>

I judge the actions of the individual not the mode of transport. I find it produces more accurate results.
I road cycled for years, I always followed the street rules.  Always.  Red light means red light. 
I have so many cycling friends who get into accidents and other conflicts with drivers, and yet they think it’s stupid to stop at a red light.  They just don’t connect these two things >

Most bikers I encounter are complete idiots. Like I'd be driving normally and out of nowhere comes a biker on a crosswalk in full speed. Now, I appreciate bikers who actually stop and make eye contact with me as I'm driving towards the crosswalk but man, it's either that or the biker almost dies because I have no time to brake.
And what's up with all the bikers going like 5 kmh IN THE MIDDLE of a road when there's a dedicated sidewalk for bikers right next to them? Drives me insane. >

It seems like most bikers because of observation bias.
If you follow the rules as you should, you’re unmemorable.
As for the sidewalks - its actually less safe on the sidewalk. >

Interesting. Dangerous situations are more valuable to remember, and I remember tons of irresponsible bikers. It is in fact observation bias. But I'm always happy to see those who pay close attention to traffic, and I do remeber some of them aswell. >

Well the same goes for driving.  How many cars do you remember when they haven’t done anything? But you tend to remember the ones who do something dumb >

Yeah it can be applied to anything really. >

As a cyclist in one of the most bike-dense cities in the world, I hate cyclists too. If I could avoid getting myself hurt, I’d be ramming at least ten of them a day just to teach a lesson about ignoring rules and common sense. >

Amsterdam? Copenhagen? >

Copenhagen. It’s a wonderful bike city but the people are incredibly self-centered. >

I had high expectations from cyclists when I first visited the city, after all it is heralded as a cycling paradise and, well, let’s say it looked a lot more like the rest of the world and mainly because of the personal behavior of cyclists.
My local friend justified it, stating that it’s because danish are more temperamental than all other Scandinavians: an explanation that I really didn’t know what to do with… >

If “temperamental” means “a bunch of egotistical [insert unflattering body part]”, he’s right. >

You make it sound like a war zone. I live in Copenhagen and most of the time biking around the city is very pleasant. Except for the food delivery scooters, they can 🤬 off. >

I guess it depends on how often and where you’re going. If you have places to be each and every day and want to get there effectively, people ignoring general rules and courtesies of the road are a pain. If you’re one of the types listening to podcasts with a latte in one hand and a phone in the other just trudging along, it’s probably fine. >

Same! I love walking. Where I live on popular trails, there are bike lanes, but the cyclists will just ride wherever they. They don’t care and won’t let you know they’re coming. They’ll get pissy if you don’t just automatically know they’re coming up from behind you. If you do much as step foot in the bike lane, they get mad, but have no problems riding side by side outside the bike lane. >

Same here! So much for my pleasant walk on the beautiful Trail. They sneak up and when they're almost on top of me, a loud voice yells "On your left!"  They startle the shit out of me and cause me to jump sky high!  😡 >

It’s literally the law to say that. This thread is all about hating them no matter if they follow the law or not. >

Is it possible to do that without sneaking up on them and startling the shit out of them by yelling real loud? And then cutting is close to them as you possibly can without hitting them? >

Hello. 
My useless comment to this post is here :D
So, i work in the accidents department of a big insurance company. My country is very strickt about the road rules, meaning:
Our company estimates (is this the right word?) that around 82% of accidents involving cyclists, are to blame on the cyclist. Since there are expecific places on the road for you to ride your bike, even if it's not a bike lane.
I remember a case where 3 dudes were just cycling, outside of town and they were literally on the middle of the road. the place where they were is full of curves and has very little visibility, so they were riding side by side, middle of the road, comes a car, hits not one, but the 3 of them because they scared the person and she just swerved the car.
They sued her and us (insurance) 2 times. Lost both and had to pay for all damage done on the car by their own bodys >

