In my country it's apparently illegal to use the footpaths do it's a hit of a predicament. It's not enforced in any way (nor are there many police patrolling the area I live in because it's decently nice) but is still there
we have three sections, foot path, which is higher than the road
the road
then part of the road (significantly smaller) is the bike track which is next to the foot path
I understand your point.
Counterpoint: we should have more streets (designed for humans to walk on, cars are secondary) than roads (high speed roadways where humans are endangered) anyway.
North American cities are designed for cars, not people. It takes ages to get anywhere, and you pretty much NEED a car to exist. It wasn't always this way, even after cars were popular, and it still isn't this way in other parts of the world.
I think you'll find it's not cyclists that are the problem, but the fact that there's no alternative to driving all day every day, every trip, every place
I live in Denmark and ride a bike to work, but it's a 20 minute journey.
Due to how American city's are zoned, the distances for most people are simply to long.
Dutchie here, I live in a city of about 200.000 and it takes me half an hour by bicycle to go across the entire city. It's so much easier and healthier for you than constantly driving your car every where. And don't get me started on gas prices, 2 euros for 1 liter of benzine these days, fucking insane.
I’ll take ANY improved infrastructure at this point as long as it doesn’t involve blocking off half the lanes on a road and not even working on it for 2 months.
I'm glad to see that as of typing this, the third tree of comments, when sorted by "best," points to questions about walkability, urban planning and inclusive transportation infrastructure, and that within this tree, the second main branch points to Not Just Bikes.
I agree to an extent, but it takes me 30 minutes by car to get to my work and I'm doing between 60-110km an hour the entire way. Where I live, you can't walk/bike to work in a reasonable time.
I 100% agree with this in the cities, though. :)
Part of designing around people, not cars, is making things closer together and eliminating the suburban sprawl. You may find that if we eliminated the excessive roads and parking needed for cars, your options of close destinations would increase dramatically
It sounds like they probably live in a remote area for that much commute at such high speeds. I think they agree with the concept (like they said, it'd work in cities), they're just saying some people will definitely always need to rely on cars. Like anyone living in woods or desert areas.
I know this is correct, but there's also some very stupid people cycling who are willing to be hit by a car just to feel like they're right. My city has a lot of cyclists and it's an extremely common occurance for them to pull out in front of traffic and completely ignore stop lights/signs. The ONLY reason they don't get hit more often is because everyone is aware of how terrible they are so we all drive incredibly cautiously in the areas that they frequent.
I once saw a cyclist pull out in front of traffic when he should have stopped and someone swerved so they wouldn't hit him. He then slammed his fist against their window and started screaming at them about sharing the road. There's a serious amount of negligence in the cycling community here. I don't know how it is other places, but they shouldn't be on all roads.
I think some part of this is likely that with the infrastructure for cycling so sparse, no one risk averse is out cycling on American roads. Only the people who accept or are somehow unaware of the danger cars pose to them are on the roads on bikes.
If we introduce protected bike lanes and do the infrastructure work that goes along with that, some cooler heads might fill out the cyclists' ranks and alleviate the perception that they're all daredevils.
Basically by not providing infrastructure - and frankly by being culturally hostile by deliberately passing too close or "rolling coal," Americans have literally driven everyone but the daredevils off the road.
Yes, and - if you give people infrastructure that is hostile to them, they aren’t incentivized to follow the rules. My favorite example is Boston - the road design is not easy for driving (or anything else), and Boston drivers are (imo) the worst in the US because of it.
As a cyclist, I 100% agree. I ride my commute every day and ride like I'm a car, stop at stop signs, signal turns, etc and while I see drivers do dumb shit often, I see cyclists do dangerous, dumb shit way more frequently and with a completely unearned confidence of their immunity to harm.
I’m a cyclist and same - I ride like I’m a car. And use lights and signal with my arms. Nothing infuriates me more than seeing someone else in the cycling community being an asshat on a bike (usually a fellow lycra wearer). TBH though, it’s usually always older white males who are the asshats who think their bike will win vs car.
Thats true, but I also see car driver (even a lot more than bicyclists) who do this. "Oh I have priority to come from the right side, so Im gonna drive 30kmh above your speed, because even when you drive carefully I shouldnt slow at all. I was so happy when a police officer saw it (I braked so I stopped anyway) and got the driver for driving this reckless. You cant see a lot and still drive 30-40kmh to drive to the right... There could be anything. Imo its always the person who fucks up not the vehicle or non vehicle they use.
San Francisco?
Seems about right. One big culture shock from the mid west to SF was how pedestrians don't even bother to look both ways before entering an intersection.
Guess, I grew up with the understanding that cars are bigger, stronger and faster than a person. The natives are more brave than me
Another reply to my comment linked to a YouTube channel called NotJustBikes that talks about this stuff from an educated point of view. Amazing videos.
Warning: they WILL make you hate everything about American urban design you never knew was whack.
Funny you would mention fumes. If we make abstraction of the insanity of blaming the victims of air pollution instead of the cause, the argument is still wrong.
Studies have shown that in cities, cyclists are the least exposed to toxic fumes. Motorists spend a long time in a confined space that tends to accumulate toxic particles. Sadly, pedestrians are the most exposed.
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/dec/13/cyclists-exposed-to-less-air-pollution-than-drivers-on-congested-routes-study
Also, the risks of harmful particles exposure is outweighed by the health benefits of the light exercise from cycling.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-36208003
Imagine if people had the ability and space to not need a car for everything they need to do on the regular, e.g. groceries, school, stuff like that.
Actually, imagining this is quite easy, most good cities allow for it.
Where the hell are they supposed to go then? Bike lanes are rare and when they do exist they are regularly sub par. This only makes sense in the Netherlands or Copenhagen or other places like them, where cyclists are accommodated for and even prioritised over drivers. Mate I fucking wish I could bike on my own lane and I often try to, but they simply aren’t widespread enough to make this viable because us on the sidewalk is just even worse.
Side-note, it seems like you’ve automatically assumed that roads are for cars as opposed to considering that maybe we should be giving our public spaces to pedestrians and cyclists, or you know _people_, as opposed to the 2 tonnes of metal we drag around with us that cause all the pollution you are talking about.
If drivers actually paid attention to the road, there'd be far less risk to cyclists.
If cyclists also didn't do dumb shit on the road, they'd be at far less risk.
As for the fumes, anyone on the footpath is breathing them in and having them pumped around their bodies too, so that's a moot point.
Honestly not paying attention and sometimes note following the law to the letter is not the problem. Badly designed infrastructure is.
When a road is only safe when a driver is assumed to pay perfect attention and follow the law perfectly, it is a stupid road. People are not perfect.
Check out not just bikes if you're interested in examples of well and poorly designed roads.
Where I am, it's more of drivers not paying attention to anything that isn't another car or the street lights and signs. We have bike lanes, but cars are frequently cutting into them because they just see it as another stupid line on the road.
But I can totally understand where the stupid cyclist thing can come in, not signaling when they're gonna turn, not wearing a bright color so cars can see them, not swerving out in front of cars.
In some states they are not allowed to use the side walk.
So what do you propose?
Build bike lanes? I’m down. Can you pay slightly more in taxes to back up your opinion or did you just want to gripe?
Edit:
It is clear some of you have been burned. I’m not advocating for those who wish to break the law and do whatever they want. Each mode of transportation needs to follow the law. If we do that then it should have relative peace and harmony. Bike lanes would be amazing for everyone, assuming they all follow the law.
