Originally Posted by
wmb5m
this brings up something that i have been meaning to ask lately. don't mean to threadjack, but i think my question is justified.. if not, report my post!
do you all think a cyclist gains more "respect" while cycling on the road dressed up in a matching kit, decent helmet, bike, etc.. rather than in a t-shirt, cargo shorts, etc.?
this is, of course, assuming both types are obeying the laws of the road. keeping a line, signaling, etc... matter of fact, i'll even jump on the sidewalk for a bit if i've bonked and/or going slow up hills.
what do you think?
Where I live they do.
"Cyclists"(as in a cycling enthusiast) here are EXTREMELY rare (I haven't seen a single one while on the bike, 3 months+ now) but people riding bicycles is very common(lower class workers).
"Bicycle riders" wear no equipment and have no respect for any traffic laws, they never stop at red lights or signal. They just do whatever they want and generally piss everybody off. They ride on the sidewalk endangering pedestrians, also they try their best to always be riding the opposite way if on a street and cars generally have no respect for them.
"Cyclists" are usually fully-equipped and use lots of hand signals and always stop at red lights. They are always on the road itself not the side-walk and they never go the opposite way on a road. Cars switch lanes to pass cyclists.
You could argue it's because cyclists in the third-world are better educated and come from a higher social background than your typical bicycle rider, but all in all it's a matter of being respectful.