In Person Activism

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How to diplomatically handle car drivers who use their horns to demand cyclists make room for them (self.inperson)

submitted 6 months ago by activistPnk to c/inperson

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In this case I operate on the assumption car drivers are inherently good people. So when I am cycling in the middle of the lane (when the lane is too narrow for safe sharing), and they are behind me hitting their horn, I give them the benefit of the doubt as to whether they are being a malicious prick.

So I stop the bicycle, get off look around, check my pockets, and if their window is open I ask “did I drop something?” Because surely they would not use their horn to demand that I move to the side so they can pass me unsafely. Surely they are kindly signalling to me that my backpack is open, or that something fell from my bicycle.

Every single time, I never manage to discover that anything was lost or out of place.. but I continue to give drivers the benefit of the doubt every time.

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[–] activistPnk 0 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago)

So let me get this straight. Instead of just moving to the side of the road and letting the car pass., you just do a full stop in the middle of the road, thus creating an unsafe situation?

You have a strange idea of safety. Traffic that is stopped is not unsafe. Or are you thinking that it would be holding up an ambulance or something? This 15 seconds of activism would not be carried out if there were an ambulance in the same direction of travel. I cycle without headphones so I can hear emergency vehicles.

Road safety in my region is organised this way: cyclists are entitled to 1 meter clearance of cars. That also includes parked cars because people open doors. So if civil engineers decide to designate part of the road for parking (instead of a cycling lane), then they have prioritized car parking above bandwidth. Cyclists can safely distance themselves 1 meter from the parked cars to avoid that door opening. Moving cars are legally required give cyclists another meter of clearance when passing, because shit happens and cyclists need enough buffer to dodge potholes and unplanned swerves. To give up that buffer is to create an unsafe situation, especially if the driver is in a hurry. The more aggressive a car driver is, the more risk you create by letting them pass. Passing is statistically correllated with accidents.

If car drivers want to move along faster, they should lobby to have parking lanes replaced with cycling lanes. When there is a cycling lane, the 1 meter clearance by moving cars is not legally required.

Don’t fuck with cars, one day somebody is not gonna stop.

I appreciate your genuine concern for my safety. As an activist, I’m perpetually up to my neck in trouble and I accept the risks.