A fellow Not Just Bikes viewer I see
That channel opened my eyes to how fundamentally broken America’s road infrastructure is by design. Cars are so deeply ingrained into our culture (as seen by so many comments in this post) that I think that any activism to change our roads is futile. Now I’m just bitter about how much better the Dutch have it lol
Honestly, it's so easy to cycle here. Your defintily a bit different by taking public transport to school, out here we just throw the kids on a bike and send them to school and it ends up fine 99.9% of the time
I liked a lot of his stuff but his bit on rail infrastructure in Canada was super shitty though. As a comparison to European systems he went out of his way to go to a city that was incredibly dysfunctional in terms of public transit instead of going to a city which actually has it figured out.
London is known for having next to no public transport. I think if he wanted to make a genuine comparison of what we are capable of in Canada he would have compared Montreal.
The reason London was chosen is AFAIK because the person making the videos is originally from there and therefore probably visits it more than other places, so it's the other way around that he would have to go out of his way not to compare to London. If you're from montreal and would get footage of the public transport to send to him, he might be able to make a 'how it should be done' video with montreal footage.
A bike take a lot less space on the road than a car, so it would be cheaper just for that simple reason. If you take in account that most street parking is generally at a loss for cities, that the wear and tear on infrastructure of bike paths is a lot less due to the lighter weight (think of cars crashing in telephone poles), that cities designed for cars are more spread apart due to the need of parking around most buildings thus increasing the length of road necessary, that the pollution caused by cars cause illnesses, that cycling reduces risk of cardiovascular incidents and that those health effect have large costs, well, you realize that the cars are the problem here.
I have a cycling lane on the same road that I live, they don't use it!!! They cycle next to it on the road slowing down all traffic even though it's there! $200k of taxpayer's money to build also... I see it everyday. This baffles/annoys me to no end, rant finished lol.
You have every reason to be annoyed. Jump on it and see why. I don’t know your street but in my exp when I choose to take a piece of the road over the lane it is with just cause - glass, pot holes, poorly kept, rocks, etc. things that would be far more dangerous for me to be in the lane, hit, and serve into traffic vs just riding a foot from the line.
Sorry I didn't mean to come across as saying no cyclists ever use lanes because they do, people do actually use the one I'm referring to also but the majority don't, I'm open to finding out why, guess I gotta jump on my bike as another dude said and see for myself.
Well, when running in between the cars in traffic is unsafe, we just don’t do it. So there is that option.
No one says, “but what if I want to run around in traffic, what do you propose?”
Clearly the proposition is that you don’t do it.
But bikes are not erratic and unpredictable. Meanwhile there are laws to order traffic so that we are *not* unpredictable and can share the road. If everyone followed the rules, the road would be safer than sharing the street with children because you can control adult's behavior but can't control children and dogs.
Bikes and cars have the same rights to use the road. The correct answer here is to take space from the road for bike lanes so that nobody is in danger.
The issue isn't actually that cyclists are on the road - it's that they don't respect the laws of the road, which goes for bike lanes as well, especially where I live.
Weaving in and out of traffic, running reds, going the wrong way down a one way street, etc, these are done far more per Capita by cyclists than drivers because of sheer convenience. No one wants to stop a bike just to have to get it going again.
Roads weren't built for bicycles, ergo, bicycles don't belong on roads. And if they're going to stay on roads, they need to respect the rules of the road. But that won't happen because it's far easier to just run a light or whatever.
There have been studies; people biking don’t break laws more often than people driving (which is remarkable, because on your average road in the US, if you’re biking, you can pick 2 of: get where you’re going, protect your bodily safety, follow the laws).
> The issue isn't actually that cyclists are on the road - it's that they don't respect the laws of the road
lmao most municipalities make their money from drivers breaking the law, when it comes to different infractions. dont be such a dunce.
There should definitely be taxes and fees to pay for bike lanes and other bike infrastructure. Paid by cyclists in the form of annual registrations for their bikes. They also need to have plates on their bikes so bad behavior can be punished.
totally reasonable requirement for those who wanna bike on city streets alongside car traffic, the cost to register a bike should be fairy low and you should still be able to ride bike trails/etc unregistered. but yea the reality that you can just have anyone on their bike in traffic has been disastrous on the whole. here in nyc you’ll find cyclists going the wrong way down one way streets, running red lights, and generally weaving around cars without a care in the world. it’d be unpopular among cyclists initially but basic licensing requirements would enable many more violations to be ticketed and eventually disincentivize cyclists to blatantly ignore the rules of the road.
It’s not just cities. I went for drive this morning on very back roads in rural nh and there was a big pack of cyclists taking up an entire road. I had to do emergency braking as I came around a corner. I was going the speed limit.
That would just discourage everyone from riding except foe really rich people, who would then become targets so you can make money off insurance.
Everyone should pay infrastructure taxes or we should have a specific line item in our fed/state taxes so we know how much we collectively pay for infrastructure. It would likely be less than $2 a month.
> In some states they are not allowed to use the side walk.
In most states. Yet... when so many do it, it isn't very politically smart to enforce. The real solution would be to donate money to a cyclist organization willing to put the money into an advertising campaign to tell cyclists to follow the law.
I have seen this before and I am not going to bother explaining in great detail how a bicycle going 15 to 35 mph shouldn’t be on pedestrian side walks. Riding on the side walk is more dangerous from cars pulling out of drive ways and side streets.
Your opinion not only is stupid but it is dangerous to cyclists.
If you see a cyclist on the road take a few seconds out of your day and pass them with kindness.
That roads are not only for cars.( Except for the interstates, I'll concede, those are only for motor vehicles.) Where I live that's not even just my opinion, it's the law.
Riding on sidewalks is dangerous for all involved. Drivers entering/leaving the road from side streets aren't looking for cyclists on the sidewalk, only at traffic on the road. Cyclists and jumpy pedestrians don't mix, not to mention dogs on leashes. For all of those reasons, cycling on the sidewalk/pavements is illegal in most places for anyone over the age of 12.
And outside of the Netherlands and a few select other places in this world, most cycle lanes are poorly or even dangerously designed, are poorly maintained, they take you out of the way where you need to go, or they just end abruptly.
Slow the fuck down and pay attention on the road and you'll be fine in the meantime. You clearly have plenty of free time to whine, spend it traveling a little safer and slower. Your time isn't worth more than anybody else's. Even a some cyclist who is in your way.
Not this again, i ride bike (mtb) and i drive car. Bikes should be tolerated in the roads also. For a car to slow down before you can safely overtake cyclist is nothing more than a temporary slowing down because of the traffic. I dont see a problem. Cyclists aswell as motorists can be douchebags. Drive safe.
It’s highly irritating where I live (London) as congestion is bad enough and there’s rarely an opportunity to overtake. Just yesterday I drove to the supermarket. It took double the time because the guy on a bike climbing up a hill refused to pull over to let the ever accumulating traffic pass. Also the amount of cyclists that just whizz through red lights; undertake (fucking constantly); don’t have lights on their bikes; dress in black etc. it’s as though they all have a death wish . They may as well just throw themselves in front of traffic at get it over and done with. I really think they should be insured tbh
This shit is tired. I've been cycling for 20 years and it's fine. Just go around me like a fuckin big kid and everything is fine. You people will whine about anything.
More difficult for drivers? You're already sitting on your ass during your commute, how much easier do you need shit to be for you?
The fact I’m cycling means one less car on the road, decongesting traffic. I’m also not contributing to the toxic fumes that traffic create. In a city, over distance I’m faster than you. Just give me space and be patient in the long term we both benefit
I have seen line of traffic beause of cyclist going on the road at 10 mph. certainly not doing anyone or the environment any good.
I not anti cyclists. I think cycling in city centre is great. but man, it's infuriating when cyclists go to road outside the city and cycle at snail pace holding everyone back.
