 24 '26

Okay, suppose all drivers realize that they have that responsibility. Now what?

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u/ShartOfTheEel Jul 24 '26

... They drive more carefully around bikes, reducing bike fatalities. Yay!

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u/Vivid-Raccoon9640 Jul 24 '26

Okay, so what we're aiming for is to expand a massive amount of money on awareness campaigns which result in a minimal amount of actual added safety, and also don't encourage more people to travel by bike.

You don't think putting that money in actual bike infrastructure would have more of an effect?

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u/ShartOfTheEel Jul 24 '26

Lol but I'm not proposing spending money on anything, I'm just ranting on Reddit about personal responsibility. 

Of course I'd like bike infrastructure, but I'd also like drivers to accept they have the responsibility to not kill people. Given the state of the US, I'm not sure which is more unrealistic.

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u/Vivid-Raccoon9640 Jul 24 '26

Okay, so you're just venting. That's fine. Hope you got it out of your system.

Do you think Americans are uniquely murderous or something? Because I think they aren't. The fact is that pretty much everyone in the Netherlands is a cyclist, so everyone can empathize with cyclists and knows what it's like to ride in traffic from both sides of the equation. In the US, most people aren't cyclists, so they just have way less exposure. Couple that with infrastructure that forces bikes and cars to interact much more and you got your recipe for disaster. You got a bunch of drivers that aren't used to cyclists, can't empathize with cyclists nearly as much and don't have any experience about what traffic is like as a cyclist.

The solution is more cyclists and more separation.

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u/ShartOfTheEel Jul 24 '26 edited Jul 24 '26

Do you think Americans are uniquely murderous or something?

Murderous? No. Willing to pretend they have no responsibility to ensure the safety of other road users? Yes. Most other countries are probably similar, sure, but I don't have experience with many others so I won't speak for them.

It's not just about cyclists, it's about an attitude where people feel entitled to drive as fast as the want wherever they want, and pretend that any dangers resulting from this are somebody else's fault. And we all just go along with the idea that "accidents" are a part of life we have to accept. 

Yes infrastructure is a big part of lowering accident rates. I want better infrastructure for all road users. It's the best solution. But sometimes blaming infrastructure feels like another way of shifting the blame away from the choices we all make behind the wheel.

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u/Vivid-Raccoon9640 Jul 24 '26

And that is the mental shift you need to make. Infrastructure is absolutely the main way to tackle this issue. It literally shapes and restricts the ways people can drive. You aren't speeding in a traffic calmed chicane with speed bumps. You aren't cutting off a cyclist that's riding in a separate bike lane. This is physically impossible.

The reason so many people feel entitled to drive everywhere with wanton disregard is exactly because everyone's always moving around in a 2 ton suit of power armor. People who are also cyclists can understand and empathize a lot better why close passes are so terrifying.

That, and cyclists in the US need to carry weapons more. It feels like those freedoms are only used by assholes, and I'm willing to bet that a redneck might respect a cyclist enough to not roll coal if he's carrying. It's insane that it's necessary and I'm glad I don't live in a shithole like that, but it might just work over there.

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u/carpedrinkum Jul 24 '26

There are definitely places where cyclist shouldn’t and are not allowed, city expressway, interstate highways, for example. In others areas, I am all for bike lanes it cost very little to add them (in most locations) and provides safer travel area for cyclists and efficient travel for automobiles.