Quote:
Originally Posted by RougeUnderoos
The point I'm trying to make is that cars, bikes, and pedestrians all break the rules. Cyclists always seem to be singled out in these arguments as reckless hellraisers ruining it for everybody.
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I agree that confirmation bias is at work when someone sees a cyclist behave badly and projects that onto all cyclists.
However, I agree with the earlier post that cyclists genuinely
are more likely to behave an entirely selfish manner on the road, and ignore the rules. I've been commuting by bike on and off for 25 years years in this city. And I'd estimate close to half of cyclists more or less just behave however they like. They don't signal - ever - they jump the que at lights, ignore stop signs, etc. Even in their interactions with other cyclists and pedestrians on the pathways they ride in a bubble of adrenaline-fueled self-regard.
Any cyclist who is honest with himself knows this is true. We can stammer and get defensive and point to bad drivers, but that doesn't make it not true. Cyclists, as a whole, really are their own worst enemies when it comes to public perception. They really have to lose that renegade, F-U attitude.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tinordi
How is the issue of cyclist behavior relevant to the discussion of building more accessible and safe cycling infrastructure? What does one have to do with the other? If cyclists are deemed as "bad" people then they don't deserve the spoils of being able to bike around conveniently and safely just like those pure and holy motorists who never break the law or endanger other people?
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Cyclists are trying to change the status quo. But they'll never have the raw numbers to force through these changes without broader public support. Anything done to improve the conditions of cyclists will be done at the forbearance of the motorists who make up the far greater number of taxpaying and voting citizens. So it's up to cyclists to win the war of public perception. Sure, some drivers simply hate cyclists and will oppose anything that causes them personal inconvenience. But most people are pretty reasonable, and will share the road if they think cyclists are doing their part to make compromises work. So when cyclists ride in a unpredictable and law-defying manner, they're only hurting themselves.