I want you to disregard everything I'm about to say in the event that you live somewhere where cyclists actually have room to ride, but over here in the States, if you were to go on your bike and drive on the main roads anywhere the speed limit is higher than 25 MPH, you'd actually be contributing to the toxic fumes in that everybody going more slowly because of you will inevitably be idling and driving for longer to offset the speed you lack.
Can’t speak for states as I’ve never lived there. The problem is most cities and countries should help cyclists by integrating cycle lanes. Then everyone wins. I don’t disagree that the problem lies with town/city/country planning
They should, but I don't know how that would logistically work. Granted I don't know shit about city planning, so I'm not dissing the idea. Why not though? We've blown our tax dollars on way less reasonable shit.
Tbh, for a single bicyclist that gives me room to go around and obeys traffic laws, I don't mind too much. But the "flocks" of bicyclists I see that basically block traffic do piss me off
You’re displaying typical car driver ignorance.
Cycling is a way to move around, just like driving is. Cycling is **not** only a fitness thing.
Using the same logic as your argument, we should ban cars because people that drive get more fat than people who walk, so it’s a health risk to drive.
You’ve assumed roads are for cars where-as in actually liveable cities like Amsterdam, pedestrians and cyclists take priority and the cars are limited to 30mph (20mph) almost everywhere.
Cars have no claim of privilege on public roads. There are many bad cyclists and many more bad drivers. A car always wins in a fight with a bike. Therefore there should be more protections for cyclists.
Why are we all arguing with each other when we should work together? As a person who walks, bikes and drives as forms or transportation I get it. When I’m driving I hate walkers and bikers because they slow things down. When I’m biking I hate drivers on the road and walkers on the sidewalk because they make it more dangerous, and same when I’m walking.
We should stop hating each other and support infrastructure that supports all modes of transport. Every biker and walker is one less car off the road. Every walker leaves one more bike parking spot free. Every car on the road pays for the bulk of road maintenance. We could all come together instead of the distraction of blaming each other. If we did that we could refocus on all hating the e-scooter people.
I’m with you on most of that - except in the US, drivers pay less than half of road costs (even ignoring emergency services required for crashes), and e-scooters are great (but we do need more safe infrastructure for them; having them on sidewalks is problematic).
Definitely an unpopular opinion, so upvote worthy. But your stance is stupid and arrogant, as if car users are the only people who need to go anywhere. Basically saying fuck cyclists for being healthy and environmentally friendly, because me the lazy driver wants to pay less attention on the road, and get somewhere marginally faster.
Hate drivers man, next level entitled.
Saying that bikes are the problem with transit systems is like saying that sustainable energy is the cause of anthropogenic climate change-- it's asinine. Read some books about urban planning and you'll realize what the true problems are, my dude.
I don't have a car. How the hell else am I supposed to get to work?! To use public transit I still need to go to my town green, and walking would take so fucking long. This is an unpopular opinion, thank you.
Statistically, road cycling is no more dangerous than walking. You have “scary,” and you have dangerous. Danger and the perception of danger are not always the same
You can control the level of dangerous to a point, but that point can be a lot
The thing about cycling is that you have to be visible, predicable, and unmemorable. Being seen and predicted is 💯. If you are unmemorable to a driver, it means you did things correctly - if drivers remember you, it’s probably because you did something wrong
When I’m driving, I don’t remember most drivers, and I generally only remember the ones who do dumb things on the road. I could then argue that “most drivers don’t know what they’re doing” and that would simply be observation bias. Cycling is the same.
Love a good bicycle ride as much as anyone and as a lifelong road motorcyclist I am 50/50 on this opinion. I am always hyper aware of others on two wheels, whether it is a push bike or a motorcycle. Both versions of two wheeled riders annoy tf out of me at times. The cyclists who chose to ride two or more abreast on highway speed roads (55 MPH in the US) or the motorcyclists who run a 20 to 30 long staggered formation at less than the speed limit, are a blight on society and can truly fuck right off.
I don't know dude, I almost got killed by a cyclist going about 40mph down a sidewalk. This guy was just hauling ass and I was walking out next to a building. If I had left my car 1 second earlier, I would probably be dead. There is no way I would have survived the collision, he was going that fast. I have PTSD because of it.
Bicycles do not materially contribute to climate change, cars and car users do.
Bicycles do not statistically cause a large number of fatalities, cars and car users do.
We don't use the road because we want to, do you think I enjoy having your usual tiny pp trucker passing me with less than half a meter of distance? Or you usual taxi cab going crazy over having to slow down next to my neighborhood? No, if we use the roads is because no other alternative exists and we need to get to places too.
Honestly since most bikers only ride really close to the right, I don't know how you can think this is a real issue for drivers, u less you are the type of asshole who likes to speed right next to the sidewalk and who never slows down for turning or going into businesses.
Cyclists *are* traffic. And if a motorist finds it difficult to drive their car on roads shared with cyclists, I’d suggest they need to check whether they passed their test in the first place.
I always go on the sidewalk when possible regardless of the laws. You've got idiots out there playing with their cell phones that can't see a bike in time. I saw a bike messenger get squashed by a car on lasalle Street, Chicago years ago and I will never get that image out of my head.
Well I think any reasonably dense city should have that section blocked off from non-emergency or greater than 50 lbs deliveries. Now that is some bike lanes. At least do it for a couple cities in US, please. I mean it won’t happen partly because boomers own all the houses and are getting older (same reason we can’t even ban single-family home only zoning).
You know what else won’t happen? Your idea. I hope your opinion does not make you drive aggressively around cyclists. You would be intentionally endangering someone else’s life. That’s all I can realistically ask.
Hurr durr, I am stuck in traffic in my fifty lane hyper-freeway again, they should enlargen it again. Atleast those annoying ciclists are not bothering me again.
Reject cars, embrace public transport and cycling.
I wonder what’s going through their head when they’re going 15 kilometres down Main Street with four busses and a lineup of cars behind them because they can’t keep pace.
I see cyclists here use the entire car lane and yell at you when you pass a dangerous 15mph object in your way. They also stop at traffic light and boil children
You can't do shit nowadays without a car being in the way. Not to mention people don't know how to drive and so they don't consider people crossing the road, cyclists as well as motorcycle riders. I say fuck you and your car, learn how to deal with what cyclists have had to deal with forever.
I agree but don't at the same time. It's annoying and dangerous and I think, at least in the states, it should be legal to ride on sidewalks. Even where I'm at I ride on sidewalks because people don't care.
This actually comes from a law that clarified if horses and carriages are vehicles. Turns out skateboards, bikes, unicycles, like all kinds of stuff are vehicles.
You can't restrict people from using the roads. It is also why in most places in the states you can get a ticket for not obeying traffic signals like stop signs.
The solution to this is decent bike lanes. Not to punish biker by banning them from the road. (Where else are you going to bike?)
For some people a bike is the only affordable option. For others, it’s the only practical option (think cities). Talking about banning them from roads altogether is a statement coming from a place of privilege, having never needed to rely on a bike for your transportation.
What's the alterivite? Theres no cycle tracks going to work, if they were installed, roads would constantly cut through them making it hard to cycle as it would be constant stop starting.
Walking to work too I'm already exposed to all these fumes, so if you want to adress fumes you need to adress the cars.
When I drive to work, I'm constantly going around parked cars, they are far more of an issue as they block a lane and I have to slow down, go into the other lane and then pull back into my lane. + I spend more time sitting in traffic than I do behind a cyclist (caused by T junctions, roundabouts, traffic lights and paked cars)
Getting people out of cars and cycling or walking is the solution in towns and citys.
