Submitted by [deleted] t3_107c89f in washingtondc
Rugrats-theme-song t1_j3lied8 wrote
This is just my opinion but
Cars drivers are considered the problem because, fair or not, we HAVE to take more responsibility for those around us while we’re driving. We’re way more PHYSICALLY protected if a collision happens. So I don’t care how unsafe a pedestrian or cyclist is behaving. As the person in the car, I most likely can prevent hitting them by driving defensively and paying enough attention to everything happening.
It’s not fair, and I’m not excusing people who behave unsafe just because they’re on a bike, scooter, atv, or whatever. Obviously they can cause huge, unavoidable collisions. But driving a car is a privilege not a right. And unfortunately that comes with more implied responsibility than being a pedestrian or biker.
Gumburcules t1_j3m6uhp wrote
> But driving a car is a privilege not a right.
Another big aspect of the car hate is that most car drivers act like it is exactly the opposite.
Vehemently opposing bike/bus lanes and streeteries because it means less city-subsidized parking for them, complaining about speed bumps and other traffic calming measures, constantly whining about "scofflaw cyclists" when 90% of them are rolling through stop signs too, getting into hysterics about "predatory" speed and red light cameras, etc.
Car drivers act like they're the most persecuted group in the city when in fact they're one of the most pampered.
cleversobriquet t1_j3mcjdn wrote
Car driver privilege
superdookietoiletexp t1_j3mwez8 wrote
Nailed it. Drivers ranting about “entitled cyclists” plumbs new depths in self-awareness.
app_priori t1_j3lihgs wrote
And it doesn't help that we give a driver's license to basically anyone. Also some roads are hard to navigate in this country.
Rugrats-theme-song t1_j3lj07m wrote
Yes absolutely. Most states will never make you re-take a behind the wheel or written test to renew a license unless it’s been expired for 1+ years.
And I was gonna reply to your comment too because it’s so spot on.
Baloncesto t1_j3loxun wrote
And, by extension, the prioritization of car-friendly infrastructure / gas prices over public transit in most places. So non-car-owners get the shaft while drivers are usually pandered to.
jaco1001 t1_j3mc1nt wrote
my small quibble with this is that it's not that cars are more "PHYSICALLY protected" it's that cars cause insane damage when they strike things due to their size/weight/speed. It's not about the protection that the driver has, it's about the fact that the things/people that drivers hit suffer terrible injuries. The trend seems to be making cars bigger, higher up, and with poorer visibility, aka more dangerous to bikes/pedestrians/children.
Rugrats-theme-song t1_j3miiye wrote
So a person in a car is more physically protected than anyone or anything they will hit?
That’s literally, exactly what I said
jaco1001 t1_j3mq4dz wrote
no, it's not. reading comprehension is low here. you're focused on the defense provided to the driver. that's not the issue. it's that the car is an offensive weapon. if you cant grok the different that's on you.
Rugrats-theme-song t1_j3mqh44 wrote
Lol at you insulting my comprehension skills when you wouldn’t even put in the extra effort to spell check your own comment
And you’re still just stating the exact same thing from a different vantage point.
People in cars are more protected = things cars hit are less protected
They’re the same statement 🤣
jaco1001 t1_j3mrset wrote
>We’re way more PHYSICALLY protected if a collision happens.
is not the same as
"we cause terrible injuries in collisions because we are the bigger, heavier, faster party"
but it is a very car-centric view on the subject, which in of itself is interesting. and yes, your reading comprehension is poor, regardless of my spelling
swampoodler t1_j3lmrrm wrote
This Redditor gets it.
BreakTheCyclist1 t1_j3nqu8p wrote
This ... and when was the last time you saw someone on a bicycle chase down someone in a car and try to run them over? Or someone hop off their bicycle and try to fight someone in a car? I personally can't remember an instance of it happening here. But I've seen plenty of videos of it here. And I have personally been chased by someone in a car while on a scooter. And i have been purposefully called a slur by a driver and then run over while on a bike.
If you want to discount such instances ... when was the last time you saw a bicycle parked in a car lane?
[deleted] OP t1_j3luaw6 wrote
[deleted]
burdboxwasok t1_j3nrjdb wrote
more often then not i see bikers blow thru red lights
Old_Distribution9636 t1_j3lkyxp wrote
I drive and I bike. I’ve slammed on my breaks quite a few times because of careless cyclist and pedestrians. However, the large majority of them follow the rules. The same is true for the drivers I encounter. Taking more responsibility doesn’t explain why people hate cars.
giscard78 t1_j3lpnz4 wrote
> Taking more responsibility doesn’t explain why people hate cars.
