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More than half of car drivers think cyclists are not fully human

6,672 Views | 81 Replies | Last: 5 yr ago by OldAg93
Swarely
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8:34p, 3/27/19
Quote:
Participants were given either the iconic image of the evolution of ape to man or a different version from cockroach to human and asked about their attitudes.

The results found that 55 per cent of non-cyclists and 30 per cent of cyclists believed people who ride are not completely human.

According to the study, 17 per cent of respondents said they had used their car to deliberately block acyclist, 11 per cent had deliberately driven their car close to a cyclist and nine per cent had used their car to cut off a cyclist.



https://www.cyclingweekly.com/news/racing/half-car-drivers-think-cyclists-not-fully-human-according-new-study-411816
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AggieOO
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9:23p, 3/27/19
I'm only shocked that it's only 55%.

Probably 55% of the h&f board hates cyclists.
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91_Aggie
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9:24p, 3/27/19
AG
Pretty sure the math checks out!

Please note I would never advocate trying to harm or scare a cyclist while driving a car.
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c-jags
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In reply to AggieOO • 9:33p, 3/27/19
AggieOO said:
I'm only shocked that it's only 55%.

Probably 55% of the h&f board hates cyclists.


I only jokingly hate cyclist.

As a runner they're my homeboys and girls.

There's a young lady that I've seen running around my hood and gym a few times as well as cycling. One time she was sobbing at the neighborhood park and it turns out somebody had just tried to clip her on the bike. She was waiting for the police.

I'm not a cyclist and have some frustrations there but I would have shot somebody if I had seen that.
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AggieOO
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10:45p, 3/27/19
Cycling is secondary for me, but I still love it. It's obvious, even in Austin, which is very bike friendly, that people don't view cyclists as human.

The easiest way to get away with murder in Texas is run over someone on a bike. You won't see a day in prison.

And yes, I'm fully aware, there are dip****s on bikes that ignore the law. Unfortunately, they are viewed as the standard. I encountered motorists on a daily basis who can't drive for **** and ignore laws, but no one thinks twice about them...
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chimpanzee
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6:43a, 3/28/19
Impeding someone's progress in traffic, especially in pursuit of your visibly expensive niche leisure activity is evidently tantamount to a grave insult. People interpret it as "my elitist hobby is more important than your time" and the psychic moral justification for the cyclist being subhuman is off and running.

The assumption on the road in a car is, we're all here trying to get somewhere as fast as we reasonably can, and a cyclist's presence is often an impediment to that. While the impediment is typically minimal, the affront to the established order is enough to put you as a subcultural outsider unworthy of respect. Even in instances where the cyclist is no impediment, he's still "one of them" in the mind of many. Cyclists justifiably hate the aggressive behavior they receive and some go full "critical mass" escalating things and confirming the prejudgment in the mind of bubba that all cyclists are in fact *******s.

I did a couple of MS150's a decade or so ago, and would drive to BFE to train, but even out there where we were no impediment to anyone (wide shoulders and/or no traffic) you'd get at least one truck buzz really close to the group on every ride. On my last ride, an annoyed and/or confused old man bombed right through the middle of one of the designated rest areas on the MS150 route (very crowded with bikes) and clocked a guy with his rear view mirror. It's not worth it.
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Frok
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7:26a, 3/28/19
AG
I always ride way out in the country to avoid traffic but even out there on a weekend morning I get trucks who like to scare me. Once a guy did it and then stopped at a red light in up ahead. I was hot-headed at that point so I rode up to his window and he ran the red light to avoid me. Had an Aggie sticker.....

It's a really good thing he did though, I have no idea what I was going to do.
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91_Aggie
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In reply to Frok • 7:33a, 3/28/19
AG
Frok said:
I always ride way out in the country to avoid traffic but even out there on a weekend morning I get trucks who like to scare me. Once a guy did it and then stopped at a red light in up ahead. I was hot-headed at that point so I rode up to his window and he ran the red light to avoid me. Had an Aggie sticker.....
Hey, at least he got you to stop at a traffic light.
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Frok
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In reply to 91_Aggie • 7:34a, 3/28/19
AG
91_Aggie said:
Frok said:
I always ride way out in the country to avoid traffic but even out there on a weekend morning I get trucks who like to scare me. Once a guy did it and then stopped at a red light in up ahead. I was hot-headed at that point so I rode up to his window and he ran the red light to avoid me. Had an Aggie sticker.....
Hey, at least he got you to stop at a traffic light.