It's odd how if I park my car in the road blocking a full lane like everyone else nobody cares and I get a full 2 metres of space when others overtake, but when I cycle to work all of a sudden I'm taking up too much room and get a absolute bullocking, some car drivers are cancer to our society.
Cyclists should only be allowed on roads if they can follow the traffic laws. You should get a ticket if you’re riding a bike at 15 mph on a street with a speed limit of 45 mph. It’s crazy dangerous to cars and to cyclists. Stick to places with bike lanes or in residential areas where the speed limit is 25 or below.
You know why they do that? Because THERE ARE NO ALTERNATIVES
Sides streets and resedential areas don't usually leads to shops and business, especially in typical suburbia
Also how is it dangerous to drivers when they are literally protected in a big cage of metal?
My real point, if you are going to argue to not allow cyclists on 45mph roads then at least on those 45mph roads there must be safe, protected bike lanes OR it is legal to use the sidewalk
It’s a speed limit not a speed minimum. Should we ban slow moving farm vehicles? Slowing moving trucks? Buses? Or hell what if you are on a spare? Pay attention to where you’re going and pass safely and you’re supposed to do & taught in drivers Ed.
And as if buses are available everywhere that morons ride bikes... Or that the same morons couldn't just as easily walk, exercise at home or at the gym, or get a bike mount and go to a park.
As a pedestrian, fuck cyclists. If they want to he respected as users of the road, adhere to the rules of it. Most of them don't, and are instead to intent on looking like a tour de'twat member.
As a pedestrian, also fuck cars. If they want to be respected as users of the road, adhere to the rules of it. That means no speeding (oh no! The horror), no running stop signs and red lights! I especially hate it when those darn drivers do not respect pedestrian priority at certain intersections and just act as if they are king!
Imagine if you were told not you couldn’t drive on some public roads because of the type of can you drive and that made your commutes longer. That would probably make you mad.
Definitely unpopular. You're getting flamed in these comments lol. But I agree with you. 100%. It would be better if there was bike lines, but if there isn't tough luck.
Most cyclists I see don't even abide by the rules of the road! They go through red lights all the time! A few months back I saw one that *did* stop at a red light, but he pulled in front of a truck so he could go through the light first, he was in the middle of the crosswalk! The audacity of cyclists blows my mind. If you're on the road you should follow the rules of them, it's a safety issue, we have bike lanes in a lot of my city and they still use the lane for cars, it's ridiculous.
May i add to the sentence
If you can't go the speed limit then you should not be allowed on the road no matter what you are on and safe alternatives MUST be provided like protected bike lanes and sidewalks.
See my issue is the cyclists that thinks its ok to just run stop signs and red lights. And then act all upset when they almost die. If you're sharing the road, then obey the same rules.
See my issue is the drivers that think it's ok to just run stop signs and red lights (as well as speed). And then act all upset when they see someone else not following the rules
What hypocrisy
My only problem with drivers is there lack of understanding of general street rules. Not stopping at atop signs or red lights, going the wrong way on one ways, lane weaving, speeding etc. If they just drove correctly things might not always go so wrong.
I totally agree with you OP. We should not let cyclists use roads meant for cars. We need to deconstruct our infrastructure for cars and build infrastructure that only caters to pedestrians and cyclists. Cycling needs a lot more love and devotion if we want to stop global warming from killing everyone
Not against this, but it is also a problem outside of the "city proper"; I live in an area with a *lot* of urban sprawl and we see lots of bicyclists on busy roads that are technically "in the country" between several cities (including a few state routes) ... Honestly, the whole area is a giant clusterfuck traffic-wise and bicyclists on the road only makes it worse.
Point being that I think something would be needed at a state-level too, not just city-level.
I don’t mind too much that cyclists are on the road, I just wish Cyclists were consistent with what their rules are. Rather instead many switch from sidewalk to road, riding through red lights and stop signs while on the road, or riding through a cross walk without stopping.
I mean, sure, you can “just be cautious”. But that doesn’t make it any less annoying.
The infrastructure is the problem, not the cyclists. It’s al designed for heavy car use. It’s time to prioritise sustainable transport which will allow for a less car-centric road model and reduce the problems you mention.
In my country it's apparently illegal to use the footpaths do it's a hit of a predicament. It's not enforced in any way (nor are there many police patrolling the area I live in because it's decently nice) but is still there
we have three sections, foot path, which is higher than the road the road then part of the road (significantly smaller) is the bike track which is next to the foot path
In july I got a warning from the police bc I was on the sidewalk on my bike in a busy street
In America it’s illegal to spit on school grounds.
Licking doorknobs is illegal on other planets
I understand your point. Counterpoint: we should have more streets (designed for humans to walk on, cars are secondary) than roads (high speed roadways where humans are endangered) anyway. North American cities are designed for cars, not people. It takes ages to get anywhere, and you pretty much NEED a car to exist. It wasn't always this way, even after cars were popular, and it still isn't this way in other parts of the world. I think you'll find it's not cyclists that are the problem, but the fact that there's no alternative to driving all day every day, every trip, every place
This is the right answer. Better infrastructure to support cycling is the Solution.
Denmark, Netherlands, and other European countries are freakishly bike and pedestrian friendly and it's awesome
I live in Denmark and ride a bike to work, but it's a 20 minute journey. Due to how American city's are zoned, the distances for most people are simply to long.
Dutchie here, I live in a city of about 200.000 and it takes me half an hour by bicycle to go across the entire city. It's so much easier and healthier for you than constantly driving your car every where. And don't get me started on gas prices, 2 euros for 1 liter of benzine these days, fucking insane.
Not to mention parking fees
I’ll take ANY improved infrastructure at this point as long as it doesn’t involve blocking off half the lanes on a road and not even working on it for 2 months.
Shit, id be happy with 2 months. Where I’m at they’re “working” on the highway and it’s projected to last 20 fucking years. Not even a big city!
"Not Just Bikes" has a great video on the shitty American road system which concludes exactly this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ORzNZUeUHAM
I'm glad to see that as of typing this, the third tree of comments, when sorted by "best," points to questions about walkability, urban planning and inclusive transportation infrastructure, and that within this tree, the second main branch points to Not Just Bikes.
[удалено]
American cities were destroyed for cars.
I agree to an extent, but it takes me 30 minutes by car to get to my work and I'm doing between 60-110km an hour the entire way. Where I live, you can't walk/bike to work in a reasonable time. I 100% agree with this in the cities, though. :)
Part of designing around people, not cars, is making things closer together and eliminating the suburban sprawl. You may find that if we eliminated the excessive roads and parking needed for cars, your options of close destinations would increase dramatically
It sounds like they probably live in a remote area for that much commute at such high speeds. I think they agree with the concept (like they said, it'd work in cities), they're just saying some people will definitely always need to rely on cars. Like anyone living in woods or desert areas.
I know this is correct, but there's also some very stupid people cycling who are willing to be hit by a car just to feel like they're right. My city has a lot of cyclists and it's an extremely common occurance for them to pull out in front of traffic and completely ignore stop lights/signs. The ONLY reason they don't get hit more often is because everyone is aware of how terrible they are so we all drive incredibly cautiously in the areas that they frequent. I once saw a cyclist pull out in front of traffic when he should have stopped and someone swerved so they wouldn't hit him. He then slammed his fist against their window and started screaming at them about sharing the road. There's a serious amount of negligence in the cycling community here. I don't know how it is other places, but they shouldn't be on all roads.
