Michael HobbesMar 28, 2023
&drew

It remains absolutely wild to me that Jalopnik, of all things, has one of the most enlightened editorial views on car culture and windshield-perspective.

This is a blistering editorial that would get you fired from just about any mainstream newspaper for writing.

https://jalopnik.com/its-not-the-bike-lanes-fault-youre-a-bad-driver-1850269918

It's Not the Bike Lane's Fault You're a Bad Driver

Instead of complaining about bike lanes, try paying attention while you're driving.

Jalopnik
Mar 28, 2023 at 7:16pmWeb
Show threadMegan ThomasMar 28, 2023
@schmod That was amazing.
Show threadVHaschMar 28, 2023

@schmod

On the other hand, bikes could make an effort to stop at red lights, drive on the correct side of the road, and stop opting to use sidewalks and crosswalks whenever they have an urge.

Show threadBrian DearMar 28, 2023
@VHasch @schmod It is interesting that cyclists go to all the trouble of blinking rear lights and wearing cycling helmets—one supposes to increase safety—and then they approach intersections, throw caution to the wind and violate all kinds of traffic laws while willfully whizzing right past stop signs and through red lights. Psychologists could write dissertations on that phenomenon. And they should.
Show thread&drewMar 28, 2023

@brianstorms @VHasch A lot of research HAS been done about this, and the general consensus is that cyclists tend to only disobey laws when those laws are failing to protect them (or are actively making things worse)

As an example, I will come to a stop and proceed through a red light if the coast is clear in both directions (as will most people on foot). It's *far* safer for me than having a line of drivers behind me swerving and trying to pass me in an intersection after the light turns green

Show threadBrian DearMar 28, 2023
@schmod @VHasch Blah blah blah, always with excuses and rationalizations. Bullshit. Communication ends now.
Show threadDag Ågren ↙︎↙︎↙︎Mar 30, 2023
@brianstorms @schmod @VHasch You just posted this, dude: https://mastodon.social/@brianstorms/110103062472594748
Show threadKevin LeecasterMar 30, 2023
@brianstorms @schmod @VHasch
That response earns you a block Brian Dear. You should try riding a bicycle someday perhaps it would teach you some empathy.
Show threadIvan GaytonMar 29, 2023
@brianstorms @VHasch @schmod and it's interesting that people in command of massive vehicles that are lethally dangerous to others think that the onus is on everyone else to not be slaughtered by those vehicles. Somebody should undertake a psychological study on that too!
Show threadPeteMar 28, 2023
@VHasch @schmod
With the exception of the sidewalks/crosswalks, I see people driving cars do this way more often in my city than people riding bikes. And I can't blame the people who ride bikes on sidewalks or crosswalks, they're doing it because they justifiably feel unsafe riding in the street.
Show threaderisianriteMar 29, 2023
@schmod @forpeterssake @VHasch where I live riding in crosswalks isn’t illegal and not problematic. What is is cutting across heavily trafficked pedestrian crossings ignoring traffic lights that they *are* bound by. I had one buzz me on purpose (running a red light) then come back, hop on the sidewalk, and purposely ride back at me to run me down after I yelled at him for not paying attention. Vehicle of choice doesn’t make you a better or worse person.
Show threadJorge SanchezMar 29, 2023
@VHasch @schmod some norms need adaptation, If they are made for cars they may not make sense for bikes. I don't like to see cyclist waiting for red lights and slowing down everyone when they turn green if there's good visibility and no one using the intersection. A bike does not need 80 meters of clean road in front of them at every time and a 4 meters wide line. There are unsafe and selfish cyclist though, and dumb ones too, ..
Show threadIvan GaytonMar 29, 2023
@VHasch @schmod And back on the first hand, people in command of multiton machinery that impose far more risks on others than the operators themselves, have a far greater responsibility to mitigate those risks. Walking and cycling are rights. Driving is a privilege.
Show threadthe Stripey GoodnessMar 29, 2023
@VHasch @schmod yes that's absolutely a reason to go ahead and kill them
Show threadVHaschMar 29, 2023

@stripey @schmod

Being hysterical isn't productive. No one wants to kill bicyclists. That's the whole point.

