And by the way, I saw another reblog of this post in which you said, “But even if [cars were banned in Manhattan], I still think a majority of cyclists would be assholes,” so I don’t think I was making a leap in your bias at all.
And my whole point, by the way, is that statements like “if you do shitty things, you can’t be surprised when people dislike you” don’t seem to apply to cyclists, because the “asshole” label is often applied to cyclists wholly, regardless of whether they “do shitty things” or not.
I always stop at red lights, yield to pedestrians, and never ride against traffic. Saying that all cyclists are assholes still puts me in danger, because that it adds fuel to the fire; it allows the “us against them” attitude to persist across the board - cars yell at me even when I’m riding lawfully and pedestrians yell at me when they stand in bike lanes and I have the right-of-way. They do this because they have had bad experiences with asshole cyclists and take out that anger on me, even when they’re in the wrong, because I’m inconveniencing them by following the letter of the law.
Ah, I guess I did use the word “assholes”. But I also used the word “majority”, not “all”. So I think we have to call this one a wash.
I agree with you in many ways. But it sounds like you think bikes have some monopoly on being hated. Every actor on the road is hated by other types. Cars get annoyed when peds jaywalk, and bikes weave and ride against traffic. Pedestrians get annoyed when cars and bikes push through crosswalks against the light. Cyclists get annoyed when others are in bike lanes. Etc, etc.
I fear you’re playing the victim card a bit too strongly; cyclists are equal actors in this whole ordeal. While you may be a model cyclist, not all are.
Everyone needs to stop demonizing the others on the road. I apologize if it sounded like I was demonizing cyclists; I never meant to imply all cyclists are bad. Simply to point out that I feel less safe with bikes than cars.
I hope that changes, but it’s naive to think I can change it by saying nicer things about the bad interactions I have. I want the streets of Manhattan to be safer for all, but in order for that to happen, everyone needs to do their part.
