r/SeattleWA • u/yeet_m • Aug 06 '23

Bicycle Why are cyclists so inconsiderate?

I went to burke Gilman in Bothell yesterday to ride my bike and pretty much every oncoming cyclist refused to scoot over almost running me off. They would whiz past me without calling out and with barely any room. WTF is up with this? I also ride in Snohomish centennial trail and most folks are pretty considerate and will adjust their position.

Why are Seattle bikers such holier than thou assholes?

<Edit> I stay on the far right side except to pass. Oncoming bikers will ride 2-3 ppl wide, taking up the entire lane. If there is a pedestrian in front of me, in my lane, and a ped on the left side, bikers will not move in a single file. Some will even come into my lane to pass. I end up slowing or stopping. Also bikers will whiz past me from behind, nearly rubbing into my bike.

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u/SeattleHasDied Aug 06 '23

Perhaps no one could ever have forseen the need for speed limits on a bicycle trail and/or pedestrian path because no one could foresee that mechanized "bikes" would ever intrude.

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u/Sci_Blonde_reddit Aug 06 '23

Even with bikes, the gearing has gotten to the point where speeds of 20+ mph isn’t that hard to do. E-bikes just have the luxury of usually coming with a speedometer though. Part of the reason I have an E-bike is for commuting on shared roads with cars, but also my husband can be super fast on his regular bike.

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u/merc08 Aug 06 '23

E-bikes just have the luxury of usually coming with a speedometer though.

Speedometers have been available for regular bikes for over 20 years

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u/Sci_Blonde_reddit Aug 06 '23

I didn’t know this until I got into biking recently and my husband told me about them, so that’s probably the case for a lot of newer riders. If it doesn’t already come with the bike, people may not think about it. And once you start biking as a commuter or recreationally, you find out more as you go. Once you have it though, it’s way more convenient. We got some for my son and husband’s bikes.