This sounds like something that happened near by my home town, are you in Ontario? >

no XD portugal >

God its so much worse that it's happened in multiple places.
In ours I think the driver killed one of the cyclists, then sued the family for emotional damage >

My biggest gripe about cyclists is that there is always some danger when you encounter them on the road, either as a pedestrian or motorist. Now, part of it isn’t their fault. At least here in the US, not much of the infrastructure is made for bicycles. But cyclists are constantly breaking the rules of the road (or sidewalk) to get where they’re going faster. Blowing red lights, leaving the bike lane to use the sidewalk, splitting lanes. I always clench a little when I approach one, wondering if this is the day I can’t get out of the way. >

We have that same problem, but then a million times worse, because I live in The Netherlands. You probably know about our proud cycling culture (the Amsterdam stereotype). And yes, cyclists here are just as bad as the ones you describe, but there’s a lot more of them here. And oh yeah, traffic laws are almost always in their favor. >

I found driving in the towns of the Netherlands so hard. Not just because I was on the wrong side of the road 😉 but because I just wasn’t used to sooo many cyclists coming from all directions, always faster than me and passing on both sides. Even as I was signalling to leave a roundabout at one point about three cyclists rode past on the inside. I really struggled to keep up with them all, which of course means I drove slower and thus even more bikes passed me! >

Yes that is of course very difficult, however as a Dutchman I’m used to cyclists, so of course we struggle a lot less. But that doesn’t take away from the fact that cyclists do cause a lot of issues because of their careless behavior, and because as drivers we have to accommodate them. That one sided ‘deal’ that we have makes it very difficult to deal with them.
All in all I’m happy we have so many cyclists as it’s good for the environment. But the utopian mindset of cyclists being a gift to the world is just stupid. Especially when you consider that mostly Americans who drive on wide open roads with barely any cyclists around are the ones praising cyclists in my country all the time. Also, cyclists annoy the hell out of pedestrians as well, so it’s not just about motorists. >

Cyclists treat red lights like stop signs and stop signs like yield signs (at best). They’re not allowed on sidewalks but do it anyway. Fuckin hate cyclists. >

Everything you said is completely legal in Denver and sidewalks are illegal , but drivers constantly scream at cyclists to ride there >

Cyclist can roll stop signs and run red lights in Denver? What the fuck? >

I’d have no problem if cyclist had respect for other road users. where I live there are cycle lanes, but most cyclists are on the road or pavements, they ignore red lights etc. 
If you want to cycle please make it’s safe for yourself and others around you. >

Exactly my thoughts >

Honestly, selfish assholes exist everywhere but a selfish asshole on a bicycle does a lot less damage than a selfish asshole in a car.  
EDIT: OP's also downvoting everyone who disagrees with him, just fyi. >

As a pedestrian, I hate everyone who's not a pedestrian... And some pedestrians too. >

There's a reason so many cyclists die each year, they all seem to pick and choose which laws they want to follow. Its always safer to assume they'll do whatever they want and everyone else needs to adapt to them. >

As a driver downtown, I don't worry at all about pedestrians at intersections, I can turn my head and assume they will be maybe five feet closer to my car when I look back, (and I trust they won't sprint towards me when I look away, at their own peril), but bikes, they ride so fast, that in the short time I turn my head to check for oncoming traffic, a bike could materialize right beside / infront me, and I risk hitting them or them hitting the side of my car. And that's even in their designated bike lane, that I have to pass through to clear the intersection. And if I drive into a ped at three miles per hour, they will just hit my hood with their fist and call me a stupid motherfucker, or whatever makes them feel justice was served, but if I bump the bike, it will be a big crash, the bicyclist will be all curled up in a ball on the ground, I'll be the bad guy in the eyes of the law and anyone nearby, and I'll probably be late as fuck to wherever it is I'm trying to go to. >