Calm down.

Show threadJonathan Hartley's old accountMar 29, 2023
@VHasch @schmod hard disagree. When cars break the traffic laws, other people die. When cyclists go through red lights, the stakes are orders of magnitude lower, and the welfare at risk is their own. Responding to a post which rightly lays the blame for road injuries and fatalities at the feet of drivers, who opted to ride multi-ton death machines, by lashing out at cyclists for harmlessly breaking some rules because you are mad at them, is classic avoid-the-point victim blaming whataboutism.
Show threadVHaschMar 29, 2023

@tartley @schmod

It isn't the people bikes run over, it's that they make themselves more likely to be hit. Most drivers don't expect vehicles to pop out of nowhere at a red light.

Show threadJonathan Hartley's old accountMar 29, 2023

@VHasch @schmod Sure! It's a valid point. But how often does that happen, compared to how often a car runs someone over? Why are you derailing a conversation about the large and obvious problem by complaining about a much smaller problem?

It's like showing up to a breast cancer charity event, and saying "I'd have more sympathy for breast cancer victims if they paid more attention to rabies!"

Yeah, sure, rabies is real. But that is an astonishingly tone deaf & unproductive way to operate.

Show threadBen AvelingMar 29, 2023
@schmod @VHasch “kids shouldn’t have the protection of safe bike lanes because some cyclists run red lights, thereby putting themselves at risk, if no one else” is quite the take.
Show threadVHaschMar 29, 2023

@BenAveling @schmod not once did I say anything about bike lanes. Using the Karen method of arguing doesn't help the cause one bit.

Frankly, I wish there were separated bike lanes with their own traffic lights, like London has.

Show threadsmells of bikesMar 28, 2023
@schmod a lot of the most bike-centric people I know are also avidly into cars, the association being that, with my group of friends, the cars they are into are old, tiny cars that exist in a very similar space as bicycles. I've had giant SUVs merge into the side of my tiny vintage car because they literally cannot see a car shorter than a person, driving beside them.
Show threadscottMar 28, 2023
@smellsofbikes @schmod people who actually enjoy cars (like myself) tend to also be very strong supporters of pedestrian and bike infrastructure. use the car for what it's for! I don't cut an apple with a circular saw, I don't drive to get coffee 🤷
Show threadMeanderMar 28, 2023
@schmod @donnamatrix, this seems relevant to your interest.
Show threadNN SchneiderMar 28, 2023
@schmod
Show threadVeloBusDriverMar 28, 2023

@schmod "Or take the bus. Sorry if you think you’re too good for public transportation. You’re clearly not good enough at driving to have a license, so suck it up, buttercup. That barrier you hit could have been someone’s child."

Over the years I've overheard passengers chatting to each other saying things like "I'm so glad Seattle's bus system is so good. I'm a shitty driver."

That was a source of work satisfaction for a long time - I actually don't enjoy driving but I'm a safe driver and am happy to get people where they need to go so they can watch YouTube on the way (ideally, with headphones 😒)

Show threadWoolfhoundMar 28, 2023
@schmod I’m not surprised. People who are passionate about driving tend to also think driving should be done well. I *love* driving and people driving like idiots irritates the shit out of me. (Having no option but to drive for everyday things, I do not love at all.)
Show thread&drewMar 29, 2023
@woolfhound I totally get what you're saying, but there are so, so, so many points to the contrary from individuals, media outlets, and organizations who should know better (ie. AAA)
Show threadWoolfhoundMar 29, 2023
@schmod: AAA is terrible. I am thinking of people (& i think the Jalopnik folks tend to be like this) who love the physical act of driving, vehciles that perform well, etc. ... who tend to be skilled drivers (judgment may vary). I think there's a whole different breed of driver than just likes the power of a car they can barely operate, and that's why the Suburban was invented.
Show thread&drewMar 29, 2023
@woolfhound True, but for every James May, there's a Jeremy Clarkson and a gaggle of boy-racers....
Show threadWoolfhoundMar 29, 2023
@schmod: anyway - i found that article quite refreshing! And not out of character for what I've read in Jalopnik in the past.
Show threadsnodaMar 28, 2023

@schmod everyone should have to memorize and recite this before getting a driver's license:

"killing someone who’s not in a car is still killing someone. And if you think they were asking for it because they were walking or riding a bike, you’re just a bad person. You’re the one driving the 5,000-lb vehicle. You’re the one responsible for making sure you don’t hit anything or anyone. Trying to blame others for your shitty driving is just ridiculous."

