AndreusMaximus
Master
I've known several avid cyclists who were great guys. I've also encountered many courteous, safe cyclists on the road. So I hadn't really understood the hate either.If you can even try to empathize with cyclists for a second. a car has energy limited only by its fuel tank, to stop a cyclist is to demand a major energy expenditure to just get going again. Many states recognizing this have changed laws so stop signs mean yield to bicyclists.
I have baffled for years trying to get to the root of where anti bike hatred comes from, it is so intense that it cannot just be the little crap mentioned in this thread that incites it.
However, it's stuff like this that makes me start to understand the frustration. For some cyclists (and those tend to be the ones who make themselves noticed the most) it really feels like there's just no winning with them; they'll always find a way to slow down traffic, make things more dangerous for themselves, and then complain about how dangerous it is for them.
Perfect example right here. You would think that coming to a full stop, which is much safer than just blowing through and assuming cars will stop for you, would be a plus. But no, that's not good enough for them, because it requires a "major energy expenditure." So, expending energy is now a minus, while engaged in an activity that is supposedly for exercise?