I skateboard so I guess I'm good >

Just don’t inconvenience narcissistic car drivers by a few seconds. >

I think everyone hates cyclists. Cyclists included. >

As a driver, I hate you both >

Pedestrians are literally the worst. Anyone who has to walk more than 20 feet a day and not to their car are complete losers, and should be jailed on site. >

OK, I think that's a bit extreme. But hey, if you're running for public office I'll vote for you. 
I do have to wonder anytime I see someone that I know has the mental faculties to drive who is walking. Usually assume too many DUI's. >

r/fuckcars ripping out their hair rn >

Not unpopular.
 Everyone hates cyclists. >

I casually cycle in the summer. If I'm on a trail, I'll slow down and ring my bell if I see pedestrians, or stop and dismount if there's a lot of people or they don't notice me. Especially on the narrow trails in this woodlot I sometimes go to. 
The problem is a lot of cyclists, especially in North America, but perhaps other places, just aren't respectful of others. They demand car drivers "share the road", but then ride in huge packs, lane split, don't signal turns, run stop signs and red lights, weave in and out of traffic, boot up busy sidewalks at 15-20mph, refuse to use provided bike lanes, etc. There's like a gross sense of entitlement in the cycling community. Dude, you're still a vehicle. There's rules that apply to you, just like there are for cars and motorcycles. Big problem is difficulty/lack of enforcement. Cops have to catch them in the act. Even then they're slippery devils since they're usually more mobile than a cruiser or beat cop on foot. This is why I support plating bikes to make them easily identifiable. >


There's like a gross sense of entitlement in the cycling community. Dude, you're still a vehicle. There's rules that apply to you, just like there are for cars and motorcycles.

That is the problem right there. They want to be treated equal to car owners, yet they do not abide by traffic rules, hence all the accidents. >

As a driver, I concur. >

I hate bikers on trails. They're supposed to stop and let hikers by but they never do. They go by so freakin' fast too. It's like come on now! >

As a mostly former cyclist, I often hated cyclists too. Mostly, because so many cyclist are just competitive asshats that suck the pleasure out of their own bike ride by making everything about speed. Like, heaven forbid they have to slow and yield to anyone.
Once, I was riding my bicycle with my young daughter on a bike path in the city. A couple cyclist came up and got all pissy at us, saying we need to be out of the cycle lane because we were going too slow and my 8 year old kid wasn't keeping to a narrow lane. It was so hostile - my kid started crying.
But that is just so typical, all the time. I've gotten yelled out a few times when I made a full, foot down stop at a redlight because the cyclist behind me was expecting me to either run the redlight  or at least go into the crosswalk and dance around (like they do) until it went green. I remember nearly getting run over by cyclists all the time, and yelled at if I was going too slow.
That being said, we need to do 100,000 x more in the US towards making bike paths, protected bike lanes, etc., because cyling is a truly great way to get around and I miss it. I just don't miss the self-centered asshats that dominate the cycling community. >

This! >

I’ve nothing against cyclists as a group. I prefer to hate all people who do stupid things whether they’re in cars, on bikes or walking. Went to pick my daughter up tonight and counted six cyclists in the dark wearing all black with no lights at all plus one with a light so weak I didn’t see it until I was nearly past him. Tonight it was dumb cyclists, but tomorrow it might be idiots in cars. Hate the idiots not the method of transportation. >

True ! >

OMG YES !! I completely agree. Every time i tried to explain this to a friend, they would always look at me like I am crazy for thinking such a thing. But as I walk for 45 minutes every days, it became a reality you can't ignore... I can't count how many times I nearly got hit by a cyclist, it happens every other week. I am starting to think that cyclists should have to go through a "course" to learn the basics of using the streets x)
(Sorry for mistakes, not native here 'x) ) >

This is my story lol.. >

Yes, and it also is my personal experience, which is why I posted this..? >

Yes I totally agree. Just saying "that's my life" :) happening in Brussels tho >

My bad x) welp France here, it amazes me in a really bad way how this seems to be such a common phenomenon literaly EVERYWHERE >

