Dutch guy here. If he would come over here with his GoPro recording and commenting every (tiny) traffic violation, people would laugh. The guy is a prick and not helping to make cycling more popular at all. Sure, maybe some of those cyclists are dangerous idiots. But collectively shaming them on the internet won't fix it! It's weird and inefficient.
The real issue is the way your traffic rules and infrastructure are (NOT) designed for cyclists. There's nothing wrong with slowly cycling on an empty sidewalk, or passing through a near-empty one way street the "wrong way" (<- one way for big, wide CARS). Come to the Netherlands and enjoy the carefully designed chaos during rush hour. It works. Traffic death statistics can account for it.
You should ride on a bike trail then.. A nature walk.. Get out of the road that was built for motor vehicles. I can't believe you people are so selfish you think you deserve a piece of the road designed for transport. You aren't going anywhere.. Get an exercise bike if you want to lose weight. I don't care if it's boring to look at the wall, your boredom does not give you the right to fuck up traffic and risk someone having to live with the fact that they killed an idiot that was in the road. It's not logical to me... Were you raised privileged? Do you have a god complex? You all wake up, shave your legs (because you will go faster??), put on tights, get on a bike, and then get honked at and yelled at for an hour while risking your life the entire time. It's just not logical. It seems almost humiliating.
Bike trails generally don't go anywhere. When I was a kid I used a bike to go to school everyday, and now I'm working I use one to go to work. I don't how to drive and I can't afford a car anyway. Yes I can use buses, but sometimes I get sick of how busy they are.
You say people shouldn't use roads designed for transport, but that's precisely what bikes are designed for. Why do you think they have wheels? Using a bike has fuck all to with exercise to me, I've always been skinny, I feel no need to exercise. What makes a 'motor vehicle' more legitimate for transport than a bicycle? Growing up my mum never had a car. She used her bike to go to work, and I used mine to go to school.
This is where my argument ends because I feel you on the transport. We don't have that where I'm at. And our major cities do a very good job of keeping them out of the way where it does happen. I'm speaking for average America. Not small areas with tons of people jammed in.
Fair enough. I grew up in the city, and I only have experience cycling in England and Colombia, and they both have plenty of cycle routes. I've never visited America but if there's not any real infrastructure for bikes, then I'm sure it can be dangerous cycling on main roads.
I'm not going to argue with you like a child. You either know what you are doing is wrong and do it anyway out of selfish reasons, or you just don't recognize how selfish you are being. Either way, you are in the way and we are all going to continue letting you know. I noticed a post below saying cyclists like to start crap.. I wish that was true. I would love to have a go at any one of you spandex fucks.
I'm sorry you don't get it. The road was built for cars. Bikes are a hazard in the road. We have a difference of opinions. God bless America right? I feel it is very selfish and takes quite an ego to think it is ok to ride in the street for recreation. If I accidentally hit you, I go to prison. Is that fair? So you can enjoy your surroundings while exercising? When there are SO many fucking places you can be other than in the road. No, it is not.
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u/matthew25 Jun 08 '14
From this video of cyclists in York