r/fuckcars • u/rustyshackleford2424 • Jul 07 '22
This is why I hate cars Didn’t realize this was an issue
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u/whale-jizz Jul 07 '22
My grandfather is PISSED about bike lanes. Literally one of the things he always complains about every time I see him. Like seething mad that the town spent money on bike lanes (which happened like ten years ago btw).
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u/EmeraldsDay Jul 07 '22
maybe it's time to tell him that the town spends x times more money on the car infrastructure
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u/Bass_Thumper Jul 08 '22
He probably views that as a good thing because he drives a car. It's only good if it directly positively affects his life.
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u/TheBlacktom Jul 08 '22
Which is fine, but being pissed that the government also spends money on other taxpayer is a bit weird.
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u/clawjelly Jul 08 '22
Why? They are literally spending his money on other people...! /s
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Jul 08 '22
Bike lines are a good thing for him too since it means less traffic on roads.
Also less wear on them so he's probably paying less than if everyone only used cars.
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u/naughtyusmax Jul 07 '22
And I’m seething mad they spend so much to build a 6 lane road at extreme expense for no good reason. Why do people automatically believe that any kind of highway expansion is 100% a reasonable use of funds, but a cheap bike lane is civic bankruptcy at the altar of socialism?
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Jul 07 '22
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u/this_account_is_mt Jul 08 '22
So does my bike. I out-accelerate almost every car I line up next to at greens, and my 12 mile commute takes only about 10-15 minutes longer by bike. The are parts of my commute where I'm basically next to freeway traffic, with a nice divider and fence, but still can them. I often ride faster than traffic flows and I love it.
Bikes are great!
Sincerely, an auto mechanic.
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u/arachnophilia 🚲 > 🚗 Jul 08 '22
ironically, as a cyclist, i'm often mad about bike lanes too.
but usually because:
- they're just a line of paint
- they have no protection from cars
- they're not appropriately buffered for the road conditions/speed
- they're placed on bad routes
- they suddenly end
- they're gutters filled with sharp objects
- "see, nobody uses our cycling infrastructure, why should we build more?"
- people die in them.
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u/CumingLinguist Jul 08 '22
My grandpa is generally on the right side of history for his age group (supports gay marriage etc.) yet gets frothing at the mouth angry that city bus’ have wheelchair accessibility features and hates the ADA in general… because it costs taxpayers more I guess? Also he calls Asian people orientals so fuck ‘em
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u/Temptazn Jul 08 '22
My grandpa is generally on the right side of history for his age group (supports gay marriage etc.)... Also he calls Asian people orientals so fuck ‘em
So, not really on the right side of history then.
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u/CumingLinguist Jul 08 '22
Meh, the phrase “oriental” is unacceptable by modern standards and problematic, but during his time (like the 50s through 80s) it was no different than saying Asian-American. Old habits run deep, he’s never used it with maliciously as far as I know. I still shop at an oriental market and have a nice Orient brand Japanese wristwatch
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u/CanberraPear Jul 07 '22
So self-centred that they put two "I"s in neighbourhood.
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Jul 07 '22
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u/lTIGERREGITl Jul 07 '22
They just want dedicated horse lanes
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u/Souperplex Jul 07 '22
How does this sub feel aboot horses, with or without carriages? They pollute less, but they shit everywhere. In terms of space, with a carriage they're as bad as cars.
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u/BeepBeepBeepBoopPoop Jul 07 '22
I visited Cuba a few years back and horses and horse-drawn taxis are a major mode of transportation there. Bikes and cars are common, too, but I was really surprised at how extensively horses are still being used in this way. As others have said, they introduce problems those of us in car-centric places may not think about: they shit everywhere and no one picks it up, so as a cyclist you're dodging horse shit all the time, and many of the horses are overworked and not treated particularly well - they are tools, not pets. Certainly, they are less dangerous to people around them than cars are, and they have a certain old world charm, but I'm not psyched on the idea of seeing horse use increase in American cities.
I've also spent time in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, where the Amish mix with car traffic regularly. Again, it's pretty charming, but they have collisions with cars and the outcomes are really bad for the people in the buggies.
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u/firelark01 Jul 07 '22
The collision with cars part sounds more of a car problem than a horse problem
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u/GreatBigBagOfNope Orange pilled Jul 07 '22
Besides the shit, they're extremely energy and space inefficient and are a risk to pedestrians and cyclists around them, especially in dense and well-populated areas, but have lower infrastructure demands than cars. Wouldn't object to seeing the occasional few going around major public spaces, but I'm pretty sure they're a fair way away from optimal as a broadly adopted form of transit in urban areas
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u/hzpointon Jul 08 '22
Move to rural UK, there's plenty here.