J'ai roulé en vélo à Paris et laisse tomber l'enfer que c'était. J'avais l'impression d'avancer avec des oies qui insultaient tout le monde. BAa bAAA BAaaAa !!! 
Le problème c'est que plus les gens sont stressés (même les piétons... Genre dans le metro) plus ils se haïssent et ce matin j'avais la haine sur les vélos.. en vrai j'ai la haine sur tous les citadins haha >

as a cyclist I hate everyone >

Same, I see posts like this where people tell us to ride on the sidewalk when it’s illegal. 
They assume we don’t walk anywhere, drive, etc like we are essentially subhuman for doing exercise.
They tell us to ride closer to the right side of the road so we get hit by a car door. 
They’re mad that we give a verbal signal that we’re coming up on the left even though that’s the law. 
now that I’m in Colorado I’m getting yelled at for the Idaho stop, which is completely legal. We yield to stop signs and temporarily stop at red light only till it’s clear.  It’s all to REDUCE CAR TRAFFIC.
So far I’ve had family members die from hit and runs and drunk drivers, but somehow cyclists are the most dangerous thing on the road today.
What is this really about? >

I loathe cyclists. Selfish, entitled lycra lunatics. >

Be honest, do you realize that it's possible to ride a bicycle and not be selfish, or entitled, or a lunatic, or not wear lycra? >

This thread is such a circlejerk, it's ridiculous. >

That's what I'm here for >

It's because cycling isn't regulated like motor vehicles are but they still get on the roads unlike pedestrians. So they don't have knowledge on the rules of the road that drivers have.
There's also some sort of hypocrisy they have where they believe drivers should give way to them because bikes are more vulnerable than cars while expecting pedestrians to give way to them because they're moving faster. >


So they don't have knowledge on the rules of the road

Plenty do. Many cyclists also are automobilists. They just feel like they're exempted from respecting trafic rules because it's tiring to stop and go on a bike and they're slower an lighter than cars. >

Sure you got hit by a truck, but at least you managed to save yourself a little time and avoid waiting for a few seconds. Is what I'd say if they didn't then end up in the hospital >

Everyone hates cyclists, as it should be. >

Cyclists shouldn’t be on sidewalks >

I also cringe a lot when I see the international Reddit community constantly praise us Dutch people for our biking culture. People have no idea how many traffic accidents we get that could have been avoided if we didn’t have cyclists EVERYWHERE who are barely aware of the traffic rules that also apply to them.
People have no idea about how cyclists are almost always right according to our traffic laws, which makes them much more reckless. They cause millions of dollars of damage to cars (and pedestrians) each year, and barely ever face consequences for their irresponsible and reckless behavior in traffic.
People don’t see how cyclists often block traffic because they like to cycle next to each other in pairs, and if you honk they get angry and sometimes even aggressive and try to break your side mirror if they feel like it.
Many intersections have bicycle lanes that you need to check when making a turn when driving, even though the intersection is already super busy with lots of cars. And guess what, cyclists still ride around fast and recklessly and making sure you don’t hit another car, cyclist AND pedestrian is all the job of one single driver.
So all in all, people from countries where driving is a relatively easy and chill thing to do, praise cycling culture in other countries. Try to drive here in busy traffic with thousands of cars AND (RECKLESS) CYCLISTS on the road and then tell me what it’s like. >

It would be much easier to sympathize with cars drivers if they did not need like 60% of the entire transit space leaving cyclists and pedestrians very little.

even though the intersection is already super busy with lots of cars

Ofc, because cars are so large and need so much space. >

I get that, but why is that my fault? I don’t do the city planning. Besides, cars are much larger than bicycles, so doesn’t it make sense there’s more space needed for cars than for bicycles?
But even then, if you don’t want to have any sympathy for motorists, because city planners give them more space than others, that’s just weird. It’s not the motorist’s fault. >


doesn’t it make sense there’s more space needed for cars than for bicycles?