A couple thousand pounds speeding, running lights or stop signs, going the wrong way on a one-way, getting too close to cyclists or pedestrians, cutting each other off, etc. hits hard. I see all of this with one block of my home, including in front of an elementary school. Have you ever seen a car crash up close?
DC is one of the few places in the US where you can do anything other than travel by car. That “outsized” portion of the population who don’t want to be ran over are vocal here, that may be why you think car drivers are victims.
It’s also not just cars, it’s the entire infrastructure system. People lose their shit over one bike lane, they then drive obnoxiously around any non-motorists. Why can’t pedestrians or cyclists have infrastructure, too?
Old_Distribution9636 t1_j3lqdrp wrote
Cool. So screw everyone else who needs a car because there’s are so few of them right? This SCREAMS I don’t leave NW
giscard78 t1_j3lrl75 wrote
I’m from the area, not NW, and drive to care for a family member who can’t bike and honestly is beyond public transportation at this point. I do plenty of things outside of NW that require a car.
I can still separate the fact that not all infrastructure needs to be car-based. As a driver, the best place for cyclists and pedestrians to be is on a grade separated sidewalk or track. When I go places to shop, I realize not everyone can fit at curbside so using a garage is fine. I don’t think all trips should require a car, people should be able to get downtown or to other major employment centers without a car, or do their grocery shopping, or pick up kids from an elementary school - all without a car.
Old_Distribution9636 t1_j3lvzr7 wrote
Should be, I agree. I can separate my ideals from reality. I can work towards a better future while not bashing people attached to the current system. Cars are clearly needed to make this city work, no matter how much bad they bring. You need a car and I need a car. I’m someone with a kid who goes to school across town because the in boundary school could not meet their needs. I miss waking them to school, but a car is needed now. A car makes it possible for me to take care of an elderly loved one while working full time and only 24 hours in the day. Neither of our stories are unheard of. They’re quite common. A lot of those people just aren’t on Reddit. And before you ask, no, I don’t live east of the river.
Rugrats-theme-song t1_j3llabp wrote
I’m saying people hate cars because it is seen as the driver’s responsibility to keep everyone safe. So if people aren’t safe, the blame/hate falls on the cars. People hate cars because the cars are perceived as the cause of the problem.
Old_Distribution9636 t1_j3lur0a wrote
The more I read people’s opinion it seems the government is the problem. No real solutions are being given to those who need cars. No real solutions are being given to those who feel unsafe being a pedestrian. Both are fighting back because they don’t feel heard.
campbeer t1_j3m6q7s wrote
It's totally the governments fault for bending to the will of automobile capitalist for over 100 years to prioritize the infrastructure that was built, so more cars will be bought.
But now, they are making more solutions possible to establish rules and laws that we can adapt to.
If we are annoyed that they are creating a more equitable system, then you're just being a privilege asshole.
Rugrats-theme-song t1_j3lxoix wrote
It’s definitely the government’s fault. They’re the ones ACTUALLY responsible for keeping us all safe by providing the necessary infrastructure. The only real solution is being vocal and fighting for actually safe bike routes and not just painted lanes on busy streets.
The amount of money and time this will take is not easily allocated. But the alternative is the reality we live in where civilians are at each others throats. I’ve lived in the Bay Area, Sacramento, Santa Barbara, Phoenix, and now DC. I’ve lived in some of the “best places in the USA for bikers.” This usually just means that there’s more than 10 miles of bike/walk paths that are separated and far away from cars.
I don’t know how it gets done in dc. But the real solution is wider sidewalks with dedicated bike lanes on them that have a clear distinction for direction of travel.
Ttabts t1_j3ntqxd wrote
cyclists breaking rules annoy people
drivers breaking rules kill people
(driving also has a whole host of other negative externalities, regardless of how responsibly you drive: namely noise, pollution, and public space use)
that's the difference 🤷♀️
throws_rocks_at_cars t1_j3nkyng wrote
If you didn’t, they would be dead.
When they hit you, they get a concussion and you get a dented fender.
When you hit them, an EMT team has to scrape their splattered remains off the asphalt, and you get a dented fender.
pgm123 t1_j3no2xn wrote
There are quite a few things cars do that lower quality of life. I live in a residential area that gets a lot of car traffic. There is honking all day and even into the night. Drivers have absolutely no respect for the quality of life for others.
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