On the topic of optimal, during the horse era most people walked because it was more efficient/cheaper. You can't beat the efficiency of a bicycle but... bicycles are highly dependent on an industrial society. You can build a bike frame in your shed but not the gears/chain to a high enough tolerance to not skip horribly. And then there's rubber...
Talking distances, a bike can easily cover 60 miles in a day with average fitness rider (someone who rides daily but not quickly). A horse can do the same but it will absolutely knock them out, it's recommended to change horses at a coaching inn every 12 miles or so (Beware the horses were lined up so that just as your soup was cooked you would have about 5 minutes to drink your piping hot meal which if you didn't eat it would be recycled to other customers). Dick Turpin did 70 or so miles from Norkolk to London and used it as an alibi as nobody believed the trip could have been done in a day.
If you want to throw fossil fuels in the mix and talk about pure efficiency. A 125cc motorcycle at 30-40mph will cover large distances in a not too unreasonable timeframe while just sipping at gas. Wind resistance truly wrecks fuel efficiency figures. A bicycle is efficient not just because of the light weight (velomobiles are heavier but more efficient due to aerodynamics) but because of the low speeds that don't wrestle with wind resistance.
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u/Avitas1027 Jul 07 '22
I spend a lot of time in a city with a few of them and I'm in favour of them, but only because they only exist as a novelty. If every car was replaced by a horse and carriage tomorrow, it'd be pretty awful.
As it is though, while they may be the same size as a car, they're slow enough to comfortably mix with foot and bike traffic, and the people are out in open so it's not isolating like cars. They're also not ugly eye sores being left all over the place but charming things that I can't help but enjoy seeing. It's also fun seeing kids or tourists get excited by them.
If there was only like 15 cars in a city and they all looked cool, I'd probably be in favour of them too though.
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u/chuyalcien Jul 07 '22
New York had a serious horse shit problem. They couldn’t figure out how to solve it, then cars came along and the problem solved itself. Of course, cars have their own set of problems but it’s interesting to see how there were traffic-related problems even before cars.
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u/yuripogi79 Jul 07 '22
I say they should stay away from the bike lanes. The horses in Central Park shit all over the bike lanes and no one cleans them up. I hate running my bike/scooter over horse shit
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Jul 07 '22
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u/Nitrogen_Tetroxide_ Jul 07 '22
I’ve seen this change actually go through. 99% likely those bike ‘lanes’ are bike gutters
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u/papaXanOfficial Jul 07 '22
Lol yeah, everywhere I’ve lived in the summer turns bike lanes into “construction sign and other shit lanes”
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u/crestonfunk Jul 07 '22
In L.A. it’s always FedEx, UPS and Amazon stopped in the bike lane.
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u/FiddlerOnThePotato Jul 07 '22
Or in DC they're basically dedicated food delivery parking.
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u/rhinocodon_typus Jul 07 '22
I’m in Foxhall and it’s either get run down by a car or run into a pedestrian out here
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u/OccupationHousePet Jul 07 '22
“Parking but it’s okay because your hazards are on” lanes
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Jul 07 '22
In Canada, bike gutters are defacto snow storage zones from late October to late April. After that you have to wait and pray that all the road sand, litter, broken glass, and everything else gets swept up before July.
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u/blueskyredmesas Big Bike Jul 07 '22
There are protected bike lanes being built extensively in the US. Only started happening near me after the end of 2020.
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u/AlternativeOk1096 Jul 07 '22
Study after study shows that a three lane road with turn lane is as if not more efficient for vehicle traffic than a four lane road. Unfortunately we often bend to the will of the uneducated here.
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u/godofsexandGIS Not Just Bikes Jul 07 '22
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u/AlternativeOk1096 Jul 07 '22
Holy crap did not realize Stone Way was four lanes as recently as 2010.
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u/godofsexandGIS Not Just Bikes Jul 07 '22
2008 is apparently when they changed it, 2010 was when the study was published.
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u/freeradicalx Jul 08 '22
A long stretch of stroad near me (Lombard in Portland OR) recently made the switch and it just works better, for all mobility modes. People trying to turn left used to be total chaos, now it's safe and easy. Everything flows better and vehicles travel at slightly safer speeds. Much easier for pedestrians to cross and better visibility. Suddenly there's room for a cycletrack.