Why a valuable and scarce resource such as the public space in cities should be used predominantly to benefit car users while barring everyone else? 
I just find it much harder to sympathize with the privileged group. >

Because people need to be able to go from A to B? >

So do pedestrians/public transport users/cyclists. But they don't require so much space per person. >

Well in The Netherlands public transportation takes up an enormous amount of space and cyclists have their own dedicated lanes almost everywhere. Also motorists have to give public transportation space as we usually have to stop for trams and buses to pass, according to traffic rules. Guess who doesn’t often follow those rules: cyclists.
However, public transportation itself is super busy and unbelievably expensive in The Netherlands. It costs more than 20 Euros to travel ~70 kilometers. That’s why a lot of people still prefer to have a car, and cars simply need infrastructure.
So I don’t really get your point. Cars, bicycles and public transportation all get a fair portion of the space that’s available. >

As a cyclist, i hate pedestrians. Here in Germany, there is bike lanes, one part for bikes and one for pedestrians on traffic lights... etc. But the pedestrians just ignore them, form "walls" of people blocking the bike lane, dont look while crossing the bike lane. Even cars repect us more than you. >

This I understand. Experienced the same in Denmark >

Claaaaaarksoooooonnnnn >

Idk about other places but here cyclists are constantly breaking the law and never getting ticketed for it. It makes no sense to me. I don’t think it’d make a huge difference but I do think some cyclists would think twice about disregarding the rules if those rules were actually enforced. >

I get the sentiment.   My feeling is the root cause is they don’t have their own infrastructure.   Cars and peds do.   So cyclists are always forced into a non ideal path.  
I’m aware they have rights to the road but cars and bikes really struggle to share an infrastructure clearly made for cars.   
So if we invest in cycling infrastructure everyone would probably be happier. >

doubt it. In my city there is an asphalt bike path for miles that is like 8 feet wide. Smooth. No stop signs. Do they use it? nope they get their collective ass out on the street and I honestly don't have a clue why.
It defies logic. Safter, smooth, not cars/trunks, etc. Here they are out on the street just fiddle farting down a 45 mph road like they own it with a bike path 15 feet away with no one on it. The last guy I asked said "It is my road as well you know" that I ran up on while I was at a crossing while riding on the path myself.  I just gave up trying to understand. Someone dies on that road every couple of months from bike or pedestrian strike with a vehicle. It was the whole reason they built the path.... >

Well in my experience there are 2 thing going on there.
a) Often bikers will avoid the path because peds often share or walk across those paths and their speed is closer to that of a car than a ped or 
b) If they are commuting...the path likely isn't going exactly where they need to.
As to your specific scenario I don't doubt there are bikers that are hard headed and stubborn.  I know a few of those.   But generally I do bikers using the infrastructure where we have built it. >

There's an accident here involving @ car running over a cyclist who crossed a red traffic light. And guess who take the blame? >

Laughs in being dutch >

It is regrettable that a handful of asshole cyclists ruins everyone’s opinion of us. It really undermines the support needed to improve infrastructure for cycling. 
If it is any help, when i ring my bell, I am doing so to avoid the alternatives of either yelling a warning or startling  people.  I normally exit the path and pass on the grass. I would say that most cyclist are the same.  I don’t want you to get out of the way, I want you to know I am there.  
But it only takes a couple assholes that think they own the path or the street.  I have a cousin like this and it is difficult to convince him his is wrong and is putting himself and others in danger. >

I think the a-holes are people that are only on a bike because it's the easiest thing for them, living where they do. You and those like you are on the bike because you love cycling. >

I live in Portland, OR, and the cyclists here are so fucking rude and entitled. >

I live in not-Portland OR and visited once. I biked down the road. Could not believe how nice everyone was to me. Probably because they could tell I’m an outsider. >