Show threadGrandpa DonMar 29, 2023
@schmod
it is superb
Show threadmmalcMar 29, 2023

@schmod
I’d guess the Durango driver was a retired US Navy Captain

(Reference for those who haven’t seen it before: https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/the-obstinate-lighthouse/)

The Obstinate Lighthouse

Old maritime legend describes an aircraft carrier that unknowingly attempted to bully a lighthouse into moving out of its way.

Snopes
Show threadaeberbachMar 29, 2023
@schmod I would almost boost that, except that it’s hosted on the most shitful ad-ridden mess I have ever seen on the web. I would hate to see it without pi-hole!
Show threadeyrea 🇨🇦Mar 29, 2023
@schmod The tweets of people complaining (as opposed to the rebuttals to the complaints) are breathtakingly arrogant. Like, how dare barriers do what they're supposed to do.
Show threadIvan GaytonMar 29, 2023

@schmod awesome. My favorite bit:

"Sorry if you think you’re too good for public transportation. You’re clearly not good enough at driving to have a license, so suck it up, buttercup. That barrier you hit could have been someone’s child."

Show threadmsgbiMar 29, 2023
@schmod @charles_ex @Ginger149 @aloa5
Show threadBill, organizer of stuffMar 29, 2023

@schmod
"You’re the one driving the 5,000-lb vehicle. You’re the one responsible for making sure you don’t hit anything or anyone. Trying to blame others for your shitty driving is just ridiculous."

This. All day long.

Show threadIan TindaleMar 29, 2023

@schmod how do you actually read the article? I experience an endless barrage of interference, with the copy nipping up and down all over the place

Also, my obligatory tagline:
Cars kill people slowly and sometimes quickly

Show threadYaoi Box BalloonMar 29, 2023

@schmod The bigger and more dangerous your vehicle, the more responsibility you have and the more care you should take.

Cars should look out for bikes and pedestrians.

Bikes should look out for pedestrians.

Show threadSpace Burger Steve 🌌🍔🤪Mar 29, 2023
@schmod "If you hit something stationary, that’s your fault." The things some people need to have explained to them...
Show threadthe_blackwell_ninja [EST]Mar 29, 2023
@schmod Jalopnik is the only car blog I read. I adore them.
Show threadTaco DaveMar 30, 2023

@schmod

> "Sorry if you think you’re too good for public transportation. You’re clearly not good enough at driving to have a license, so suck it up, buttercup."

YES! THIS!

👏 STOP 👏 BLAMING 👏 OTHERS 👏 FOR 👏 YOUR 👏 BAD👏 DRIVING 👏

Show threadConstantin JacobMar 31, 2023
@schmod @anildash please feel free to opt out of my theory here immediately but I think it isn't surprising at all. Most die hard gear heads love riding their bikes as well. Cars are about choice and freedom of movement.
Giving more people more choice and more freedom is absolutely aligned with car enthusiasts in my opinion. I live in Germany and I want more bike lanes and more public transit. It will be good for our society overall and fewer cars on the road means more driving enjoyment for me
Show threadReallyCanadianFlyApr 2, 2023
@schmod Jalopnik nails it! Good drivers try to avoid things like cars, pedestrians, trains, trees, etc. and yet they eff it up all the time, and they rarely face real consequences. Higher standards are needed but no one wants to enforce those.
Show threadAmanda SmithApr 20, 2023

@schmod thanks for posting.

“killing someone who’s not in a car is still killing someone.” 💯and why is that not obvious to everyone?!

Show threadJL Johnson Nov 8, 2023
@schmod @toddunctious wow, I forgot how unreadable that site was due to their ads and whatnot. While it took me twice as long to read as it should have, it was a fiery story, so that’s great.