Unpopular opinions

[Keithpaints]

I can't argue that some bicyclist, moped, motorcycle, walkers are idiots. I see people stepping out on to the street without looking at anything except walk signal. Stupid you might have right of way but dead right. There is no helmet law in Hawaii. Bikes & motorcycles with headphones on.

I used Road bicycle on the street with cars, motorcycles too for decades I'm 74 & still around. The keys to survival on two wheels are too many to list. Most learned from real world experience.

You will always lose against a 2000# plus vehicle with 4 tires. You have to have that ingrained in your brain.

For folks who think two wheels, pedestrians just get in the way I suggest you get on a bike or walk everywhere to get a different perspective.

When a car stops to let me cross I always wave in thanks.

 

[sumis]

i lived in nyc. east village, greenpoint and boerum hill. why anyone would drive beats me.

.

 

[DitmasPork]

i lived in nyc. east village, greenpoint and boerum hill. why anyone would drive beats me.

.

Friend of mine lives in a NYC condo, her parking spot is $550 a month. Yeah, I’m into the subway, buses here.

 

[McMan]

what if there is no designated bike path?

what about electric scooters?

Well, since it's the unpopular opinion thread:
Roads are for cars.

 

[McMan]

Preach!

They should also be required to have plates and a license endorsement.

...and insurance.
Seriously.

 

[panda]

I rev my motor obnoxiously next to em to get them to get outta the way

 

[Heckel7302]

Friend of mine lives in a NYC condo, her parking spot is $550 a month. Yeah, I’m into the subway, buses here.

So cheap! I know people that pay over $1000/month for a garage spot in NYC.

 

[OkayMode]

I rev my motor obnoxiously next to em to get them to get outta the way

Drivers that do obnoxious **** like this are always the ones that get the most upset when I retaliate by riding realllly slowly in the middle of the lane once I get in front

 

[WildBoar]

Everybody knows that Samoas are the best Girl Scout cookie. Also in the freezer.

Samoas are even better if you add pineapple...

 

[panda]

Drivers that do obnoxious **** like this are always the ones that get the most upset when I retaliate by riding realllly slowly in the middle of the lane once I get in front

*oops didn't mean to splash water all over didn't see you there.

 

[DitmasPork]

I’m impressed by the Scandinavians—cyclists in Copenhagen, and Stockholm were great the times I visited.

 

[OkayMode]

*oops didn't mean to splash water all over didn't see you there.

You don’t seem to be using your wing mirror, but don’t worry I can push it in for you! And so on…

I obviously don’t hate motorists (only the **** ones), but I do think our standard approach to road infrastructure shouldn’t have cyclists and motorists sharing the same space - it’s not that nice for anyone.

 

[Greasylake]

but I do think our standard approach to road infrastructure shouldn’t have cyclists and motorists sharing the same space - it’s not that nice for anyone

Get out of here with your solutions! This is the place for anger!

 

[Heckel7302]

You don’t seem to be using your wing mirror, but don’t worry I can push it in for you! And so on…

I obviously don’t hate motorists (only the **** ones), but I do think our standard approach to road infrastructure shouldn’t have cyclists and motorists sharing the same space - it’s not that nice for anyone.

Funny how mad it makes drivers when you push their side mirror in. I used to do that all the time in NYC to cars hanging out in the bike lane.

 

[Keithpaints]

Well this is unpopular there are too many darn cars. Rush hour is over 3 now. Cars lined up bumper to Bumper creaping along. Never had to deal with that working 3-11 shift. Now retired. People try to park as close as possible to the store because walking a little ways might kill them. Hold up cars behind them waiting for space to open.

I'm a baby boomer riding motor bikes since I was 12 years old driving tractor. Got my license 15 birthday. Two wheel junkie all my life. Manual transmissions hot rod Honda

 

[Naftoor]

i lived in nyc. east village, greenpoint and boerum hill. why anyone would drive beats me.

.

I live in what could dubiously called the far outskirts of the Washington dc ‘burbs. I literally could not walk to a grocery store without crossing a 4 lane highway, walking halfway along its length, then having to cross it again when the sidewalk disappears halfway along its length with no crossings except at the terminal points. You either jaywalk across a super busy bit of highway and pray you succeed at playing frogger, or bushwhack, go through peoples front yards and skirt ditches. Bus schedule is essentially hourly, so if you need to make a quick stop for a single ingredient you either dedicate 1.5 hours for the buses, or you walk 4.4 miles round trip with half of it the aforementioned off roading. Cars are sadly a necessity here.


I spent the better part of a week in NYC in December, and that was amazing, the metro is super cheap, fast, reliable and frequent and there are stops EVERYWHERE, and it runs 24/7. I would seriously consider going carless with a system like that. Also driving in nyc is awful, Times Square in particular was awful for someone with astigmatism

 

[DitmasPork]

Well this is unpopular there are too many darn cars. Rush hour is over 3 now. Cars lined up bumper to Bumper creaping along. Never had to deal with that working 3-11 shift. Now retired. People try to park as close as possible to the store because walking a little ways might kill them. Hold up cars behind them waiting for space to open.