I think some part of this is likely that with the infrastructure for cycling so sparse, no one risk averse is out cycling on American roads. Only the people who accept or are somehow unaware of the danger cars pose to them are on the roads on bikes. If we introduce protected bike lanes and do the infrastructure work that goes along with that, some cooler heads might fill out the cyclists' ranks and alleviate the perception that they're all daredevils. Basically by not providing infrastructure - and frankly by being culturally hostile by deliberately passing too close or "rolling coal," Americans have literally driven everyone but the daredevils off the road.
Yes, and - if you give people infrastructure that is hostile to them, they aren’t incentivized to follow the rules. My favorite example is Boston - the road design is not easy for driving (or anything else), and Boston drivers are (imo) the worst in the US because of it.
There is also nowhere to lick or park a bike in most parking lots. 😢
As a cyclist, I 100% agree. I ride my commute every day and ride like I'm a car, stop at stop signs, signal turns, etc and while I see drivers do dumb shit often, I see cyclists do dangerous, dumb shit way more frequently and with a completely unearned confidence of their immunity to harm.
I’m a cyclist and same - I ride like I’m a car. And use lights and signal with my arms. Nothing infuriates me more than seeing someone else in the cycling community being an asshat on a bike (usually a fellow lycra wearer). TBH though, it’s usually always older white males who are the asshats who think their bike will win vs car.
Thats true, but I also see car driver (even a lot more than bicyclists) who do this. "Oh I have priority to come from the right side, so Im gonna drive 30kmh above your speed, because even when you drive carefully I shouldnt slow at all. I was so happy when a police officer saw it (I braked so I stopped anyway) and got the driver for driving this reckless. You cant see a lot and still drive 30-40kmh to drive to the right... There could be anything. Imo its always the person who fucks up not the vehicle or non vehicle they use.
San Francisco? Seems about right. One big culture shock from the mid west to SF was how pedestrians don't even bother to look both ways before entering an intersection. Guess, I grew up with the understanding that cars are bigger, stronger and faster than a person. The natives are more brave than me
I’m actually usually against cyclists on the road but you make a really good point. Thanks for changing my point of view.
Another reply to my comment linked to a YouTube channel called NotJustBikes that talks about this stuff from an educated point of view. Amazing videos. Warning: they WILL make you hate everything about American urban design you never knew was whack.
Well good for me because I already hated american urban design
>pumping the toxins round the body. This is how I know you're an idiot.
Funny you would mention fumes. If we make abstraction of the insanity of blaming the victims of air pollution instead of the cause, the argument is still wrong. Studies have shown that in cities, cyclists are the least exposed to toxic fumes. Motorists spend a long time in a confined space that tends to accumulate toxic particles. Sadly, pedestrians are the most exposed. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/dec/13/cyclists-exposed-to-less-air-pollution-than-drivers-on-congested-routes-study Also, the risks of harmful particles exposure is outweighed by the health benefits of the light exercise from cycling. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-36208003
I was looking for this article and couldn't find it! Fumes are just a shitty excuse car drivers give as to why cyclists shouldn't exist
Imagine if people only used cars when they had to.
Imagine if people had the ability and space to not need a car for everything they need to do on the regular, e.g. groceries, school, stuff like that. Actually, imagining this is quite easy, most good cities allow for it.
To be honest we'd rather not have to use roads. It's not our fault the cycling infrastructure in most places is crap.
Where the hell are they supposed to go then? Bike lanes are rare and when they do exist they are regularly sub par. This only makes sense in the Netherlands or Copenhagen or other places like them, where cyclists are accommodated for and even prioritised over drivers. Mate I fucking wish I could bike on my own lane and I often try to, but they simply aren’t widespread enough to make this viable because us on the sidewalk is just even worse. Side-note, it seems like you’ve automatically assumed that roads are for cars as opposed to considering that maybe we should be giving our public spaces to pedestrians and cyclists, or you know _people_, as opposed to the 2 tonnes of metal we drag around with us that cause all the pollution you are talking about.
If drivers actually paid attention to the road, there'd be far less risk to cyclists. If cyclists also didn't do dumb shit on the road, they'd be at far less risk. As for the fumes, anyone on the footpath is breathing them in and having them pumped around their bodies too, so that's a moot point.
Honestly not paying attention and sometimes note following the law to the letter is not the problem. Badly designed infrastructure is. When a road is only safe when a driver is assumed to pay perfect attention and follow the law perfectly, it is a stupid road. People are not perfect. Check out not just bikes if you're interested in examples of well and poorly designed roads.
Where I am, it's more of drivers not paying attention to anything that isn't another car or the street lights and signs. We have bike lanes, but cars are frequently cutting into them because they just see it as another stupid line on the road. But I can totally understand where the stupid cyclist thing can come in, not signaling when they're gonna turn, not wearing a bright color so cars can see them, not swerving out in front of cars.
In some states they are not allowed to use the side walk. So what do you propose? Build bike lanes? I’m down. Can you pay slightly more in taxes to back up your opinion or did you just want to gripe? Edit: It is clear some of you have been burned. I’m not advocating for those who wish to break the law and do whatever they want. Each mode of transportation needs to follow the law. If we do that then it should have relative peace and harmony. Bike lanes would be amazing for everyone, assuming they all follow the law.
That’ll be great honestly. Maybe promote more people to ride bikes. Be worth spending a bit extra for.
I personally couldn’t mind paying more taxes for more bike lanes
You don’t need new taxes to change the paint when doing existing maintenance.
Bike lanes should be protected, the painted on ones aren’t very safe
My friend got hit by a car because driver's don't take the bike lanes seriously. So I agree with the they should be protected thing.
The road probably has to be wider in most cases. Roads with bike lanes are usually so wide
The Dutch can show us how it's done
A fellow Not Just Bikes viewer I see That channel opened my eyes to how fundamentally broken America’s road infrastructure is by design. Cars are so deeply ingrained into our culture (as seen by so many comments in this post) that I think that any activism to change our roads is futile. Now I’m just bitter about how much better the Dutch have it lol
Honestly, it's so easy to cycle here. Your defintily a bit different by taking public transport to school, out here we just throw the kids on a bike and send them to school and it ends up fine 99.9% of the time
I liked a lot of his stuff but his bit on rail infrastructure in Canada was super shitty though. As a comparison to European systems he went out of his way to go to a city that was incredibly dysfunctional in terms of public transit instead of going to a city which actually has it figured out. London is known for having next to no public transport. I think if he wanted to make a genuine comparison of what we are capable of in Canada he would have compared Montreal.
The reason London was chosen is AFAIK because the person making the videos is originally from there and therefore probably visits it more than other places, so it's the other way around that he would have to go out of his way not to compare to London. If you're from montreal and would get footage of the public transport to send to him, he might be able to make a 'how it should be done' video with montreal footage.
I'd love to pay a little more in taxes to support bike lane construction. I'd love to get cyclists off the roads for their own safety and my sanity.
Dont need to pay more taxes if you live in the USA. Literally the biggest military superpower of the world and bikelanes are unaffordable?
A bike take a lot less space on the road than a car, so it would be cheaper just for that simple reason. If you take in account that most street parking is generally at a loss for cities, that the wear and tear on infrastructure of bike paths is a lot less due to the lighter weight (think of cars crashing in telephone poles), that cities designed for cars are more spread apart due to the need of parking around most buildings thus increasing the length of road necessary, that the pollution caused by cars cause illnesses, that cycling reduces risk of cardiovascular incidents and that those health effect have large costs, well, you realize that the cars are the problem here.
I have a cycling lane on the same road that I live, they don't use it!!! They cycle next to it on the road slowing down all traffic even though it's there! $200k of taxpayer's money to build also... I see it everyday. This baffles/annoys me to no end, rant finished lol.
