Are cyclists hated in your country?

[boyl99]

I am in the UK, and cyclists are subject to hatred, both generally and in the media.

Any cycling infrastructure plans are attacked as being "anti-motorist", we are all inconsiderate scum who clog up the roads, jump red lights, etc.

Is your country equally anti-cyclist?

Not Anti-every cyclist, just the ones who don’t follow the rules of the land and high way code.
So the ones that jump red lights by just going through or mounting the pavements…

Rubbish - we don't hate all cyclists, we just don't have any time for the cyclists who don't adhere to the rules of the road, shared paths or pavements,

I was almost hit by 3 cyclists recently as I was in the middle of crossing a road. They came flying round a corner and then had to skid to a stop, missing me by inches. Did they apologise? No - I got screamed and sworn at by one of them for daring to tell them to slow down and reminding them that pedestrians who are in the middle of crossing a road have priority. Those are the kind of cyclists people hate.

Everyone I know hates cyclists 😂

I live in cambridge

we have flocks and flocks of cyclists

I have no hatred for cyclists as I am one myself. I've never worn lycra and cycle fairly slowly on my commute to work. However, I feel pure hatred for those idiots on illegal powerful motorised bikes that too many people mistakenly refer to as 'e-bikes'. I don't know why the police don't confiscate these illegal machines instead of turning a blind eye to them.

Yes, because we dont have the right infrastructure for cycles and cars to co-exist. The Netherlands have it sorted!

I think the issue is crowded roads in most countries, most drivers don’t like slowing down for cyclists. My bugbear is why does a group of leisure cyclists choose to go out at 8.45am up the really steep hill on my commute, why can’t they either go out after rush hour /school drop off, say after 9.30am or choose a route they can actually manage at a decent speed, 2 miles an hour is too slow for petrol cars to cope with. (There’s a signposted bike route with smaller gradients, this is not the route they take)

Yes this is a very anti Cyclist country compared to most others especially in Europe.

France and Spain are much better, I've cycled in both and everything I'm in France I marvel at how different it feels to cycle there. There is no culture war thing there where Cyclist are dehumanised and stereotyped - it's seen as a normal pursuit and means of transportation that anyone could be doing, including you and your family.

I am in the Netherlands, pretty much everyone is a cyclist!

Plus the infrastructure is very good, as a motorist usually only the last mile or so is shared with cyclists.

As a cyclist I navigate around town completely differently! There are lots of roads that are great for cyclists and inconvenient for cars.

I thought you were Irish, this is huge in Ireland at the mo, cars vs cyclists. Very dangerous to cycle in Dublin to be fair!!

What? I live in Spain and cyclists are one of the most hated groups I know of here. Cycle wankers are a very common topic of conversation here and we all have unpleasant, near-miss stories.

I don't think cycling as a concept is the problem. The fact is that far too many cyclists don't follow the rules of the road and so have ruined their reputation as a group for everyone else. When you talk to them about this they all claim that they personally are not the problem because they have never run a red light etc., it's all the other cyclists. It's hard to believe them. As a driver I find them pretty annoying. As a pedestrian I find them extremely dangerous.

What you're saying is "why don't cyclists arrange their day to accommodate you" while you are doing nothing to accommodate them. If that's when and where they cycle, why don't you take a different route at a different time? Why is it their fault?

Or perhaps we could all appreciate that we need to live with other people and be more tolerant

No, what's she saying is why cycle when the roads are as busy as they are in rush hour? Providing they're doinng it for leisure purposes rather than commuting themselves then a bit of common sense and consideration for traffic flow wouldn't go amiss. For example example, it would also make sense for groups of dog walkers (who as pedestrians have priority - certainly up here anyway) to avoid shared paths that form part of cycle networks to avoid holding up cyclists during busy commuting times.

I hear people saying they hate cyclists, or they think they have no business using the roads, very frequently. It's true, some cyclists don't seem to think that red lights apply to them. However, I also see drivers running red lights on a daily basis, which is potentially very much more dangerous, but I don't often hear someone say they hate all motorists.

I do feel a reasonable amount of antipathy towards cyclists, but that's mainly because proper infrastructure doesn't exist for them, so they're either holding up the traffic or cycling on the fucking pavement, both of which drive me bonkers. But we really need more cycle lanes, that would solve both problems.

I’m pro cycling in general but get really wound up seeing, almost every night, cyclists on our main road, in the dark, wearing black with no lights whatsoever
there are much safer routes to take, do they actually have a deathwish?

I’ve cycled a fair bit in Netherlands and not seen a single idiotic cyclist.

