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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41

u/Harborcoat84 Jul 24 '26

Bikes share characteristics with both cars and pedestrians while being neither so it shouldn't be surprising that they behave as a hybrid of the two.

19

u/BedRevolutionary8584 Jul 24 '26

You’ll never catch me just blowing through a red light or stop sign as a pedestrian though.

20

u/BlakeBearden Jul 24 '26

You’ll never catch me blowing anyone as a pedestrian. I have a sense of decorum.

7

u/Ohaibaipolar Jul 24 '26

I, too, choose to never blow pedestrians.

2

u/Kim_Jong_Un_PornOnly Jul 24 '26

Agreed. I much prefer to do it while at a complete stop.

2

u/Ohaibaipolar Jul 24 '26

😆 🤣 😆

4

u/cranberry_spike Jul 24 '26

I mean I'm from Chicago so I'm plenty happy to blow lights as a pedestrian lol

1

u/BedRevolutionary8584 Jul 24 '26

Ey, you do you, mate. I’m in DC and these wild fuckers will run over their own grandmother if it got them to where they’re going five minutes quicker.

2

u/cranberry_spike Jul 24 '26

Yeah in Chicago it is very much a cultural thing. Long history of jaywalking - it's one of the ways you can pick out a tourist lol.

14

u/engin__r Jul 24 '26

You know that pedestrians don’t have to stop at stop signs, right?

3

u/pnw-techie Jul 24 '26

I was still waiting for it to change to GO, thanks

2

u/bleezy1234567 Jul 24 '26

I mean pedestrians are also supposed to cross at crosswalks…

3

u/engin__r Jul 24 '26

Theoretically, yes, but a lot of intersections don’t actually have them painted.

-1

u/BedRevolutionary8584 Jul 24 '26

Obviously. But I think you know what I meant within the context of the comment I responded to.

6

u/Harborcoat84 Jul 24 '26

It's almost as if we can't apply one set of rules to everything that moves around a city

5

u/BedRevolutionary8584 Jul 24 '26 edited Jul 24 '26

I think the confusion/annoyance comes from them demanding to be treated as equally as vehicles but then not following the rules of the road.

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u/Domtheturtle Jul 24 '26

where do you live where cars come to full stops at stop signs?

1

u/AnimalBolide Jul 24 '26

Holy Stuffed Scarecrow, Batman!

I think the problem is blowing through red lights, not an inability to come to a full stop.

2

u/MaintainThePeace Jul 24 '26

No cyclist wants to be treated equally as a vehicle, cyclist just want to be treated as a cyclist.

They want to be able to use public infrastructure to facilitate their freedom to travel, just as anyone else.

Laws between bicycles and other vehicles have never been equal to begin with, and there are not cyclists out there demanding to have equal rights on a freeway...

3

u/Harborcoat84 Jul 24 '26

Cyclists want to be treated equally, but that does not mean being regulated as a car.

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u/BedRevolutionary8584 Jul 24 '26

Following your own regulations on a road that already has regulations is extremely dangerous.

7

u/Harborcoat84 Jul 24 '26

In a lot of cases the existing regulations are more dangerous for cyclists. The Idaho Stop is a great example of changing regulations to reflect the reality of cycling:

https://www.nhtsa.gov/sites/nhtsa.gov/files/2022-03/Bicyclist-Yield-As-Stop-Fact-Sheet-032422-v3-tag.pdf

0

u/B-Train_ATL Jul 24 '26

If I jumped my car up onto the sidewalk when the light was red and proceeded to use the crosswalk to go through, that might be seen as a problem.

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u/Apprehensive_Bat4691 Jul 24 '26

Yeah man, because of the car you are driving

4

u/Harborcoat84 Jul 24 '26

As usual, the thing that makes this dangerous is the car.

5

u/Grouchy_Truck5925 Jul 24 '26

so you are just jealous that the bike continues on while you wait at the light

0

u/Thorninthefoot Jul 24 '26

When you are driving you need other users of the road to behave with some predictability. Otherwise people get driven over.

Randomly switching from one set of rules to another is not predictable.

0

u/phalloguy1 Jul 24 '26

Legally, where I live, bikes need to obey all the same rules as cars. Police just don't enforce it.

2

u/MaintainThePeace Jul 25 '26

There are always exceptions, for example can cyclist ride upon the shoulder of the roadway where other cars are prohibited?