I’ll play devils advocate here and say that I have once seen a taxi driver slightly boop a cyclist at traffic lights (the car rolled forward slightly and touched the cyclists wheel) who then moved slightly forward and raised his hand casuallly at the driver to say “no biggie”. Another cyclist then wheels back to the drivers window and just screams bloody murder at him.
Like, I get it - he should be more attentive - but the response from the other cyclist was disproportionate
No, you don’t get it, haven’t be hit, or don’t cycle. Drivers not paying attention can be deadly. Even if being inattentive to a cyclist when it’s a light bump weren’t a biggie (it is. Any time you hit somebody with a vehicle that weighs over a ton on the lighter end, it’s a big deal), doing it at speed is without questions. I think the second cyclist isn’t that extreme in that the not paying attention puts people at risk regardless of the current situation and can arguably be treated as the same root cause. People are dumb and if they haven’t figured out they need to pay attention while in a vehicle, they should be made uncomfortable. Their level of discomfort shouldn’t be placed above the safety of others.
(I have been hit multiple times, car doored to the nose, and cycled 40km a day for several years in london roads back before cycle lanes were common, and routinely appeared at work with bloodied knuckles – just in case that somehow validates my comment more)
I don’t think drivers seek to run down cyclists, only that a lot of them were taught to drive at a time that did not accomodate for them when they took their driving test.
Granted that cars are far higher, larger, and more powerful now and likely do pose more of a threat. I just think jumping down someone’s throat for a no harm no foul situation breeds only bitterness between the types of road users who must ultimately co-exist.
Even more so when you remember that cyclists do not have mandatory insurance and do not pay road tax, nor do we have license plates or have to take a road-worthiness test. We expect to be treated like first class citizens on the road only because we are more vulnerable road users, not because we pay for it as other road users do
I do too and I actively advocate for the same when I’m a passenger. That doesn’t mean the reaction described above is in any way normal - of another driver did the same I’d also think they had some kind of mental issues.
I’ll play devils advocate here and say that I have once seen a taxi driver slightly boop a cyclist at traffic lights (the car rolled forward slightly and touched the cyclists wheel) who then moved slightly forward and raised his hand casuallly at the driver to say “no biggie”. Another cyclist then wheels back to the drivers window and just screams bloody murder at him.
Like, I get it - he should be more attentive - but the response from the other cyclist was disproportionate
No, you don’t get it, haven’t be hit, or don’t cycle. Drivers not paying attention can be deadly. Even if being inattentive to a cyclist when it’s a light bump weren’t a biggie (it is. Any time you hit somebody with a vehicle that weighs over a ton on the lighter end, it’s a big deal), doing it at speed is without questions. I think the second cyclist isn’t that extreme in that the not paying attention puts people at risk regardless of the current situation and can arguably be treated as the same root cause. People are dumb and if they haven’t figured out they need to pay attention while in a vehicle, they should be made uncomfortable. Their level of discomfort shouldn’t be placed above the safety of others.
As someone who drives, it’s not hard to not hit a cyclist
(I have been hit multiple times, car doored to the nose, and cycled 40km a day for several years in london roads back before cycle lanes were common, and routinely appeared at work with bloodied knuckles – just in case that somehow validates my comment more)
I don’t think drivers seek to run down cyclists, only that a lot of them were taught to drive at a time that did not accomodate for them when they took their driving test.
Granted that cars are far higher, larger, and more powerful now and likely do pose more of a threat. I just think jumping down someone’s throat for a no harm no foul situation breeds only bitterness between the types of road users who must ultimately co-exist.
Even more so when you remember that cyclists do not have mandatory insurance and do not pay road tax, nor do we have license plates or have to take a road-worthiness test. We expect to be treated like first class citizens on the road only because we are more vulnerable road users, not because we pay for it as other road users do
I just treat cyclists like cars. I give them the space as if they were another car.
I do too and I actively advocate for the same when I’m a passenger. That doesn’t mean the reaction described above is in any way normal - of another driver did the same I’d also think they had some kind of mental issues.