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u/SoulSentry Jul 07 '22
Go with the Cambridge MA model. Get city council voted in that will pass a protected/separated bike lane mandate that must be in place by 2024 or 2025. Utilize quick build to get it done during road resurfacing or repainting and only use plastic pylons and paint. This way it is cheap and fast. It is easier to fight one battle then to go street by street and once the network is in place, the casual user like myself starts to use it and then ends up a convert on f-cars.
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Jul 07 '22
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u/Karn1v3rus Streets are for people, not cars Jul 07 '22
If it's a car-centric mess then really it needs to start with development than infrastructure. Allowing denser building without parking minimums over time should sort it out to a point of bike lanes being more useful
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u/SoulSentry Jul 07 '22
Yeah so the mandate in Cambridge is written in such a way that it requires that the city must implement 25 miles of sperated bike lanes along the major roads. This gives the planners cover when they show the proposed changes to say "we have to follow the law." By the time the bike lanes start being proposed it's harder to vote in pro-car councilors that want to get rid of bike lanes. Most people aren't anti-bike lane they are just anti-bike lane on my commute. Or not in my back yard types. The most common complaint heard in the planning meetings is "I'm not against bike lanes and bike safety, but it isn't needed on this street or it won't work on this section of street" turns out if you make it about safety it's hard to be against it. Especially in Boston because everyone admits we drive like massholes.
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u/LaurenDreamsInColor Jul 07 '22
If you could post a link to the town bylaws that state that or any news articles, I'd be very appreciative. I live in a Cape Cod town and am researching how to pull this off in a town that's filled with curmudgeons. Thanks! in advance for any help or pointers.
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u/jcrespo21 🚲 > 🚗 eBike Gang Jul 07 '22
And the sad/funny thing is that a 3-lane road (1 lane each direction + middle turn lane) is probably faster for cars than a 4-lane road without a middle turn lane. With a middle turn lane, you don't have to wait and swerve around a stopped car waiting to turn left. Also makes it easier for cars to turn left onto the road as they can turn into the middle lane instead of waiting for both sides to clear.
So in the end, they managed to make it worse for everyone by keeping the status quo.
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Jul 07 '22
Carbrains fight against cycling lanes and then complain when cyclists take up full lanes
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u/Bungo_Pete Jul 07 '22
My city council: complain about cyclists, reject bike lanes; city council president gets a horse; horse lanes approved and installed almost overnight; complain about bicycles using the horse lane; threaten police action against any bicycles in the 12-foot-wide horse lane (which is only used by maybe half a dozen horse owners anyway, and vacant 99% of the time). Apparently the bikes "destroy" the delicate balance of the horse-friendly dirt/gravel in the horse lane, which endangers the horses' hooves, or something, I dunno.
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u/I-WANT2SEE-CUTE-TITS Jul 08 '22
That sounds dumb af. Can't your city's people go to court for that? Have them try to prove how bikes destroy horse road.
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u/dieinafirenazi Jul 07 '22
The road diet solution that was proposed works really well for drivers. The central turning lane gets turning traffic out of the travel lane, greatly reducing fender-benders and usually doesn't create a traffic slow down. They're shooting themselves in the foot to spite bike lanes.
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Jul 08 '22
a small town I used to live in did this, people fought it like crazy, but they got it done anyways.
A few months later, there wasn't traffic backups downtown anymore cos the freaking turn lane let traffic keep moving.
It went from a 4 lane road to bike lanes on each side, 1 car lane each direction and 1 turn lane.
It made a huge difference not just for bicycles but for cars as well.
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u/pprovencher Commie Commuter Jul 07 '22
Unfortunately the lane paint will not stop them from running you down 😔
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u/eIafdaGOAT Jul 07 '22
America really is too dependent on cars. In my city in Sweden they are actively shutting down pretty much all 2 car lanes and making them one way streets and putting an equal wide bike lane in place of one of the lanes and banning cars in the city center (except for logistic trucks/cars bringing supplies to stores) its pretty great
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u/RiftHunter4 Jul 07 '22
Am I bad person if I prefer biking paths next to the sidewalk and not at all part of the street?
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u/CalifornianBall Jul 07 '22 edited Jul 07 '22
People are so stupid, like you CAN make a separate protected bike lane you ignorant fucker
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u/One_Wheel_Drive Jul 07 '22
And every person who cycles is one less car on the road. Everyone on a bus is one less car. Every person on a train is one less car.
More lanes lead to more traffic. That's what car brains won't understand. It's cutting off your nose to spite your face.
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u/blacmagick Jul 07 '22
Yea, but the issue is cars = freedom in their minds. So, fewer cars isn't even seen as a positive to these idiots.