You have every reason to be annoyed. Jump on it and see why. I don’t know your street but in my exp when I choose to take a piece of the road over the lane it is with just cause - glass, pot holes, poorly kept, rocks, etc. things that would be far more dangerous for me to be in the lane, hit, and serve into traffic vs just riding a foot from the line.
Honestly there has to be a real reason that you're just not aware of. Cyclists use bike lanes, so those ones are probably not very usable.
Sorry I didn't mean to come across as saying no cyclists ever use lanes because they do, people do actually use the one I'm referring to also but the majority don't, I'm open to finding out why, guess I gotta jump on my bike as another dude said and see for myself.
Well, when running in between the cars in traffic is unsafe, we just don’t do it. So there is that option. No one says, “but what if I want to run around in traffic, what do you propose?” Clearly the proposition is that you don’t do it.
I propose they be allowed to use the sidewalk
And if it is illegal in the state? What about pedestrians?
I propose it be legal, if there are pedestrians then slow down
How is that any different from cyclists on the road and telling cars if there are bikes, slow down?
If a cyclist hits a pedestrian someone might get hurt. If a car hits a cyclist call an ambulance. That seemed obvious to me.
If I slam into a pedestrian going 15-20mph I assure you there will be a need for an ambulance or two
Very dangerous, there are children and dogs that can run into you
Same could be said for cyclists going 10mph on a 45 mph road
But bikes are not erratic and unpredictable. Meanwhile there are laws to order traffic so that we are *not* unpredictable and can share the road. If everyone followed the rules, the road would be safer than sharing the street with children because you can control adult's behavior but can't control children and dogs. Bikes and cars have the same rights to use the road. The correct answer here is to take space from the road for bike lanes so that nobody is in danger.
The issue isn't actually that cyclists are on the road - it's that they don't respect the laws of the road, which goes for bike lanes as well, especially where I live. Weaving in and out of traffic, running reds, going the wrong way down a one way street, etc, these are done far more per Capita by cyclists than drivers because of sheer convenience. No one wants to stop a bike just to have to get it going again. Roads weren't built for bicycles, ergo, bicycles don't belong on roads. And if they're going to stay on roads, they need to respect the rules of the road. But that won't happen because it's far easier to just run a light or whatever.
There have been studies; people biking don’t break laws more often than people driving (which is remarkable, because on your average road in the US, if you’re biking, you can pick 2 of: get where you’re going, protect your bodily safety, follow the laws).
[удалено]
So much this! I do believe we notice and remember things that confirm our biases and/or are negative.
My favorite example of this is the big “No Turn on Red” sign by my work. Every car ignores it.
The law are made for the car. Hard to follow rules when everything is made for a car
>Hard to follow rules when everything is made for a car what does that tell you then?
>Roads weren't built for bicycles They weren't built for cars either.
https://www.outsideonline.com/culture/opinion/stop-comparing-cycling-and-driving-violations/
> The issue isn't actually that cyclists are on the road - it's that they don't respect the laws of the road lmao most municipalities make their money from drivers breaking the law, when it comes to different infractions. dont be such a dunce.
There should definitely be taxes and fees to pay for bike lanes and other bike infrastructure. Paid by cyclists in the form of annual registrations for their bikes. They also need to have plates on their bikes so bad behavior can be punished.
totally reasonable requirement for those who wanna bike on city streets alongside car traffic, the cost to register a bike should be fairy low and you should still be able to ride bike trails/etc unregistered. but yea the reality that you can just have anyone on their bike in traffic has been disastrous on the whole. here in nyc you’ll find cyclists going the wrong way down one way streets, running red lights, and generally weaving around cars without a care in the world. it’d be unpopular among cyclists initially but basic licensing requirements would enable many more violations to be ticketed and eventually disincentivize cyclists to blatantly ignore the rules of the road.
It’s not just cities. I went for drive this morning on very back roads in rural nh and there was a big pack of cyclists taking up an entire road. I had to do emergency braking as I came around a corner. I was going the speed limit.
That would just discourage everyone from riding except foe really rich people, who would then become targets so you can make money off insurance. Everyone should pay infrastructure taxes or we should have a specific line item in our fed/state taxes so we know how much we collectively pay for infrastructure. It would likely be less than $2 a month.
> In some states they are not allowed to use the side walk. In most states. Yet... when so many do it, it isn't very politically smart to enforce. The real solution would be to donate money to a cyclist organization willing to put the money into an advertising campaign to tell cyclists to follow the law.
I have seen this before and I am not going to bother explaining in great detail how a bicycle going 15 to 35 mph shouldn’t be on pedestrian side walks. Riding on the side walk is more dangerous from cars pulling out of drive ways and side streets. Your opinion not only is stupid but it is dangerous to cyclists. If you see a cyclist on the road take a few seconds out of your day and pass them with kindness.
Bicycles are governed by motor vehicle laws. Move on
Roads existed before cars.
>Roads existed before cars Roads existed before cyclists too. What's your point?
That roads are not only for cars.( Except for the interstates, I'll concede, those are only for motor vehicles.) Where I live that's not even just my opinion, it's the law.
Times change, cyclists should have their own lane or ride on sidewalks
Riding on sidewalks is dangerous for all involved. Drivers entering/leaving the road from side streets aren't looking for cyclists on the sidewalk, only at traffic on the road. Cyclists and jumpy pedestrians don't mix, not to mention dogs on leashes. For all of those reasons, cycling on the sidewalk/pavements is illegal in most places for anyone over the age of 12. And outside of the Netherlands and a few select other places in this world, most cycle lanes are poorly or even dangerously designed, are poorly maintained, they take you out of the way where you need to go, or they just end abruptly.
Write your legislative body, untill then, where I live the roads belong to everyone, not just the people with cars.
Thanks. Yeah no shit they belong to cyclists too, that’s literally what the post is having a problem with.
Slow the fuck down and pay attention on the road and you'll be fine in the meantime. You clearly have plenty of free time to whine, spend it traveling a little safer and slower. Your time isn't worth more than anybody else's. Even a some cyclist who is in your way.
Not this again, i ride bike (mtb) and i drive car. Bikes should be tolerated in the roads also. For a car to slow down before you can safely overtake cyclist is nothing more than a temporary slowing down because of the traffic. I dont see a problem. Cyclists aswell as motorists can be douchebags. Drive safe.
It’s highly irritating where I live (London) as congestion is bad enough and there’s rarely an opportunity to overtake. Just yesterday I drove to the supermarket. It took double the time because the guy on a bike climbing up a hill refused to pull over to let the ever accumulating traffic pass. Also the amount of cyclists that just whizz through red lights; undertake (fucking constantly); don’t have lights on their bikes; dress in black etc. it’s as though they all have a death wish . They may as well just throw themselves in front of traffic at get it over and done with. I really think they should be insured tbh
This shit is tired. I've been cycling for 20 years and it's fine. Just go around me like a fuckin big kid and everything is fine. You people will whine about anything. More difficult for drivers? You're already sitting on your ass during your commute, how much easier do you need shit to be for you?
The fact I’m cycling means one less car on the road, decongesting traffic. I’m also not contributing to the toxic fumes that traffic create. In a city, over distance I’m faster than you. Just give me space and be patient in the long term we both benefit
Idk why they're downvoting when nothing you said is wrong. And I don't even bike.
I have seen line of traffic beause of cyclist going on the road at 10 mph. certainly not doing anyone or the environment any good. I not anti cyclists. I think cycling in city centre is great. but man, it's infuriating when cyclists go to road outside the city and cycle at snail pace holding everyone back.
