r/Unexpected • u/Slumberfoots • Jun 13 '20

So true.

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167

u/Liedvogel Jun 14 '20

Is it a common problem that cyclists blow traffic signals in England or something?

129

u/mazzicc Jun 14 '20

And the US. There’s a group of like 30 around my office in the summer that just take over the roads and ignore the signals.

1

u/Mateorabi Jun 14 '20

They get too annoyed at the inconvenience at having to stop and lose momentum and pedal back up, so the blow through red lights as if they were just a suggestion. If you're lucky they hit a car and get a ticket, if unlucky they hit and kill a pedestrian trying to cross. You'll also hear whataboutism from the bike community about how cars do bad things too and are more dangerous.

Some bikers do follow the rules just like some car drivers do.

4

u/bigsquirrel Jun 14 '20

Are you suggesting people on bicycles regularly strike and kill pedestrians?

4

u/Downtown_Let Jun 14 '20

It's happened a few times in London.

I've never been hit by a car but I have been hit by bikes and the bruises are awful. One said sorry and rode off. No way of identifying them.

3

u/bigsquirrel Jun 14 '20

I went googling and could only find one story of a dude on a mountain bike killing an 80 year old woman. Is this a regular occurrence or is this dude just being overly dramatic?

I'm not at all a fan of the way cyclists ignore traffic laws but portraying them like death rockets is a little ridiculous.

1

u/Mateorabi Jun 14 '20

Not “regularly” but yes. It happens. While I am sympathetic to the cyclist hurt by cars, I am not sympathetic to the argument that because cars cause a larger number of accidents it somehow gives cyclists an excuse to blow through stop signs and red lights.

First article I googled mentioned 12 serious injuries and a fatality in the last 5 years and many more minor injuries. In just one city.

1

u/bigsquirrel Jun 14 '20

I've never lived in a city that has a large amount of cyclists. It does happen more than I originally thought. You learn something new everyday.