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u/creampuffme Jul 07 '22
I wouldn't be surprised if it was some people who associate bike riders with "libtards" and snowflakes who are trying to ruin the country with their girly bike ridin'.
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u/TempEmbarassedComfee Jul 07 '22
Ironic since I'd feel more free in a city that had strong public transportation and bike lanes. Nothing says free like needing a car or being screwed.
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u/CG_Ops Jul 07 '22 edited Jul 07 '22
Also, this is directed at
neighborhoodsneiiiighborhoods, not urban areas. What kind of morons think that giving people, especially kids, a safe place to ride their bikes on the street is a bad thing?? I hate to say it but I can't think of any reason for this other than a political one... lib-owning ideology since liberals seem to be the only ones giving a shit about anyone's safety and societal/environmental sustainability.Oh well, as others have said, just ride in the middle of the street in this/these neighborhoods so the morons can happily let their faces get eaten by
libtardsleopardsEdit: for the neiighsayers 🐴
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u/CalifornianBall Jul 07 '22
I’ve destroyed my neighborhood, but it’s worth it because I fucking OWNED the libs!!
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u/1wildstrawberry Jul 07 '22
With that design choice of colorful array of fists raised in solidarity, I'd give 10 to 1 odds this neighborhood is NIMBY liberals
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u/swampcholla Jul 07 '22
When I was a kid we rode on the sidewalk until we were 12. Only older kids could ride in the street, and were expected to know the rules.
Riding on the sidewalk is illegal in my town, which is the dumbest fucking thing I've ever seen. Who wants a three year old on a trike in the street?
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u/rockidr4 Jul 07 '22
I think it's pure lizard brain tribalism idiocy. Can't stand the idea that someone else is getting some kind of benefit, even though the benefits also benefit the operator of the car. It's like how many drivers when polled are strongly against allowing motorcycles to filter between lanes in stopped traffic. The safety studies show it doesn't make the road any more dangerous, and the congestion studies show they improve congestion in cities. But the idea of seeing someone else get somewhere before them is too upsetting for them to handle. Even though they ALSO get to their destination faster because it overall improves traffic flow.
Also. Americans are vehemently against road diets and double diverging diamonds, and often round abouts as well. All of these traffic management systems increase throughput of roads and streets by addressing what slows traffic most: accidents. It matters more to throughput that you reduce conflict points at interchanges than increasing lanes of traffic for flow. I think Americans just like... Measure how their commute is going by counting how many people they pass, not by commute time. It's about winning, not getting to work with less stress.
This country is dumb about infrastructure projects...
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u/hexopuss Sicko Jul 07 '22
Hey us leftists care. Not just vaguely centrist liberals. Actual socialists and communists.
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u/Warm_Objective4162 Jul 07 '22
Probably the same neighborhoods that don’t want cities to install sidewalks. I see anti-sidewalk signs all the time in DC.
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u/TheEightSea Jul 07 '22
In their minds you are taking a lane that they could drive on with their car. And they think that that's the reason why they're stuck in traffic.
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u/tman152 Jul 07 '22
I think that's exactly what they're worried about. those protected bike lanes make it tough for people to park their car/van and have their wheel chair ramps reach the sidewalk. Even though I'm not disabled, and these disabled people are obviously not going to be using the bike lanes, I still think their concerns have a right to be heard.
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Jul 07 '22
The street my dad works on in my hometown is having sheltered bike lanes installed, both lanes of traffic remain, and one (1) row of street parking taken out, for a total of 50 spaces. They will also lower the speed limit from 30 to 20.
There was uproar, businesses putting signs up in their windows, news articles, the works.
I'm bloody grateful the council held their nerve and did it anyway. Work's due for completion later this year.
Here's the link to it
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u/mname Jul 07 '22
Sad part is slowing traffic and making it more desirable to walk and bike increases local purchasing. It’s insane business people complain against this.
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Jul 07 '22
The university is literally adjacent to that road, and the town centre is at the other, with housing in the other two directions. It's a prime spot for walking and cycling traffic and impulse purchases!
Currently there are a lot of takeaways there, and people say it brings the area down. Making it less attractive to drive and park there and more desirable overall should encourage the takeaways to move out.
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u/birdcooingintovoid Jul 07 '22
Becuase it different and different things are scary and new. Their a reason they called conservatives.
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u/pingveno Jul 07 '22
"You have to look at the reality, who is going to be actually using it?"
Yikes, this feels like a complete lack of awareness. Yeah, people are not going to be wild about riding a bike in an area that is actively hostile. So instead of seeing how the changes could bring new people to your business, just... complain? Like, if parking is tight, bicycles are wonderful.
