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Most cycle-commuters will tell you cycling to work is the best way to get to and from work and it's probably doing you some good. However a recent major study, published in the British Medical Journal, suggests that the health benefits are staggering, slashing the risk of heart disease and cancer. FTFA:
Research has consistently shown that people who are less physically active are both more likely to develop health problems like heart disease and type 2 diabetes, and to die younger. Yet there is increasing evidence that physical activity levels are on the decline.
The problem is that when there are many demands on our time, many people find prioritising exercise difficult. One answer is to multi-task by cycling or walking to work. We've just completed the largest ever study into how this affects your health.
You can read an article here at The Conversation website and you the original research is here at the BMJ website.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday September 08 2017, @02:00PM (5 children)
Many drivers think cyclists are assholes because they're born that way. We must be assholes for reasons though.
My experience basically mirrors yours and I'm in Europe (Germany, big city/metropol area). Round here we mostly have separate bike lanes, the closer to city center the better develoved. But the most common (legacy) type are lanes shared with the sidewalk area instead of the road. Quality usually declines the further away from city centre you get. Quite a few of these legacy bike lanes are a no-go if...
So riding in traffic is sometimes the better option even when a bike lane is available. It's also allowed by law to do so. Not many car drivers are aware, so you often get the horn just for existing in "their" space. Near red traffic lights, asshole drivers like to block the rightmost half-metre of asphalt when they have just overtaken a cyclist in order to force them to the back of the line. Naturally, turning left by giving hand-signals can be quite dangerous if drivers are being aggressive towards you just for the perceived violation of their territory.
All the above is just business as usual though. I've lost count how many near-misses I've had because of inattentive drivers. And when you're on a bike with no realistic crash protection (yeah, that helmet will save you in 50-70km/h motor traffic...), you start developing a spidey sense. On some occasions, you have time and see the slowpokes coming. Often, you don't and it's literally a split second reaction seperating you from grave injury or death.
Because of this, I became an "asshole cyclist". I'll take more space than I need on the road so drivers notice and don't cut me. I'll sometimes swerve intentionally to make space before a lane change, because hand signals appear to be non-binding to some drivers.
I will yell at people who don't see me and scream and curse at people who only missed me because I was on the ball and evaded, often with additional risk to myself. I hope this serves some purpose and they'll remember the shock of the moment. But honestly, the most important part of it is venting immediately so you don't carry the road rage with you.
Become an asshole cyclist and you'll be a happier cyclist.
(Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Friday September 08 2017, @02:29PM (4 children)
We think cyclists are assholes because so many can't be bothered to follow basic traffic rules: blowing through red lights and stop signs, crossing a road when the signal tells them "Don't cross", etc.
But hey, in a competion of car vs. biker flesh, car wins every time, so there is that justice.
Justice isn't there when cyclists mow down pedestrians, though. Cyclists hate pedestrians and sometimes use their paths anyway like they belong exclusively to them.
ASSHOLE CYCLISTS. They don't want to stop or slow down because it TIRES them to speed up again, the delicate blossoms, so they disobey any traffic rule that requires that.
(Score: 3, Funny) by Justin Case on Friday September 08 2017, @03:32PM
Totally agree that 75% of cyclists make the other 25% look bad. That doesn't it make it OK to kill the 25%.
Well they do have a nasty habit of abandoning all situational awareness and meandering aimlessly into the path of traffic. But it is the biker's responsibility to plan ahead for this.
(Score: 2) by http on Friday September 08 2017, @04:30PM (1 child)
Cyclists have zero monopoly on breaking the rules of the road, and to be honest I've seen way more stories about cars mowing down pedestrians than cyclists. There's a reason, cyclists know they won't "win" any collision with a pedestrian.
Good luck with yoru next lying post.
I browse at -1 when I have mod points. It's unsettling.
(Score: 2) by fido_dogstoyevsky on Friday September 08 2017, @11:13PM
But most don't have any idea about how to share footpaths with pedestrians*.
*No, theyre not permitted on normal (as in not signposted "shared") footpaths, but that doesn't stop them.
It's NOT a conspiracy... it's a plot.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday September 08 2017, @04:34PM
No need to tire yourself accelerating from stops when you know traffic light timings. Timings are pretty systematic here, if you commute the same route for a while you'll figure them out.
I'll admit to being an asshole to pedestrians in one specific case: them being in my lane and not giving way in time. When I'm going 45 to catch the next light and some sleepwalking ped dreams about my bell being the ice cream man, I'll keep going. There's gonna be a gap, eventually.
I don't hate pedestrians though, can always use some dodging exercise - gonna need it when I run into "competition" motorists like yourself. When you're competing on your phone/satnav/fixing makeup in the mirror/falling asleep because your AC is turned up too high/dreaming about the ice cream man...