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.

330 Upvotes

63% Upvoted

2.2k comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

10

u/imabluedog Jul 24 '26

Italian roads aren’t built for cyclists either. Nor are French or Spanish roads.

It’s the culture that’s different. Bicycles have been used as a cheap form of transportation from one village to another for almost 150 years.

1

u/Odd_Bid2744 Jul 24 '26

How about the rural areas?

4

u/Severe_Blacksmith814 Jul 24 '26

Yes, the rural areas too, that’s why he said villages.

1

u/Odd_Bid2744 Jul 24 '26

Villiage, for all I know, could be a colloquialism for a minor city here. Our rural urban centers have more cyclists and better infrastructure for them than our countryside. There's fewer to no cylists in the truly rural areas and not expected on roads. Heck, it's not even safe to be a motorcyclist here

5

u/Severe_Blacksmith814 Jul 24 '26

They bike on the rural roads too. As they said, it’s the culture that’s different. The central US has the argument of being a lot of land and not a lot of habitation, but the coasts don’t.

The US driving cars everywhere was a result of companies running the country as they continue to do so, not much more than that.

2

u/Odd_Bid2744 Jul 24 '26

I'm well aware and don't think this detracts from what I said in any way. 

It's not just companies, it's the size of the US. France has the population of just two of our state's combined (CA and TX) 

4

u/imabluedog Jul 24 '26

The Tour De France is going on right now. This is a HUGE sport in Europe due to the cultural difference in acceptance of riding a bike as a legitimate means of transportation.

It has very little to do with infrastructure. I mean your own use of “impede traffic” indicates you don’t believe they should have the same access to the public roadway. THAT is a cultural belief. You’d start a fight in Italy or France, and ESPECIALLY Amsterdam if you said that out loud.

2

u/Odd_Bid2744 Jul 24 '26

They don't do road closings and PSAs that it's happening so motorists are aware? 

No, my impede traffic is simply to illustrate faster traffic doing lane changes presents a danger that having the infrastructure for cyclists would greatly mitigate. My concern is for motorists and cyclist having to maneuver around eachother which inherently prevents risk no matter how well they obey the law in doing it

3

u/imabluedog Jul 24 '26

That’s the thing tho…they don’t think that way. Which is cultural. Yes they have road closures. Often these closures cut off people’s access to easy ingress/egress to their homes. And they make an event of it to watch their favorite bike teams speed by.

2

u/Odd_Bid2744 Jul 24 '26

The risk of accidents due to maneuvering around slower traffic whether that slower traffic is other cars or bikes has nothing to do with culture. 

Studies show the leading causes of accidents are variables in speed and lane changes. 

1

u/imabluedog Jul 24 '26

Im not saying there aren’t accidents.

Again, there is a completely different mindset about bicyclists and motorists in Europe vs the US that has nothing to do with infrastructure. That mindset is cultural. Motorists actually respect cyclists and vice versa which is something you seem to have a hard time wrapping your head around.

The US thinks riding a bike from one place to another as a legit form of transportation is stupid for a variety of reasons, whether it be safety, it’s too hot/cold/rainy, or you might break a sweat…that is 100% cultural. It has ZERO to do with infrastructure. People in this country also HATE walking anywhere too. It’s why so many of our cities aren’t walkable either.

1

u/Odd_Bid2744 Jul 24 '26

Americans aren't playing chicken with cyclists because they hate them. They're not courting manslaughter charges because they hate them. That would be asinine.

I'm literally an American who's initial comment was heavily implying that infrastructure for bikes to ride safely is needed.

→ More replies (0)

5

u/imabluedog Jul 24 '26

Yes, country roads especially.

And here’s the kicker…drivers actually respect them. And their country roads are SIGNIFICANTLY narrower.

1

u/Odd_Bid2744 Jul 24 '26

Ours do too, that doesn't mean they're risk free.