How a significant part of public opinion sees people on bikes
How a significant part of public opinion sees people on bikes
People on bikes may be rude and may not follow the rules, but can't be aggressive.
When a man with a .45 meets a man with a rifle, the man with a pistol will be a dead man.
Original stripe from the Onion: https://www.theonion.com/bum-rush-hour-1846606314
Cross-posted from: https://mastodon.uno/users/rivoluzioneurbanamobilita/statuses/113615912203015089
And the same people are the loudest complainers when bike lanes are installed so this doesn't happen.
Well. There are some really dumb bicyclists out there.
I have a real world example from just over an hour ago. I work overnights. I have to travel to different locations during my shift on certain nights. Tonight was one of those nights. I'm headed up to a location on a city street, 40mph speed limit, when I catch sight of a cyclist in my lane when I'm maybe 20ft from him. He's peddling for his life but only doing 12-15mph or so.
Why didn't I see him until he was that close to me? Was I playing on my phone? Tired because I work overnights? No. He is a black guy, wearing a black hoodie with black sweat pants, on a bike with no reflectors on it. Riding down a city street in the middle of the night. I'm pretty sure this is the second time I've encountered this guy too (same ninja cosplay both times). The first time was at least half a year ago. Honestly I'm surprised he's still alive, or at least uncrippled to the point that he can bike.
I was riding on a two-lane road a couple of years ago. I heard a car approaching from behind, and he went really wide into the opposite lane to pass me. This was thoughtful of him except that there was a white van coming the opposite way which had to get almost all the way over to their curb to avoid hitting the car passing me head on. The driver of the white van stuck his head out of his window and yelled at me "YOU'RE GONNA GET SOMEBODY KILLED!"
Most assholes in cars can't be bothered to stop for twenty seconds -- like they're supposed to -- when there's an obstruction in their lane. They think there's some unwritten rule that they absolutely have to be moving no matter what's on the road in front of them.
The proper thing to do in these "squeezed by a bike" scenarios is to just let the fucking bike determine the pace for a little while, and then wait until the other lane is free and you can pass using it.
German right wing party AfD had one just like this, but unironically
Really high Poe factor. I can't tell if the cartoonist is posting this ironically or not.
I've heard enough people regard bicyclists as a menace (and feeling ashamed in the cases when I'm quiet about being a bicyclist) that this really is how we're seen.
ETA the source explains a lot. Not knowing where it came from, though, seriously high Poe.
Reminds me of my bike messenger days.
This might be my new favorite sicko with a bicycle helmet on 🚲
I've lived in a city...well two major cities and I did drive. I definitely noticed a difference between conscientious cyclists and oblivious cyclists... Which if I'm being completely honest I always gave space because safety and I hope they never felt unsafe.
The lunatics are on scooters in traffic....good God man it seemed to be pure insanity.
I like the Onion's cartoons, but they're also often confusing. At least for this one, I get what it's trying to say, though the meta-ironic huge labels, extremely bad puns, (in this case also a rather incoherent speech bubble from the dad) make this a fun experience too. But other cartoons like https://theonion.com/stars-and-strips/ also have meaning that I don't get, or the godfather references or whatever. maybe others appreciate this complexity better. Is it because I'm too young, do they put references to old media often? The Godfather is from 1972. Also, do you think they're doing this big literalness in the dialogue and the huge labels just to make fun of cartoons and how they influence what you think about the characters? Or is there some trend in other cartoons, where some Cartoons are seen as special for being very literal?
ALLAHU HANDLEBARS!!!
True for bicyclists and motorcyclists.
I must "Pick men" to be my sexual partners!
I am normally a pedestrian and I fucking hate bikes as they are silent, fast and either used by 45+ old men that never got to do Tour de France or people with barley enough control to chew gum ans breath at the same time.
When a man with a .45 meets a man with a rifle, the man with a pistol will be a dead man.
I won't be very sure about that. A pistol has better ADS afterall :P
Funnily, the exact opposite tends to happen to me a lot of times. With the cars just slowly closing in on me from the side.
The cartardocide is coming. I used to cycle with a hammer for extra safety.
Let's be honest here. It's all some sort of freudian compensation scheme. It's not really size, but sexual performances are deeply linked with physical activity, core strength and pelvic musculation. A car-driver and his unhealthy habit of lying around like a fatass in his pollution machine waiting for the traffic to clear will suffer from premature ejaculation issue. That is why they hate cyclists, they know the only consolation they will have, when their wife leave them for somebody leaner, is that their aneurysm is right around the corner anyway.
They've done studies with motorcycles and a big problem we need to overcome is: For some reason our brains ignore people on bikes sometimes. It sounds silly but it's a real thing I promise. I support anything anti car related, but any Bike lane shouldn't come within 50 ft of a road cars use. The mainstream trend of all cars bad lends too much ammunition to the pro car crowd. It's not pretty or satisfying but it's true. It's a nash equilibrium and there's only so much we can do.
Edit: Just putting this here for google. Working towards a car free world is going to be a ton of work. Our efforts here are focused on appeasing the car centrists. I want independent bike lanes away from heavy machinery and toxic exhaust chemicals. I want the cars we do have to use, relegated to roads where their bulk and fumes aren't affecting anyone. Picking a fight with anyone not towing the party line is stupid, and should be below this community.
IDK.
I saw a guy on a bicycle a month ago screaming at the top of his lungs at cars behind him on the street.
FUCKING GO AROUND YOU PIECES OF SHIT!
to which the first car did and the man promptly kicked the fender and dented it. hilariously he almost fell off his bike but was able to balance it out.
not two feet away was a sidewalk with nary a person on it.
I live in a small city without bike lanes but the sidewalks are really nice(at least in that part of town).
some people have bad days, that's inside and outside the car. many times I don't trust what a bike rider is doing because of the above and it's impossible to see what they're doing. on the rarest of occasions do I know exactly what a rider is doing because they communicate intent very well.
As a pedestrian the amount of times I've had to jump out of the way of a cyclist that was using the sidewalk instead of the bike lane, without using any kind of light, reflector, or bell to at least make themselves noticeable, is way too damn high.
It's not just that most cyclists are maniacs with complete and absolute disregard for anyone else using public spaces, it's that they often seem to actively intend to harass and possibly harm everyone else in their vicinity.
I absolutely despise cars, but cyclists..? Cyclists I've learned to fear. At least drivers are required to have a license, and face legal consequences when they misbehave.
I dream of the day all forms of wheeled vehicles, no matter the amount, will be banned from cities and any other places frequented by civilised people (unless they run on tracks; trams and trains are tolerable as long as they are electric and proper barriers are in place to prevent them from causing harm).