I'm a baby boomer riding motor bikes since I was 12 years old driving tractor. Got my license 15 birthday. Two wheel junkie all my life. Manual transmissions hot rod Honda

Agree. Kalanianaʻole Hwy near my parent's gets snarled everyday during the rush. I'm a fan of the new Skyline Metro, a step in the right direction, albeit over budget, taking forever to complete—but my opinion is totally unpopular with my friends/family in the islands, no one seems to want to give up their gas guzzling cars.

 

[DitmasPork]

I live in what could dubiously called the far outskirts of the Washington dc ‘burbs. I literally could not walk to a grocery store without crossing a 4 lane highway, walking halfway along its length, then having to cross it again when the sidewalk disappears halfway along its length with no crossings except at the terminal points. You either jaywalk across a super busy bit of highway and pray you succeed at playing frogger, or bushwhack, go through peoples front yards and skirt ditches. Bus schedule is essentially hourly, so if you need to make a quick stop for a single ingredient you either dedicate 1.5 hours for the buses, or you walk 4.4 miles round trip with half of it the aforementioned off roading. Cars are sadly a necessity here.


I spent the better part of a week in NYC in December, and that was amazing, the metro is super cheap, fast, reliable and frequent and there are stops EVERYWHERE, and it runs 24/7. I would seriously consider going carless with a system like that. Also driving in nyc is awful, Times Square in particular was awful for someone with astigmatism

 

[Keithpaints]

View attachment 304566

 

[Keithpaints]

"You Takin to me"

 

[Keithpaints]

My buddy Richard walks everywhere. We both like the hiking club. We surfed younger days always active. Walked from
back of Pauoa valley to Spectrum at Ala Moana today. Trades blowing met people talked story. Waiting for help socialized with people at Spectrum. The only 5G provider back of Pauoa. Had to upgrade my phone

We walk to Chinatown together both live in Pauoa Valley walk back up hill to get home. The more we walk think nothing of putting in 8 to 10 miles. Thousands of cars 9 out of 10 one person in vehicle.
Admit that as Nafloor posted many places are so car dependent infrastructure not for pedestrians at all. Suburbs need cars. Living in city you don't. Hominid Homo Erectus walked & inhabited much of the planet one million years ago. Had ability to make fire & use hand axes. Us Homo Sapians populated rest of the Planet.
Long distance walkers able to sweat.

Often we drive to distant parts of Island
to get to trails. Always opposite the flow of traffic jams people going to work bumper to bumper hardly moving at all.
Can anyone else see the insanity of that esp. on an Island in middle of Pacific.
As home base for 55 years on Oahu number of cars on island has hugely increased. Kalihi is example. 3 generations in monster homes, many no yards paved over for cars. Janice antie was at eldery home care after broke her hip at 95 years old. Care home was one of Janice Nurse friends made more money in elder care. Her husband cooked the meals. When we got antie for new years party drove to end of street could not find parking a dirt road led to a field with about
100 cars parked in it. FULL. Husband called on cell phone two people had to move cars at house so we could pick up antie. After we drove out they reparked in their spots. At least they were organized.

 

[sumis]

there are of course places and environments where walking is less of an option. but the fact that some urban (or even densely populated) environments, in usa, are deliberately designed (or non-designed) to make walking difficult or impossible says something about something.

.

 

[Keithpaints]

Singapore is example of good planning. Saw that lots of cars was not an option in a city state and major shipping port. Transit is excellent. City is designed to be walking friendly. Many mini parks some with exercise equipment. Amazing architecture raised walking paths. The Airport is one of best anywhere.

 

[spaceconvoy]

carcels should be sent to reeducation camps

 

[robzilla]

Re traffic… Indonesia FTW?

 

[DitmasPork]

State with the Worst Drivers is TEXAS, according to Forbes Mag. Second worst is Louisiana, followed by Kansas, Oklahoma, and Kentucky.

FWIW, Texas and Louisiana are in my Top Five Best Food in the USA List, ...Oklahoma the most hyped burgers.

 

[onasram]

Been quite a few years since I've been to NYC (and I'm not in the core of Toronto very often). I can only imagine.

I have been on the road cycling in quite a few years, but when I was in that space, there was a number of groups that I know were a-holes. There was a weekly ride that was called the donut ride (based on where they started). They took the attitude that the group was big enough they could do whatever they wanted. Even as a cyclist it pissed me off.

I'm a frequent pedestrian. I walk for pleasure and also to shop, see doctors, pick up stuff at the cleaners--all the sort of stuff many people pay delivery service for. And I'm walking every day, often for two miles or more. I find cars much easier to deal with. Traffic keeps their speed down. They're more predictable. And unlike cyclists, they don't drive on sidewalks, into lobbies, on subway platforms. Most pay at least some attention to pedestrians and other drivers. Cyclists operating rule seems to b "get out of my way." They should be hunted for sport.

 

[Michi]

Cyclists operating rule seems to b "get out of my way." They should be hunted for sport.

Sounds like you are not a cyclist. If you were, I'm sure you'd be less inclined to consider cars more harmless than bicycles…

 

[sumis]

gas is way too cheap. yup.

.

 

[MarcelNL]

As young adult I lived in Amsterdam riding my bike in typical 'Amsterdam style' (which a.o. means traffic lights do not exist)....when I started driving lessons it became clear to me how silly that is...
In the NL cyclist have special protection of law, as 'sensitive road user' effectively making them financially immune to the effects of largely self inflicted harm.

cyclist should indeed have mandatory licence plates and insurance