Originally Posted by
surveyor
Every time someone makes a crack about "Hey, you made it to work alive again today!", I have to resist the temptation to smack them silly.
Despite multiple conversations in which I repeatedly pointed out that cycling is no more dangerous than driving when done correctly, people still see me as "that crazy guy who bikes to work".
Yep, just this morning the guy who has obviously gained about 20 pounds of extra @ss this year was calling me the Mad Biker, going on about how people on the road will just kill me and not care because I ride in the dark.
It's hard to argue that motorists care, but I planned a bike route that typically sees only two cars pass me during my hour-long ride to work in the morning, and I have lights. Of course, rationality has no effect.
Whether people are inspired to drive less is doubtful. But the more thoughtful people around me see what is possible.