I don't often hear someone say they hate all motorists.

I also hate bad drivers, of which there are an increasingly large amount. The traffic in my town was terrible yesterday, total gridlock. Driving to the station, which usually takes me no more than 20 mins, worst case scenario, took 35 mins and that was with me taking the sneakiest routes I could - it took DH 50 mins. Anyway, single lane urban road, traffic backed up the whole way down one side and from behind me an SUV came zooming out and drove up the wrong side of the road indicating right - I assumed they were turning onto the side road up ahead - but no. The car zoomed down the wrong side of the road, up on the pavement up ahead, then cut back into the traffic on my side of the road. This incredibly dangerous driving was presumably because that person was in a hurry. I was flabbergasted. So dangerous, obnoxious, entitled and reckless 😡

Not in the country I live in currently. There is excellent cycle infrastructure so nearly everyone cycles at least occasionally, and when you're driving they're not really in your way at all.

I agree.

I walk far more than I do any other type of travel, and I'm often appalled at the behaviour of cyclists on shared paths too. Cycling is a skill and there are guidelines about how to cycle safely, legally and considerately, but so many appear completely ignorant of them.

From the government web site:
"In 2024, under free-flowing traffic conditions, 43% of car drivers exceeded the speed limit on 30 miles per hour (mph) roads compared to 9% on national speed limit single carriageway roads and 44% on motorways."

Yet people are more worried about cyclists pedalling along at 10mph on a bike that weighs 5kgs than they are about people barrelling along, protected in a metal cocoon that weighs 2 tons, breaking the laws far more frequently than cyclists do.

How we all wish cyclists obeyed the laws! Because they're the problem, right? They're the ones being reckless...

1 pedestrian was killed by a cyclist in 2024.

1,255 people were killed in collisions involving cars

So yup, let's all go on about the menace that are cyclists

As someone who uses shared paths far more than I use roads, I can assure you that cyclists are the menace there - but absolutely no way of reporting them as they barrel past at more than 10mph. Other pedestrians and horse riders? Not a problem at all.

Shared space is poor street design though - Local Transport Note 1/20 (design standards for cycle routes) is very clear that in urban areas bicycle should not be sharing space with pedestrians. They also need to be separated from motor vehicles in busy urban areas.

If local authority engineers don’t adhere to the national standards, then there will be conflict between road users because inevitably some won’t follow the rules. Unfortunately, it’s usually cyclists who bear the brunt of the criticism when this happens rather than the councillors & engineers who have actually caused the problem & who have the power to solve it.

Cyclists do come in for a lot of undeserved hostility - some of the comments on my local paper & on local social media really aren’t pleasant. As said previously, drivers cause far more collisions yet don’t experience this level of hostility. Whenever a new cycle route / road safety plan is suggested, someone will inevitably comment that it isn’t suitable as “we’re not Holland”. The irony is that Dutch roads are really good, & if my council did adopt Dutch standards of street design, drivers would probably be a lot happier as our roads would be much better.

You say that cyclists are the menace on shared paths. But, as evidenced in government statistics, only 1 pedestrian was killed last year by a cyclist. That's obviously one too many. And I absolutely accept that there are shit cyclists but do you not see where the problem is? Look at the facts, the numbers of deaths. Deaths involving a cyclist: 3 (1 pedestrian, 1 cyclist, 1 car driver). How are you not appalled by the numbers of people killed by car drivers? Where is your protest about the needless deaths? The hate for cyclists is disproportionate

And just a little shout out to dog walkers on shared paths, walking on one side of the path while their dog is on a stretchy lead on the other side as a cyclist tries to get past

of course the number of car related deaths is appalling and cars - on roads - are dangerous lumps of metal. I've been knocked off my bike by one and a family member was killed on his bike by one, so I'm only too well aware of the dangers of cars.

However, the 'whatabout cars' doesn't excuse the absolutely appalling behaviour from some cyclists. I'm on shared paths many times each week, far more than I drive my car, andI've been on the receiving end of some really aggressive and entitled behaviour from them and gave witnessed it being dished out to others. Car drivers can be traced - cyclists can't. They can behave as they like to other shared path users, completely ignoring (or being completely ignorant of) our Outdoor Access Code, and there's nothing that can done about them.

Dogs on stretchy leads are on shared paths are bloody annoying and I say that as a dog owner. I don't use that type of lead - dangerous things - but whataboutery still doesn't excuse the idiots on bikes.

I have to allow 1.5 m to pass you . but you think its acceptable for you to come inside my car within 30cm while stopped at at red light. WHY