Well-played
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Swarely
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In reply to chimpanzee • 7:42a, 3/28/19
They get the guy?
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chimpanzee
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In reply to Swarely • 7:56a, 3/28/19
Swarely said:
They get the guy?
I just re-read what I wrote and its confusing; the rest area was on the side of an empty stretch of two lane road and riders were on the shoulder/grass on both sides. He didn't literally go Death Race 2000 into a park or anything. He stopped, I don't think he intentionally meant to hit anyone, but there wasn't any excuse for how fast he was going in the middle of literally hundreds of cyclists.
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bmks270
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12:11p, 3/28/19
AG
I do hate the cyclist that ride in 8 AM peak traffic and make it worse. There is a group near me always clogging a section of road (with no bike lane) during peak morning traffic, they are really annoying.
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Na Zdraví 87
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2:49p, 3/28/19
AG
I only ride on less busy, paved county roads. Too dangerous to me to ride on busy highways and city streets. I do ride through a portion of the small town I live near but, it's a small town with hardly any traffic.
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jejdag
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3:08p, 3/28/19
People need to get over themselves and realize that just because it's not something they'd do, anyone that does is sub-human. If more people would ride, there'd be change for the better. Used to be you could only see a 300 lb woman at a side show in a circus. Was in a burger joint last week that had maybe 75 people in it, and there were no less than 6 of them at that weight or better. But I'm the one thought less of because I dare to to get on "their" road.
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zachsccr
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3:57p, 3/28/19
AG
This is exactly why I commute through the neighborhood instead of the busy street with a straight shot.

San Angelo certainly doesn't know what to do with a guy who commutes on a bike and runs in short shorts. I'd hate to see what they think of me...
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c-jags
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In reply to zachsccr • 4:17p, 3/28/19
zachsccr said:
This is exactly why I commute through the neighborhood instead of the busy street with a straight shot.

San Angelo certainly doesn't know what to do with a guy who commutes on a bike and runs in short shorts. I'd hate to see what they think of me...


San Angelo is barely a running town, nonetheless a biking town. There's 2 places to run that I know of. (River and Red Arroya) and they're both only 3 miles out and back at best. Every major road would be a death trap for bikers.
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zachsccr
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In reply to c-jags • 4:38p, 3/28/19
AG
c-jags said:
San Angelo is barely a running town, nonetheless a biking town. There's 2 places to run that I know of. (River and Red Arroya) and they're both only 3 miles out and back at best. Every major road would be a death trap for bikers.


Yeah we have to make due and get creative. Can't tell you how many cars have almost hit me in the past year. Least I have a good helmet to keep me safe against vehicles weighing thousands of pounds going twice as fast as me.
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c-jags
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7:20p, 3/28/19
I know a few guys that MTB out at the state park.

I liked the run out there. Seems like it would be a good course for biking.
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chipotle
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10:30p, 3/28/19
I think it's scientifically impossible for a bike thread to get started and someone NOT mention MS150.
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Frok
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In reply to bmks270 • 7:12a, 3/29/19
AG
bmks270 said:
I do hate the cyclist that ride in 8 AM peak traffic and make it worse. There is a group near me always clogging a section of road (with no bike lane) during peak morning traffic, they are really annoying.


I hate cars that hit the road at peak traffic. They make my commute absolute hell way more than the bikers.
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chimpanzee
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In reply to chipotle • 7:29a, 3/29/19
chipotle said:
I think it's scientifically impossible for a bike thread to get started and someone NOT mention MS150.
It's probably the only reason there are road cyclists in Texas at all.
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LOYAL AG
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7:52a, 3/29/19
AG
I'm feeling fortunate. I live in CS and ride a 22+ mile loop 3-4 times a week. About 8 miles of it is county roads like Koppe Bridge and the rest is city streets with bike lanes. I have rarely had any problems at all with anyone. I stop at stop signs if there are cars and I stop at all red lights. When I'm at a stop sign generally motorists wave me through first. Threads like this one make me think I'm doing something wrong.

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Phat32
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8:06a, 3/31/19
AG
Riding in Texas is terrifying, but I've had people buzz me in "bike friendly" Colorado too.

You have to minimize your risks (ride early, wear lights, stay on shoulder, etc). Unfortunately you cannot eliminate them.

But also, the driver needs to have half of a brain. If you're driving by White Rock Lake, you are going to encounter cyclists. It's not a main thoroughfare, and if you were in a such a hurry you'd take NW Hwy or I30.
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c-jags
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In reply to LOYAL AG • 1:13p, 3/31/19
LOYAL AG said:
I'm feeling fortunate. I live in CS and ride a 22+ mile loop 3-4 times a week. About 8 miles of it is county roads like Koppe Bridge and the rest is city streets with bike lanes. I have rarely had any problems at all with anyone. I stop at stop signs if there are cars and I stop at all red lights. When I'm at a stop sign generally motorists wave me through first. Threads like this one make me think I'm doing something wrong.