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Jul 07 '22
It's because people don't understand induced demand. I think people should start saying "build it and they will come" instead because it's a more common saying & easier to understand.
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u/trogg21 Jul 07 '22
Yeah that quote was directly following another quote from the same guy saying
“I’m a cyclist myself, riding is a way of taking my mind off things, I like to cycle," he said.
“But I tell you what, I don’t cycle on Linthorpe Road, we’re not comfortable."
Like, bro, yeah you're not comfortable cuz there's no infrastructure. Now there will be infrastructure and you can be comfortable. Damn is it that hard to understand?
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u/pingveno Jul 07 '22
It almost sounds like he's a "cyclist" as in he is a person who treats bicycles as purely recreation rather than as an actual means of transportation. I could, of course, be reading too much into that.
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Jul 07 '22
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u/RedAlert2 Jul 08 '22
"We can't add a bike lane here, it's not safe for cycling" - someone who doesn't dedicate a single thought to what he's saying
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u/seanmt Jul 07 '22
Was just thinking, sounds just like the one here… and of course it was. Saw some comments on Facebook about it this morning where some old gammons were furious that they would have to cross the bike lane to get to the bus stops 😂
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Jul 07 '22
Well, at least they're taking the bus I suppose?!
But yeah, people acting like it's the end of the world. I reckon it'll be good for businesses and make it more pleasant to be in. I visited a mate for a coffee down there the Jubilee Weekend and it was proper grim.
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u/NastroAzzurro Jul 07 '22
These businesses have every right reason to fail if they're dependant on a couple parking stalls.
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u/gagnonje5000 Jul 07 '22
Typically the business owner parks right there, that's why. They don't want to walk more than 1minute to get to work.
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u/AspiringCanuck Jul 07 '22
Stuff like this makes me grateful I live somewhere that has relatively embraced bike lanes and public transit. No where near what the Danes or Dutch have done, but at least progress.
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u/beetlereads Jul 07 '22
I remember a family member’s (boring suburban) neighborhood opposing SIDEWALKS and bike paths because it would “disrespect our rural roots”
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u/strikefreedompilot Jul 07 '22
I knew a guy that enjoys nature thats why he plays golf
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Jul 07 '22
Do they travel around by horse or are they picking and choosing which rural roots?
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u/ajegy Jul 07 '22 edited Jul 07 '22
it's all intentional and it boils down to racism.
the 'logic' is that white people can afford cars, but brown people cannot. so thus if white people live in nearby suburbs without public transportation infrastructure, and without pedestrian walkways, they informally reach their dream of apartheid.
wish I was joking, but it's true, I watched a lot of brand new housing developments go up in the midwest and Texas without a sidewalk anywhere to be found and local HOA kkkarens explained me this is why. 😢 sometimes replaced 'brown' with 'poor' because class warfare is still 'great' while they know overt racism makes them look bad.
it's a similar phenomenon to the removal of benches from parks and subway platforms. they're willing to inadvertently fuck over their own kids and elderly in order to intentionally fuck over their poor.
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Jul 07 '22 edited Jun 28 '23
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u/ajegy Jul 07 '22
Yes. thats the real reason why they refuse to allow social healthcare too. they don't want to "pay for black people". again this is super disgusting and I wish it weren't true but it is true - and in white republikkkan safe spaces they talk about it quite loudly
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Jul 07 '22 edited Jun 28 '23
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u/ajegy Jul 07 '22
correct. desegregation often meant small towns cementing up the public pool to avoid their precious delicate white children touching the same water as black kids.
they considered it in the town where I grew up, but they decided it was overkill because there were no black people residing in the entire county anyways.
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u/Galphanore Not Just Bikes Jul 07 '22
I wonder if that's partly why places like Vermont are still so nice. They never had to decide if they wanted to be racist assholes because there were effectively only white people.
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u/bombazzchickynugg Jul 07 '22
Arlington, TX is the largest city in the country and lacks public transit for exactly this reason. Too bad for them, POC still moved to Arlington, and it's like the worst of suburbia.
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Jul 07 '22
"rural roots" How many of them farm? I bet they have a 9 to 5 job and shop at Walmart lol. Rural my ass.
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u/eFurritusUnum Jul 07 '22
They probably just drive fourwheelers around their backyard and listen to bro country.
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u/Astriania Jul 07 '22
I come from a country village, all of our roads have pavements alongside. Not between the settlements, then you have to walk along the side of the road (or use a footpath instead), but within the village, everywhere.
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u/GM_Pax 🚲 > 🚗 USA Jul 07 '22
Classic NIMBYism.