I meant how they treat everyone else who isn't on a bike, tbh. >

Everyone hates cyclists and it's for a simple reason.  They think they can do whatever the hell they want.  They switch between a pedestrian, a cyclist and a vehicle deciding on the fly whatever rules they feel like following with no accountability.  
One minute they are skipping traffic, then they are deciding to cross at a crosswalk instead of following traffic. And the sidewalks are bike lanes if that's more convenient. >

I just get annoyed because they will ride double wide on a tight street, forcing you to go 60mph in a 45, on the opposite side of traffic, risking a head on collision. And yea, you have to do that, because otherwise cars behind you will start driving aggressive as well as the fact that your expecting all the cars to go at a bikes speed on the road. >

That's because every country except for the Netherlands and Denmark have shit bicycle infrastructure. >

I civilised countries we have cycling paths and cycling on the street is also possible as drivers aren't insane. So this seems rather like a problem of poor urban planning than cyclists in general. >

Where I live the cyclists just refuse to take the bikelane and either block the traffic because the rather use the street or they decide to use the pedestrian side of the sidewalk. The frickin bikelane is as big as the pedestrian one. There is no excuse not to use it and they still won't! One of them almost hit me if I hadn't dodge it. If the cyclist only drove a few inches to the left there would have been a bikelane and it wouldn't happened. Of course the person didn't apologize and just cursed at me. >

Bike gutters are awful and less safe than taking the lane. Assholes park in the bike lanes ALL THE TIME. Plus no one ever looks behind them when getting out pf their car so getting smacked by a door is a real danger. Drivers are entitled but it’s not their fault it’s the way we’ve built society to allow and expect them to be.
ETA: next time you’re driving around take a count how many people you see pulled over or parked in a bike gutter. >

Completely agree - I was ran over almost 3 times in Berlin. 
And every single time I checked before crossing - but they just suddenly spawned right in the way >

Did you cross at a designated crosswalk? As a cyclist the amount of times people just randomly meander across an active street instead of going to the zebra/lollipop crossing, and then get angry at me when I have to swerve out the way/ brake is comical. >

Man, y'all are sad people. 
"Get off the road!" Okay, now we are on the sidewalk.  
"Get off the sidewalk!" Back in the road again.  
"They need to ring their bells so we know they're coming! Btw I hate it when they ring their bells so I know they're coming." >

I hate cyclists like that. I don’t have a car so my bike is my main source of transportation and I don’t ride like that. So far, from what I’ve noticed in my area, I’m the only one that follows the damn rules in my city xD >

No matter where you are and who you are… driver or walker, scooter or flyer… we ALL hate cyclists. >

I feel ya. The only thing I hate more than cyclists is electric scooters. >

Completely agree! A cycling license (similar to driving) should be required. Far too many cyclist who doesn’t know (and those who don’t just give a F) about traffic rules. >

I completely agree! Cyclists have a lot of rights on the roads, and are very vocal about them, but think they can do whatever the fuck they want at roundabouts and pedestrian crossings. >

It just fascinates me how anyone can walk or drive through a city and genuinely think that bicycles are the problem. Look around you at every turn there are cars jamming the roads. Parked blocking things. Blocking pavements. Driving aggressively. Speeding. Failing to stop. Polluting the air. If they hit you, you are seriously injured or dead. This happens in the thousands. The city absolutely revolves around them. >

You are 100% right. Except I didn't say bicycles are the problem. I said i hate them. I said fuck cars too. I also said bicycles are one of the best alternative for trafic jam in cities.
Cities in Europe weren't made for cars nor bikes. So the problem is the fucking lazy greedy people who decide how to spend our tax money. The problem is people thinking they are all alone on the street. The problem is how stressed everybody is and how it become dangerous.
Not because I hate how cyclists take revenge from drivers bullies to pedestrians makes me hate a transportation model itself. >

It just seems odd that people can really harp on about cyclists when they are such a trivial issue. Posts like this can get hundreds of replies. People tend to make excuses about cars. >

You just insulted a whole country. >

The Netherlands? It's ok >

Ok