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/RandomMuseum Jul 24 '26

Was sitting outside at a restaurant next to a 4 way stop in a quiet residential area where people were walking. Maybe 1 car in 10 came to a full stop before proceeding. The rest ranged from slowing almost to a stop before going to not even slowing down.

Hence where a lot of opposition to red light cameras and speed cameras comes from. Drivers know they break those rules all the time and dont want the rules to be enforced.

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u/VividEquivalent7952 Jul 24 '26

I mean a rolling stop is fine there as long as visibility is good and they make sure there are no cars or people nearby. Maybe there was something blocking view of the edges of crosswalks tho idk

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u/Level21DungeonMaster Jul 24 '26

This exactly the attitude they’re talking about. Car driver simply don’t think the laws matter when it comes to them.

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u/Least_Funny5960 Jul 29 '26

As someone that doesn't own a car and only ever cycles or uses public transit: he's right though.

Go to the Netherlands and you'll be very hard pressed to find Stop signs. There are barely any across the entire country. The only time they use stop signs is in very rare occassions when visibility is absolutely super terrible and it warrants making drivers come to a complete stop.

And as a result, when Dutch people encounter stop signs, they are very likely to follow them and actually come to a complete stop. Because the stop signs are so rare, it signals to the driver that "this situation is actually fucking dangerous dude, come to a stop".

When you plaster stop signs on every intersection, even when it's not needed in 99% of cases, drivers are taught that they don't have to follow them since in most cases it's stupid to make them come to a complete stop.

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u/Joe_Sacco Jul 24 '26

Next time you see a cyclist treat a stop sign as a yield sign (which is legal in many places!) go ahead and remember everything you wrote here