Drivers’ Complaints about Cyclists
A Facebook acquaintance of mine posted a rant about cyclists. Like all Facebook rants, it is the same as all the rants that came before it, and it can be summed up in five words: “A bicyclist inconvenienced me. Harrumph.”
I avoid Facebook fights, so I’m posting my rebuttal here:
Dear drivers: a bicyclist who slows you down on the road inconveniences you for three minutes, max. Meanwhile, your addiction to that fossil-fuel burning glorified butt cushion contributes to the doom that future generations will face. In the long run, your crime is far worse.
I realize my argument is as predictable as the rant itself. We cyclists do love to cite the fact that we burn calories rather than fossil fuels. But just because we say it a lot, it doesn’t make us wrong. Biking to work can reduce your carbon footprint by 384 pounds — and that’s based on a 10-mile commute. If you’re a tough rider and can ride 15 or 20 miles each way every day, just think of all the carbon you save.
And yeah, I suppose it’s annoying to be slowed down by somebody on a bike when you’re trying to get your kids to soccer practice and you’re running late. But my bike helps the air stay a little bit cleaner while your car does the opposite — who’s doing more for your kids now, hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm?
Ok, so maybe that’s a strawman argument. But if we all burned calories instead of gas we wouldn’t be facing a climate change crisis. Well, at least not as the result of cars.
What do you think, readers? What complaints do you hear from drivers about cyclists, and how do you address them?
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I agree not to get into a rant with drivers that are high on the fumes coming from their rolling smoke bombs. Don’t get me wrong I think there is times you may need a tool like a motor vehicle and it is appropriate but to depend on it for all transportation is just a waste of money and resources. The drivers lack of proper planning does not constitute an emergency on the cyclist part. If you don’t want to arrive late then plan properly. As a cyclist I have to plan properly too. I think that is the nature of commuting. It has been found that on average a driver spends more time sitting at red lights then they do behind a cyclist or other slow moving vehicle. I think the biggest issue is this, most motorist do not know how to properly pass a slower moving vehicle. I see no reason why we cannot share the road. If they would take the time they use to rant about cyclist and practice proper driving techniques we would not be having rants such as this. Anyway love the post.
I think it goes deeper than that. I think our culture is so self centered that most people cant see any needs other than their own. The other day i was nearly hooked by a right turning driver. I (stupidly) confronted her and asked why she did that. Her response was “sorry, my car’s about to catch fire, *&$hole.” Her need for a reliable vehicle, in her minds eye, outweighed my need to not get flattened. Self centered. Until our culture moves away from that mentality, we’ll always have these problems. It starts with simple considerate acts. Holding the door for the person behind you and things like that. Hopefully the concept will catch on and spread. Im not holding my breath but i WILL continue to do my part and just maybe some people will choose to pay forward that kind thing.