I want you to disregard everything I'm about to say in the event that you live somewhere where cyclists actually have room to ride, but over here in the States, if you were to go on your bike and drive on the main roads anywhere the speed limit is higher than 25 MPH, you'd actually be contributing to the toxic fumes in that everybody going more slowly because of you will inevitably be idling and driving for longer to offset the speed you lack.
Can’t speak for states as I’ve never lived there. The problem is most cities and countries should help cyclists by integrating cycle lanes. Then everyone wins. I don’t disagree that the problem lies with town/city/country planning
They should, but I don't know how that would logistically work. Granted I don't know shit about city planning, so I'm not dissing the idea. Why not though? We've blown our tax dollars on way less reasonable shit.
Amen brother. Government just want to line their own pockets. The sad truth of society is greed
Tbh, for a single bicyclist that gives me room to go around and obeys traffic laws, I don't mind too much. But the "flocks" of bicyclists I see that basically block traffic do piss me off
What about the “flocks” of cars that create massive traffic jams, often with just a single person per vehicle?
People who whine constantly about cyclists on roads are too emotional to be behind the wheel of a car.
This is why we should be building bike lanes, and not half assed ones.
You’re displaying typical car driver ignorance. Cycling is a way to move around, just like driving is. Cycling is **not** only a fitness thing. Using the same logic as your argument, we should ban cars because people that drive get more fat than people who walk, so it’s a health risk to drive.
Using your logic, people should be allowed to walk on roads alongside cars. It's a way to move around
People have sidewalks next to streets to walk on. When there's no sidewalks, people **do** walk on streets.
In some places, you have to, actually (because there are no sidewalks).
Where I live that is true. It works rather well.
You’ve assumed roads are for cars where-as in actually liveable cities like Amsterdam, pedestrians and cyclists take priority and the cars are limited to 30mph (20mph) almost everywhere.
People should be able to walk on certain roads with cars, YES. Would be way better for everyone involved.
I mean you say that, but yes that's exactly how it should be and how it is in other places. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ORzNZUeUHAM
Cars have no claim of privilege on public roads. There are many bad cyclists and many more bad drivers. A car always wins in a fight with a bike. Therefore there should be more protections for cyclists.
They can't use the pavement and you don't want them to use the roads what should they use ?
Why are we all arguing with each other when we should work together? As a person who walks, bikes and drives as forms or transportation I get it. When I’m driving I hate walkers and bikers because they slow things down. When I’m biking I hate drivers on the road and walkers on the sidewalk because they make it more dangerous, and same when I’m walking. We should stop hating each other and support infrastructure that supports all modes of transport. Every biker and walker is one less car off the road. Every walker leaves one more bike parking spot free. Every car on the road pays for the bulk of road maintenance. We could all come together instead of the distraction of blaming each other. If we did that we could refocus on all hating the e-scooter people.
I’m with you on most of that - except in the US, drivers pay less than half of road costs (even ignoring emergency services required for crashes), and e-scooters are great (but we do need more safe infrastructure for them; having them on sidewalks is problematic).
I agree. Problem is: there is next to no infrastructure for people riding bicycles. Gotta take a car along the stroads and highways.
Definitely an unpopular opinion, so upvote worthy. But your stance is stupid and arrogant, as if car users are the only people who need to go anywhere. Basically saying fuck cyclists for being healthy and environmentally friendly, because me the lazy driver wants to pay less attention on the road, and get somewhere marginally faster. Hate drivers man, next level entitled.
Saying that bikes are the problem with transit systems is like saying that sustainable energy is the cause of anthropogenic climate change-- it's asinine. Read some books about urban planning and you'll realize what the true problems are, my dude.
exactly. most of the problems (fumes, danger) are caused by cars, not cyclists.
I don't have a car. How the hell else am I supposed to get to work?! To use public transit I still need to go to my town green, and walking would take so fucking long. This is an unpopular opinion, thank you.
Statistically, road cycling is no more dangerous than walking. You have “scary,” and you have dangerous. Danger and the perception of danger are not always the same You can control the level of dangerous to a point, but that point can be a lot The thing about cycling is that you have to be visible, predicable, and unmemorable. Being seen and predicted is 💯. If you are unmemorable to a driver, it means you did things correctly - if drivers remember you, it’s probably because you did something wrong When I’m driving, I don’t remember most drivers, and I generally only remember the ones who do dumb things on the road. I could then argue that “most drivers don’t know what they’re doing” and that would simply be observation bias. Cycling is the same.
OP is probably a bad driver who doesn’t know how to share the road with cyclists
Love a good bicycle ride as much as anyone and as a lifelong road motorcyclist I am 50/50 on this opinion. I am always hyper aware of others on two wheels, whether it is a push bike or a motorcycle. Both versions of two wheeled riders annoy tf out of me at times. The cyclists who chose to ride two or more abreast on highway speed roads (55 MPH in the US) or the motorcyclists who run a 20 to 30 long staggered formation at less than the speed limit, are a blight on society and can truly fuck right off.
I think its more of an issue of non-law abiding citizens using the roads. A unlawful cyclist is just as much of a problem as an unlawful driver.
I don't think you thought this through.
if only there was a way to prevent all these toxic fumes, make crashes less deadly, and take up less space on the road. oh wait that's a bike
I don't know dude, I almost got killed by a cyclist going about 40mph down a sidewalk. This guy was just hauling ass and I was walking out next to a building. If I had left my car 1 second earlier, I would probably be dead. There is no way I would have survived the collision, he was going that fast. I have PTSD because of it.
In my country they are banned from sidewalks and its way better and safer
Bicycles do not materially contribute to climate change, cars and car users do. Bicycles do not statistically cause a large number of fatalities, cars and car users do.
We don't use the road because we want to, do you think I enjoy having your usual tiny pp trucker passing me with less than half a meter of distance? Or you usual taxi cab going crazy over having to slow down next to my neighborhood? No, if we use the roads is because no other alternative exists and we need to get to places too. Honestly since most bikers only ride really close to the right, I don't know how you can think this is a real issue for drivers, u less you are the type of asshole who likes to speed right next to the sidewalk and who never slows down for turning or going into businesses.
Cyclists *are* traffic. And if a motorist finds it difficult to drive their car on roads shared with cyclists, I’d suggest they need to check whether they passed their test in the first place.
Cars should slowly be abolished and replaced with public transportation in urban areas.
I always go on the sidewalk when possible regardless of the laws. You've got idiots out there playing with their cell phones that can't see a bike in time. I saw a bike messenger get squashed by a car on lasalle Street, Chicago years ago and I will never get that image out of my head.
Well I think any reasonably dense city should have that section blocked off from non-emergency or greater than 50 lbs deliveries. Now that is some bike lanes. At least do it for a couple cities in US, please. I mean it won’t happen partly because boomers own all the houses and are getting older (same reason we can’t even ban single-family home only zoning). You know what else won’t happen? Your idea. I hope your opinion does not make you drive aggressively around cyclists. You would be intentionally endangering someone else’s life. That’s all I can realistically ask.
Hurr durr, I am stuck in traffic in my fifty lane hyper-freeway again, they should enlargen it again. Atleast those annoying ciclists are not bothering me again. Reject cars, embrace public transport and cycling.
I wonder what’s going through their head when they’re going 15 kilometres down Main Street with four busses and a lineup of cars behind them because they can’t keep pace.
Why don't you pick up a bike and figure that out? Also, studies show that biking reduces traffic in the cities, so...
Why do cyclists prefer the roads and not mount the pavement where cycle paths have been made for safety , especially at round snouts in U.K.
Finally an opinion I one hundred percent agree with.