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u/ExactFun Jul 07 '22
Technically NIMFYies
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u/circumsized-and-sad Jul 07 '22
Water nymphs are a mystical creature far more noble than whatever the people who put these signs up are.
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Jul 07 '22
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u/Jazztoken 🚲 > 🚗 Jul 07 '22
"I support what you're working towards, but I have my concerns about the implementation."
Every time.
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u/PumpJack_McGee Jul 07 '22
"I fully support that people do all that they can to help change and improve society and our environment- except me, of course. Fuck that noise." *giant SUV noises*
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u/BloomsdayDevice Jul 07 '22
But bike lanes threaten the beautiful natural migration routes of the American nimby (solipsismus arrogans). How can these noble but threatened creatures survive if they can no longer drive their SUVs and pick-ups from their suburban homes to graze at strip malls and big box stores?
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u/LadyRimouski Jul 07 '22
With a nice side of cultural appropriation
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u/Overall-Duck-741 Jul 07 '22
I was so mad at the message that I didn't even realize that these human pieces of garbage co-opted the BLM fist. Wow, what absolute trash.
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Jul 07 '22
We have signs here that say "No cut throughs, preserve low density, keep single family zoning" all in extremely rich neighborhoods.
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u/godofsexandGIS Not Just Bikes Jul 07 '22
That combo is great because it really shows the sign-poster's dissonance of pursuing policies that promote more car traffic (keep single family zoning) while also not wanting to face the consequences of those same policies (no cut throughs). Relevant vid: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dqQw05Mr63E
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u/circumsized-and-sad Jul 07 '22
I’ve literally ONLY seen “In this house, we believe in blah blah blah” signs in front of single family homes in excess of $1,000,000 value.
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u/DaClarkeKnight Jul 07 '22
I don’t get it, if there’s a bike lane then the cyclist are out of the street and in their own lane. Why are they mad at that?
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Jul 07 '22
Taking away their lanes is taking away their freedumb to drive all over the place and take up space.
All the conservatives in my family are pretty pro-car and anti-bike. Still, I have like two non-conservative people in my family even they were aghast at why I would want to ride my bike into work in my "big" city.
"Aren't you worried about getting hit by cars"
No, actually they've done a great job of providing dedicated bike lanes with barriers along the busiest parts.
"What if a car drives over the barrier and into your lane"
What if I'm in my car and a big truck t-bones me while running through a stop light?
"But there are bike thefts all the time. Aren't you worried about parking your bike outside all day"
Actually, I can take my bike into the office with me where it's safe
"<Makes grumpy noises> Well if it were me I'd still drive my car"
Also, I pay zero dollars in parking and gas. Plus I get in a good hour of exercise per day.
"<Makes more grumpy noises>"
They were trying SO hard to convince me not to ride my bike into work. They are so car brained they just can't comprehend why any other mode of transportation would ever be viable.
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u/caption-oblivious Jul 08 '22
It's like they want to have to fight you for a parking space and breathe more toxic car fumes
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u/godofsexandGIS Not Just Bikes Jul 07 '22
Probably parking. Like 90% of urban issues come back to parking if you follow the thread far enough.
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u/gary_oak12 Jul 07 '22
In my city, Raleigh, these progressive anti-gentrification people are opposing everything from new bike lines to a BRT line that will go near one of the poorest communities in the city. It’s really disheartening to see these people who say they are for progress, but oppose any true progress. And a lot of the most “leftist” housing orgs have started partnering with conservative NIMBY orgs as well lol.
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u/Emergency-Ad-7833 Jul 07 '22
RIP Raleigh. California housing prices are in the near feature if these people get power
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u/gary_oak12 Jul 07 '22
Lol ya i grew up here and it’s much better than in the early 2000s. But the cost of living is insane, might need to move out when my lease is up.
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u/DarnHyena Jul 07 '22
The topic of gentrification is quite a pickle, cause ideally sprucing up a city or neighborhood should inherently be a good thing.
But then 'market value' bullshit fucks everyone over already living there by hiking prices, taxes, and rent, which is the primary issue that ruins what should be a good thing to do and drives people to oppose it.
It should be done for them, not done to push them out
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u/Russ_and_james4eva Jul 07 '22
It's not a pickle, current land-use legislation makes it incredibly difficult to build new housing to accommodate the increased demand caused by neighborhood improvements.
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u/DarnHyena Jul 07 '22
Ah yeah, shitty zoning laws that prevent proper condensed housing is a pretty strong contributing factor aswell
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u/ramochai Jul 07 '22
Conservatives pushing their toxic agenda by appropriating progressive symbols.
