jt10000 wrote:
Fleck wrote:
It's a good read, and good to know that on the whole, this is more about motorists than it is about cyclists*. But we have to be vigilant, and make sure that ALL cyclists get on the same page and ride to the rules of the road. Whenever we don't we just give the impression to motorists, that ALL cyclists are reckless renegades - which is the automatic default response, from many motorists! Thank you for promoting the narrative of collective responsibility for cyclists, and all cyclists follow the rules of the road. Thank you so much for promoting concepts that many anti-cycling people agree with wholeheartedly. Well done.
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I agree completely with Fleck.
The prejudices of ignorant drivers, which are facilitated and reinforced by cyclists who behave poorly, are the single biggest risk to our safety on the roads IMO. It does not matter that I'm not responsible for the actions of other cyclists, I will nevertheless reap consequences, for better or worse.
Since, IMO, driver attitudes towards cyclists are typically based heavily on prejudice, the solution is difficult. People don't like being told they're wrong. They don't want to be educated. They don't want to see things from their "enemy's" point of view. While I might not deserve a driver's ire, that won't protect me from them. The fewer opportunities for them to reinforce their prejudice the better. It's far from the full solution but it would help keep the hole we're in from getting too much deeper.