Interesting study
May. 14th, 2010 01:32 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
johnridleyhttp://www.etcproceedings.org/paper/the-roots-of-driver-behaviour-towards-cyclists
The roots of driver behavior towards cyclists.
Really it explains a LOT of different kinds of behavior, but in this particular case it studies the pressure that drivers feel from OTHER drivers to treat cyclists badly, and also the tendency for drivers to overlook (or not even notice) bad behavior from other car drivers while causing a huge stink about the same behavior from cyclists. Also some other behaviors.
Again, these tendencies are not at all isolated to drivers or all against cyclists either. They apply to any "us" vs "them" situation.
Some of the infrastructure comments are interesting too. They did some investigation of what many of us believe; that bike lanes actually make the streets more dangerous for cyclists, if they're not done right (and they usually are NOT done right).
The roots of driver behavior towards cyclists.
Really it explains a LOT of different kinds of behavior, but in this particular case it studies the pressure that drivers feel from OTHER drivers to treat cyclists badly, and also the tendency for drivers to overlook (or not even notice) bad behavior from other car drivers while causing a huge stink about the same behavior from cyclists. Also some other behaviors.
Again, these tendencies are not at all isolated to drivers or all against cyclists either. They apply to any "us" vs "them" situation.
Some of the infrastructure comments are interesting too. They did some investigation of what many of us believe; that bike lanes actually make the streets more dangerous for cyclists, if they're not done right (and they usually are NOT done right).
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2010-05-15 04:24 pm (UTC)I have a GPS on my bike, I'll be cycling at 20mph on a clear road and motorists are somehow *forced* by my mere presence to overtake me - then, realising they are doing 30 in a 20 zone, pull in front of me and slam the brakes on again.
I can only assume that they are so used to always overtaking cyclists in a 30mph (or faster) zone that they cannot unlearn the behaviour.
Interesting article, but even more interesting to see if our continental cousins have similar problems.
Bizzare....
no subject
Date: 2010-05-15 04:29 pm (UTC)It's a well observed phenomenon, posted by many in bikeforums, that if there's a bike, IT MUST BE PASSED. You can NOT not pass a bicycle; whatever you have to do is OK, if you do it to pass a bicycle. People post about doing OVER the speed limit on their bikes, like 35 or even 40 in a 25 or 30 MPH zone, usually going down a hill, and someone will be behind them and will speed up to FAR over the limit to pass them, then, as you say, slow way down after passing, usually to less than the speed of the bike.
This is not even mentioning that if you come up behind a bicycle that's within 100 feet of a stop light that's red, you MUST floor the accelerator, whip around the bike, then slam on the brakes at the light. Then of course get mad as hell if the bike passes you.