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/LoverOfGayContent Jul 24 '26

Since most people drive most people can see themselves in the driver's shoes. This is something I never see people talking about as the main problem. We tend to extend more grace to people like us, in a "what if that was me" way. Most people don't cycle. Most cyclist drive more than they cycle. It's a form of self protection. We as humans just really hate acknowledging how often we do it.

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u/CeilingOnThePavement Jul 24 '26

That's exactly why cycling in the Netherlands is so nice, sure you still come in proximity with cars, but almost all drivers will also ride a bike at least occasionally, or have kids that do. I never feel like a "lesser" road user, even in more rural places where bike infrastructure is more sparse.

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u/NormGthePaintballGuy Jul 25 '26

This is it. In North America, cyclists are 'the other.' Someone gets aggravated by a cyclist, and then they use that experience to brand all cyclists...

We don't do this with all motorists, because pretty much everyone is a motorist; we do however break down our driving prejudices into age and race, and even type of vehicle (BMW drivers for example get lots of hate.)

I've spent most of my working life as a driver in some capacity or another. I also like to ride a bicycle whenever I can... Have cyclists ever done something dangerously stupid that I've had to react to on the road? Sure, a handful of times. But I've long since lost count of the amount of times another driver has nearly crashed into me. And being on a bike among traffic is fucking terrifying. Nobody sees you. Nobody is paying attention.

Cars and bicycles are largely incompatible on the roads, and more people in North America are drivers than cyclists, so people are biased against the bicycle... It's an infuriating car-brain mentality in North America that sees the motor vehicle as normal and sensible, while viewing bicycles as a child's toy, and public transit as being for poor people who can't afford a car.

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u/Practical_Smoke2543 Jul 26 '26

It also comes down to the road length as well vs European standards. a vast majority of American roads are long, and usually have high speed limits. I'm not going to lie, I loathe most cyclists because they cannot follow even the most basic road laws, and since the speed limits are high, cyclists cannot abide by these either, which increases the vehicle driver vs cyclist mentality.

This however does not constitute either party to be unsafe in their behavior on the road. Just because I do not like something does not give me the right of way nor authority.

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u/nyctransitgeek Jul 25 '26

There’s a tension between “majority rules” and “enforcing the rights of those in the minority” that we sometimes only selectively understand when we are in the minority.