cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/13118199
(Title shamelessly stolen from this comment in the crossposted !micromobility@lemmy.world thread.)
cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/13118199
(Title shamelessly stolen from this comment in the crossposted !micromobility@lemmy.world thread.)
I’ve been cycling on the road for a good 25+ years at this point… and sorry but, you’re full of shit. No matter what I do to “cycle safely”, I still get close passed, cut off, left hooked, raged at for taking the lane (as is safe to do so)… The issue isn’t my cycling, its the cars and the idiots driving them.
Yep, was at a 4 way stop the other day, let 2 cars go through the intersection, go myself and nearly get run over and the driver tried to tell me to wait my turn. Old fuck never even looked. I’m 6’0" on a fat tire ebike wearing a safety jacket and was standing the entire time
I guess I didn’t express myself properly, because I did not in any way want to suggest that safe cycling practices would necessarily protect you from the hoards of ignorant and inattentive drivers on the roads. IMO the best advice for cycling is ride as if everyone in a car is actively trying to hurt you.
That being said, I do see a lot of cyclists in my city do stuff which puts them in risky situations more often than they need to be, which is what I was trying (and apparently failed, judging from the downvotes) to get at. No amount of safe cycling practices will make up for improper infrastructure or lack of proper driver training, that much I’m sure we agree on.But I’d hope you’ll agree that one’s not putting the odds in their favour if they’re, for example, riding down the wrong side of the road on the sidewalk at night without lights. If you’ve been cycling for 25+ years, I’ve no doubt you already follow most if not all of the safe cycling practices I wish I could share with my fellow cyclists, the intent of my comment was not to victim-blame cyclists but rather expressing my wish to help educate noobie cyclists to reach the level of knowledge and comfort on the road that more experienced cyclists like us take for granted.
Of course you’ll still face road conflicts no matter what, the majority of drivers are a menace to public safety. It’s not a matter of eliminating risk, it’s about minimizing points of potential conflict in order to minimize risk.
If you’ve been doing it this long you know that you’re the outlier. Bicyclists are terrifying to be near.