I bike or walk pretty much everywhere I go, so my take on roads and traffic is that they're usually far too car-centric (Norway). Even when I drive, I'm so used to thinking like a cyclist that I become very aware of how poorly roads are often designed around biking.

With that said... The amount of cyclists with an apparent death wish is just staggering. Just two days ago I passed a cyclist in an 80 km/h zone. No issue there. Just around the next turn, I caught up to a second cyclist that I couldn't immediately pass due to oncoming traffic. I'm behind this second cyclist, going downhill at maybe 50 km/h, with oncoming traffic on a relatively narrow road, when I notice that the first cyclist has caught up to us. Instead of placing himself behind me, he decided it was a brilliant idea to squeeze himself into the ≈ 1.5 m gap between me (a 6m long, 2-ton car going at 50 km/h) and the guard rail. At this point, I'm just sitting here terrified that I'll end up accidentally squeezing him into the guard rail and killing him if I happen to move a couple centimeters too close to the edge of the road. I'm seriously afraid of breaking to let him in front of me, because I'm afraid he could hit my side-view mirror if I break unexpectedly (for him). There's oncoming traffic, so I can't move over to give him more space.

To be honest, even when I'm biking myself I far too often find other cyclists to be absolute assholes with no respect for traffic rules. Of course, this doesn't apply to everyone (by a long shot), but man those people cause the rest of us a lot of stress by being a danger to themselves and others.

Cyclists aren't a "problem" any more than traffic lights or stop signs are. Drivers should be able to deal with having to slow down a bit for a few seconds without getting upset about it. If you saw a driver shouting out of his window at a traffic light you'd think they were insane.

When they have their own lane and space cars still just use it. They park on the bike lanes, move into them if somebody's passing on their left, or try and pass cars on their right if they find space during slow traffic.

Absolutely needed but people in cars will still cause issues and when they cause issues, it's a multi ton vehical hitting some aluminium and flesh.

As someone who doesn't really ride bikes, I think it's wild when car people are against bike lanes.

Back when I used to drive, it was so annoying to get stuck behind a cyclist. Their max speed is lower than the speed limit on most roads, passing them makes me nervous even on straight and flat roads, and if the road is hilly or curvy like most in my area, it's downright dangerous.

I would love it if there were more bike lanes so that cyclists don't get in my way. Why would anyone who drives a car be against that?

Yeah I think the main problem isn't the cyclists themselves, it's that cyclists don't have a safe place ride without getting ran over.

Meaning that, as usual, cars are the problem.

Agreed. My bike is egregiously visible. I put over a hundred reflectors on her (no that's not hyperbole, there are a hundred spokeys and then some) and then lights and a flag, and it's all very bright.

No one sensible wants to hit you when you're out riding, so when you make yourself easy to see, they react accordingly. I've only had a couple shitass drivers who tried to kill me while out driving in the last year. Maybe it's my locale, maybe it's my loud bike, maybe I'm lucky and the local gangs are looking out for me as a favor for keeping my mouth shut that one time (I asked that they keep my bike and my friends' bikes from being stolen as my favor and bikes stopped getting stolen in town). idk.

Luckily, yes. There's a web page where you fill in the details, you upload the footage and then they actually do something about it. Options for "positive action" are:

• Letter - which has the same status as a police warning, i.e. no action taken at the time but it can be used against you later if you go to court for something similar
• Points and fine with the option of taking a driving education course instead
• Points and a fine with no alternative
• Sent to court

All these can be appealed. Interestingly, I once spoke to one of the people who processes the cases. He said that the drivers don't get to see the video footage unless they say they want to appeal. Then they see the footage and almost all of them drop it.

Yeah, plus no fat bikes at all!

Everyone warned me about the bikes in Amsterdam when I went to visit. When I got there and stepped outside for the first time, oh yeah the bike lane is painted a different colour to the pavement so I will walk on the pavement bit. Hang on, how the fuck do people struggle with this?

Fat kid is child abuse (unless medical condition) and the young bike needs to be rated for the weight otherwise it's also child abuse (/jk). But older bikes usually have steel wheels while younger bikes have aluminium bikes, so the weight capacity is larger with older bikes (not that it matters for kids though, but it does matter when having someone on your luggage carrier).

Just yesterday I watched a teenager biking the wrong way on a 40mph road in the bike lane. They must’ve just learned how to ride because they were wobbling and swerving so far out of the lane that I was worried they’d smash into oncoming traffic.

Luckily it was a 4 lane road so cars could move over, but yeeeesh the kid had a death wish.

thankfully my reflexes still prioritize my own safety, and most times I leave a near collision pissed off at the shitty driver and regretful that I couldn't leave them a lasting mark. but when I get to the chance to, say, let my cargo bike basket scrape a car that pushed me into the curb, I'm gonna try to take it.

and thankfully (?) my health issues are unrelated to biking injuries (at least, unrelated to sharing the road with drivers — I've got a completely self-inflicted road injury from long ago and injuries from mountain biking lol).

As I've heard one person say, "your right of way doesn't matter if I run you over." As a pedestrian, I always wait until I see the car slowing down before I step out in front of it.

I do this, but only if I can see their eyes.

Posted from a hospital bed.