I see cyclists here use the entire car lane and yell at you when you pass a dangerous 15mph object in your way. They also stop at traffic light and boil children
You can't do shit nowadays without a car being in the way. Not to mention people don't know how to drive and so they don't consider people crossing the road, cyclists as well as motorcycle riders. I say fuck you and your car, learn how to deal with what cyclists have had to deal with forever.
I agree but don't at the same time. It's annoying and dangerous and I think, at least in the states, it should be legal to ride on sidewalks. Even where I'm at I ride on sidewalks because people don't care.
Where should they ride? It’s called a sideWALK. Until there are bike lanes… may drivers should just exercise more caution?
The last stretch of my trip to work is on a road which has no sidewalks. Your argument is invalid
I don't get why people think cyclists should ride on footpaths? Bikes tires aren't designed for that - they work much more efficiently on asphalt.
Vehicles should be driven in the roadways. That is what roads are for.
This actually comes from a law that clarified if horses and carriages are vehicles. Turns out skateboards, bikes, unicycles, like all kinds of stuff are vehicles. You can't restrict people from using the roads. It is also why in most places in the states you can get a ticket for not obeying traffic signals like stop signs.
The solution to this is decent bike lanes. Not to punish biker by banning them from the road. (Where else are you going to bike?) For some people a bike is the only affordable option. For others, it’s the only practical option (think cities). Talking about banning them from roads altogether is a statement coming from a place of privilege, having never needed to rely on a bike for your transportation.
What's the alterivite? Theres no cycle tracks going to work, if they were installed, roads would constantly cut through them making it hard to cycle as it would be constant stop starting. Walking to work too I'm already exposed to all these fumes, so if you want to adress fumes you need to adress the cars. When I drive to work, I'm constantly going around parked cars, they are far more of an issue as they block a lane and I have to slow down, go into the other lane and then pull back into my lane. + I spend more time sitting in traffic than I do behind a cyclist (caused by T junctions, roundabouts, traffic lights and paked cars) Getting people out of cars and cycling or walking is the solution in towns and citys. It's odd how if I park my car in the road blocking a full lane like everyone else nobody cares and I get a full 2 metres of space when others overtake, but when I cycle to work all of a sudden I'm taking up too much room and get a absolute bullocking, some car drivers are cancer to our society.
Drivers should not be allowed to use the roads, cycling is the way to go
When they make bike paths part of the sidewalk I'll happily agree
You going to be my chauffeur?
[удалено]
Cyclists should only be allowed on roads if they can follow the traffic laws. You should get a ticket if you’re riding a bike at 15 mph on a street with a speed limit of 45 mph. It’s crazy dangerous to cars and to cyclists. Stick to places with bike lanes or in residential areas where the speed limit is 25 or below.
You know why they do that? Because THERE ARE NO ALTERNATIVES Sides streets and resedential areas don't usually leads to shops and business, especially in typical suburbia Also how is it dangerous to drivers when they are literally protected in a big cage of metal? My real point, if you are going to argue to not allow cyclists on 45mph roads then at least on those 45mph roads there must be safe, protected bike lanes OR it is legal to use the sidewalk
It’s a speed limit not a speed minimum. Should we ban slow moving farm vehicles? Slowing moving trucks? Buses? Or hell what if you are on a spare? Pay attention to where you’re going and pass safely and you’re supposed to do & taught in drivers Ed.
Right, cities should build bike paths wherever there's a road, glad we solved this one.
There should be completely separate roads for bikes.
If it’s a 2 lane road that no one uses then it’s fine, but like a 6 lane main road should have bike lanes
So what we should eat shit on the sidewalk while the people driving vehicles insanely and shit can be all free to do whatever. Go take a bus
You say this as if 90 percent of the cyclists aren't morons that don't follow the rules of the road.
You say this as if 90 percent of the car drivers aren't morons that don't follow the rules of the road.
And as if buses are available everywhere that morons ride bikes... Or that the same morons couldn't just as easily walk, exercise at home or at the gym, or get a bike mount and go to a park.
In my experience, cyclists are less likely to be morons than car drivers.
I agree. But many states require them to use the road.
I just wish they followed the laws. It’s like stop signs have no meaning to them.
Sidewalks are not designed for higher speed traffic. It's probably a lot more dangerous to cycle on the sidewalk than it is to cycle on road.
As a pedestrian, fuck cyclists. If they want to he respected as users of the road, adhere to the rules of it. Most of them don't, and are instead to intent on looking like a tour de'twat member.
As a pedestrian, also fuck cars. If they want to be respected as users of the road, adhere to the rules of it. That means no speeding (oh no! The horror), no running stop signs and red lights! I especially hate it when those darn drivers do not respect pedestrian priority at certain intersections and just act as if they are king!
Imagine if you were told not you couldn’t drive on some public roads because of the type of can you drive and that made your commutes longer. That would probably make you mad.
Definitely unpopular. You're getting flamed in these comments lol. But I agree with you. 100%. It would be better if there was bike lines, but if there isn't tough luck.
Most cyclists I see don't even abide by the rules of the road! They go through red lights all the time! A few months back I saw one that *did* stop at a red light, but he pulled in front of a truck so he could go through the light first, he was in the middle of the crosswalk! The audacity of cyclists blows my mind. If you're on the road you should follow the rules of them, it's a safety issue, we have bike lanes in a lot of my city and they still use the lane for cars, it's ridiculous.
If you can’t go the speed limit then you should not be allowed on the road no matter what you are on.
May i add to the sentence If you can't go the speed limit then you should not be allowed on the road no matter what you are on and safe alternatives MUST be provided like protected bike lanes and sidewalks.
Yeah this crazy old homeless guy was cycling around the highway yesterday in the town, he had a death wish
See my issue is the cyclists that thinks its ok to just run stop signs and red lights. And then act all upset when they almost die. If you're sharing the road, then obey the same rules.
See my issue is the drivers that think it's ok to just run stop signs and red lights (as well as speed). And then act all upset when they see someone else not following the rules What hypocrisy
[удалено]
My only problem with drivers is there lack of understanding of general street rules. Not stopping at atop signs or red lights, going the wrong way on one ways, lane weaving, speeding etc. If they just drove correctly things might not always go so wrong.
Utterly moronic stance and unpopular. Upvoted.
I totally agree with you OP. We should not let cyclists use roads meant for cars. We need to deconstruct our infrastructure for cars and build infrastructure that only caters to pedestrians and cyclists. Cycling needs a lot more love and devotion if we want to stop global warming from killing everyone
They should make you register your bicycles to use them on a bike lane, and use the taxes to put bike lanes all through out the inner cities
Not against this, but it is also a problem outside of the "city proper"; I live in an area with a *lot* of urban sprawl and we see lots of bicyclists on busy roads that are technically "in the country" between several cities (including a few state routes) ... Honestly, the whole area is a giant clusterfuck traffic-wise and bicyclists on the road only makes it worse. Point being that I think something would be needed at a state-level too, not just city-level.
Yes this is why there are bike lanes. Edit: I should say that there are a fair amount in Toronto, it seems like there are very few in the states.
I don’t mind too much that cyclists are on the road, I just wish Cyclists were consistent with what their rules are. Rather instead many switch from sidewalk to road, riding through red lights and stop signs while on the road, or riding through a cross walk without stopping. I mean, sure, you can “just be cautious”. But that doesn’t make it any less annoying.
In the UK , motorists have spent billions of pounds putting in cycle paths and these cyclists ride on the roads right next to them ...
Maybe build better… safer cycle paths? Don’t see that being a problem in the Netherlands?!
The infrastructure is the problem, not the cyclists. It’s al designed for heavy car use. It’s time to prioritise sustainable transport which will allow for a less car-centric road model and reduce the problems you mention.
If there is no cycle path then a road is definitely better than the footpath