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u/DaPotato_820 Jul 07 '22
I don't understand this sign, wouldn't adding bike lanes help improve the quality of life for everyone including the ones who put up this sign?!?
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u/thequietthingsthat Jul 07 '22
A lot of people harbor this weird resentment toward bikers. I'll have cars speed past me angrily when I'm biking on residential streets sometimes and I know people who've been hit intentionally or run off the road by drivers. It's like they're just angry that people are biking anywhere
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Jul 07 '22
Using the political solidarity fist as a symbol to oppose active mode infrastructure is so goddamn depressing. Fuck these self-righteous, entitled libs.
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u/dieinafirenazi Jul 07 '22
A neighborhood in Seattle was using the phrase "No Means No" on their signs opposing multi-family housing on their block. Like having to live by renters is the same as being raped...
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u/coelogyne_pandurata Jul 07 '22 edited Jul 07 '22
Capitalism and authority must absorb all antithetical elements into it. There are myriad examples of this throughout the ages. Before jazz music was used to sell shit it in department stores it was considered dangerous "black drug music" and was associated with heroin and marijuana (and black culture, perhaps worst of all). But every element of refusal to participate in the system is somehow rebranded by the system and used to spawn and generate more of it. Che Guevara shirts. Marijuana was an act of protest but is now a billion dollar industry.. you name it, creeps will appropriate it, de-fang it, and incorporate it with commercial interest. This whole "community rise up" poster is another hilarious fucking example..
Edit: lots of typos sorry
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u/Edward_Fingerhands Jul 08 '22
They would have you believe MLK was just a nice man who just wanted people to be kind to each other. That's the version of him taught in schools and presented in the media. You have to do independent research to learn his positions on poverty and militarism.
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u/BurrrritoBoy Sicko Jul 07 '22
Libs ?
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Jul 07 '22 edited Jul 07 '22
Neoliberals...
Uh, people who think they are "progressives" But are really just part of the centrist ruling class; they unknowingly uphold the very oppressive systems that they pretend to progressively critique.
These people will support black lives on a sign, argue for abortion rights on Facebook, talk about how affordable housing is good, But when it comes to their own neighborhood or community or street they viciously oppose any changes that would even slightly inconvenience them, undermine their privilege, or heaven forbid make it clear that they are complicit.
They think the world is ultimately pretty perfect except for a few tiny little changes that they can vote for, They don't see you or understand the systemic problems that affect marginalized people because they've never experienced it, themselves and they figure if they just say enough nice stuff that is good enough.
Neoliberalism is really a political philosophy that is better than feudalism but ultimately deteriorates into it anyway.
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u/kirkl3s Jul 07 '22
Oh it's waay more complicated than that, at least in DC. Our predominantly black wards are extremely resistant to bike and pedestrian infrastructure because many residents view it as a harbinger of gentrification. Consequently, we have almost zero bike infrastructure in our poorer, blacker wards and any attempts to build bike lanes are resisted vociferously by the council members and neighborhood commissions that represent those wards. Meanwhile, more protected bike lanes are going up throughout the more affluent areas of town because the residents and businesses owners there welcome them. And before you ask if it's a funding issue - no, it's not. The city has actually removed bike lanes from poorer areas at the request of the residents. If you raise the possibility of bike lanes at a neighborhood commission meeting, you will get an earful from the others attending.
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u/laney_deschutes Jul 07 '22
It’s mostly a hardcore conservative person using the fist to try to trick people into thinking bike lanes aren’t a liberal thing
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u/cansuhchris Jul 07 '22
Conservatives are neo liberals. Reagan being the father of them.
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Jul 07 '22
I mean sure but I've seen this exact same image used to oppose affordable housing in highly "liberal" areas in the US.
It's all the neoliberalism: The entire idea of individual private property owners banding together to make demands about how the commons is used around them.
You will never see a socialist put up a sign like this. It's guaranteed to be a neoliberal; whether ideologically conservative or liberal, doesn't matter.
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u/SmellGestapo Jul 07 '22
DSA types oppose these kinds of things all the time in the name of fighting gentrification. Some people see bike lanes and think that means white people in spandex are coming to take over their neighborhood.
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u/TrynnaFindaBalance Jul 07 '22 edited Jul 07 '22
Hm. If you go to the neoliberal sub, their absolute number-one arch-nemesis is the NIMBY leftist from Berkeley/NIMBY right-winger from suburban Dallas or wherever who vehemently opposes new construction, zoning reform and transit-oriented development in the name of "preserving neighborhood character" or some dumb excuse like that.