There's a big difference in the towns that make lots of sidewalks and bike lanes.

Since I travel a lot I get to see a bit of both.

SA and Austin accommodate for bikers and runners a lot. El Paso has a lot that I've seen. most midsize towns do not.

One midsized town I'm impressed with is Tyler. There are sidewalks everywhere. San Angelo, Midland, Odessa, and Abilene are pretty weak.
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RockOn
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In reply to zachsccr • 1:24p, 3/31/19
I do a lot of bike commuting through neighborhoods/off streets in Tyler and have a generally positive experience.

I've also found when I wear a backpack and no helmet, people treat you differently. They probably think I'm a poor homeless guy.
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culdeus
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1:17p, 4/1/19
AG
I got clipped, intentionally, maybe 8 or so years back. Threw me clear into a drain ditch and was lucky to walk away. Cops wouldn't do anything as I only got a plate and no look at the driver.

I rode a little bit more but hung it up shortly after that. I guess drivers won. I ride a little on dirt now and then but miss road riding.

People are just generally dicks. I don't think it is isolated to bikes either, just car v car people are constantly doing stupid stuff in traffic to get to their destination 5 seconds sooner.
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htxag09
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In reply to culdeus • 11:07a, 4/2/19
AG
Yeah, it's cars vs people.

I live less than a mile from memorial park so run to the park all the time. I cross one decent sized road, Washington/wescott. They are one way roads separated by a block of businesses, three lanes each way. I even use the crosswalk but have yet to have a single driver stop. In fact, typically when I see a gap and cross I hear a drivers engine rev as he speeds up because he sees me in the crosswalk.

For cycling, I stick to the houston trail system. I don't go on crazy long rides, so works well enough for me.
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AZAG08
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12:26p, 4/2/19
AG
I pretty much quit riding once I left College Station -- just didnt have access to areas I felt safe in Housotn
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Truvada_for_prep
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12:43p, 4/2/19
The worst is the lance Armstrong wannabes who ride on trails that clearly for runners one killed a girl on the Katy Trail a few years ago grow the f up.
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SteveA
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8:03p, 4/2/19
AG
That was a tragic accident, on a multi use trail, but reports state that the girl was wearing headphones, abruptly ruined around directly in tot the path of the cyclist. It was determined her fault.
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AggieOO
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In reply to SteveA • 8:07p, 4/2/19
Don't come in here with facts! Cyclists are evil.
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A. Solzhenitsyn
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8:09a, 4/3/19
cyclists annoy me to the very core of my being. i'm sorry to all on here who are cyclists, but I cant help it. the reasons you annoy me are many, and they have been well established on this board over the years so no need to rehash.

but it is never acceptable to cut them off, swerve near them, and certainly to intentionally hit them. I do my very best to give all cyclists a wide berth, because what in the world is the point of being a dick? you know who else annoys me? guys who only squat 1/3 of the way down. guys who do curls in the squat rack. guys who crank the incline on a treadmill to ten, then hang on with their hands. I don't shoulder bump or throw weights at any of them. why are cyclists different?
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Na Zdraví 87
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11:34a, 4/3/19
AG
Because you are not one...............
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Truvada_for_prep
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In reply to SteveA • 1:12p, 4/3/19
SteveA said:
That was a tragic accident, on a multi use trail, but reports state that the girl was wearing headphones, abruptly ruined around directly in tot the path of the cyclist. It was determined her fault.


Victim blaming awesome ! Pedestrians have right away hth
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Truvada_for_prep
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In reply to A. Solzhenitsyn • 1:13p, 4/3/19
A. Solzhenitsyn said:
cyclists annoy me to the very core of my being. i'm sorry to all on here who are cyclists, but I cant help it. the reasons you annoy me are many, and they have been well established on this board over the years so no need to rehash.

but it is never acceptable to cut them off, swerve near them, and certainly to intentionally hit them. I do my very best to give all cyclists a wide berth, because what in the world is the point of being a dick? you know who else annoys me? guys who only squat 1/3 of the way down. guys who do curls in the squat rack. guys who crank the incline on a treadmill to ten, then hang on with their hands. I don't shoulder bump or throw weights at any of them. why are cyclists different?


What about the guy who rides as if he was a car on a busy street slowing everyone down?
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