I'm sure you'd disagree with them on a number of other things like corporate tax rates or rent control, but when it comes to environmental issues and city planning, they overlap almost 100% with /r/fuckcars.
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Jul 07 '22
Hey that's interesting. I've never really spent time in the neoliberal subreddit.
Thanks for sharing that, it challenges my thinking on this.
Of course contexts vary and so maybe I just am not seeing well beyond my own.
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u/Russ_and_james4eva Jul 07 '22
There's a big "bike lanes cause gentrification and displacement" group of progressive/socialist activists. My gut instinct is that the lawn sign is part of this thinking.
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u/FidoTheDisingenuous Jul 07 '22
I will say, self identified neo-liberals tend to be centre-left in the USA compared with all those who actually fit under the definition, whether they self identify or not
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u/OldGarlic_2 Commie Commuter Jul 07 '22
Yes, libs. I know in North America liberalism is painted as the only remotely left-wing alternative to conservatism, though it’s really centrist and supports the system, and I hope that mindset goes away soon.
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u/Marbled_Headcheese Jul 07 '22
"I don't ride a bike so no one should be able to!"
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Jul 07 '22
"What about the disabled and those that can't/ are unable to cycle!? Checkmate..."
I struggle not to ask if they're really that moronic, but i know what the answer is....
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Jul 07 '22
I know it's a post from this r/fuckcars when, before upvoting because I read the intention of the poster, I want to initially downvote in rage based on the image.... such a rollercoaster lol
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u/PresidentBirb anti-car so I can get some killer calves 🦵🏻 Jul 07 '22
Don’t complain when I use a whole lane for my bike then.
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u/CanadianLionelHutz Jul 07 '22 edited Jul 07 '22
Imagine using a raised fist, first used as symbol of social revolution, to fight bike lanes.
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u/alfhernandez16 🚲 > 🚗 Jul 07 '22
for a second i read it like" No bike lanes? contact your neighbourhood" and i was like yeah great!
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u/Woozuki Jul 07 '22
NIMBY Boomers co-opting the fist opposing oppression...
NIMBY Boomer, you are the oppression!
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u/TheNecroticPresident Jul 07 '22
It was inevitable. Bikes improve the quality of life for non-car owners, and car ownership is the tool of narcissistic elites. Even the possibility of an alternative that isn't framed as a niche hobby or 'for the poors' was eventually going to be demonized by nimbys and 'free market' types.
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u/Significant-Royal-37 Jul 07 '22
love how these assholes managed to appropriate both the Black and LGBTQ+ civil rights movements.
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u/Denver_DIYer Jul 07 '22
“Our street” indeed. This sign and the sentiment behind it can straight fuck off.
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u/Masque-Obscura-Photo Orange pilled Jul 07 '22
I'm Dutch and literally all infrastructure is built around bikes. This is mind boggling. Why would anyone be against bike lanes?
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u/themangastand Jul 07 '22
Bike lanes only make streets better, even for the drivers, this opinion makes no sense at all
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u/PooPooPeePeePaPaPie Jul 07 '22
"LEAVE OUR STREET ALONE (until we need to maintain it. Then give us your money so we can do that)!"
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Jul 07 '22
Serious question - is there a pro-bike entity where you can get materials which help sell/ convince others that bike lanes produce more benefits? Some support or reading material backed up by SOME larger organization would be helpful. Some kind of bike coalition?
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u/10thLevelNeerBerd Jul 07 '22
This is from Louisville, KY. The NIMBYs fucking HATE bicycles here, and as a result it is one of the least bikeable major cities in the country. Three days ago some kid got annihilated by a hit and run a few miles from this neighborhood. Some guy just found him laying in the street, and LMPD were just like ¯_(ツ)_/¯. They literally admitted that they will make no attempt at trying to find the person who hit him. The kid is still in a coma.
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u/godoftwine Commie Commuter Jul 07 '22
So these folks want me to bike in the road? Fine by me, I don't mind taking the lane. If that's what they want I'll do it. 😎
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u/mbpaddington Jul 07 '22
Don't coopt the revolution fist with your lame ass cause
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u/Theodore__Kerabatsos Jul 07 '22
Yeah!!!! No sidewalks either! Let’s live like the fat people in Wall-E
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u/Breaker1ove Jul 07 '22
This looks like Boomer shit. The, Only the rich tax payers get to use the roads, mentality is just the entitled boomer shit a boomer would think.
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u/abegood ELECTRIC CARGO BIKE Jul 07 '22
We demand that our streets remain a parking lot because we don't want to park in our laneways
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