daven1986

So my girlfriend and her friend came to the conclusion that cycling is selfish because they saw a bus full of people have to slow down behind a cyclist in the bus lane (cyclists are allowed to use bus lanes).

Now perhaps this could be considered slightly selfish behaviour, but I love how society has completely forgotten about how selfish driving is. No one comments on how all the cars are holding up loads of people in a bus. No one comments how there is usually only 1 person in a huge car.

Just another reason we need to move society away from being car-centric. If we could do this then maybe people will realise how selfish they have all been, driving their cars and taking up space, oil and polluting the atmosphere.

Daven

Retro Grouch 

There's roughly 6 billion people in the world and every one of them has their own agenda. You're never going to make everyone happy. Some sage legislative body (surely not all of them cyclists) determined that allowing cyclists to use the bus lane was best for society. I think that it's pretty arrogant and self-centered of your girlfriend to think she's smarter than them.

daven1986

To be honest, most people are smarter than those in the Government in the UK.

icebiker76

Her concept of selfishness is a little *** backward. Not allowing multiple types of users on the road, due to occasional inconvenience, would be selfish.

"A red rose is not selfish because it wants to be a red rose. It would be horribly selfish if it wanted all the other flowers in the garden to be both red and roses." -oscar wilde (i think)

daven1986

True icebiker, and that is the point I am trying to raise here. That non-cyclists sometimes have a view that cycling is selfish - even though driving is more selfish. Just illustrating something else we have to defeat in our quest to get cycling recognised as a "normal" form of transport.

This should not be taken as an opportunity to be rude about my girlfriend, I'm sure many motorists have this view.

Rogue Leader

Cycling is selfish********** Has she driven a car lately?

From speed demon in his BMW tearing through traffic at 100 MPH to "dad" or "grand dad" in his anonymous Toyota Camry or Honda Accord going 20 mph below the speed limit because thats the speed HE feels everyone should go and HE knows best for everyone, to the greenie in the Toyota Prius "hypermilling" in the left lane of the freeway ****ing up everyone else's commute.

I'm sure a keen bus driver can find his way around a Cyclist, as well I would hope most cyclists have the courtesy to allow the bus through. Yeah you probably get an occasional prick who won't but at least In my experience with cyclists and bus lanes, and road lanes as well I just don't see this as being a large problem? Is it really?

Retro Grouch 

Yeah, we say that over here too. However, over an extended period of time, The American Government always does the right thing - after they've tried everything else. Winston Churchill said that.

AdamDZ

Yes, cycling is selfish as heck: you're on a bike getting a workout, enjoying yourself, having fun, skipping traffic jams while everybody is else is miserable sweating packed on a smelly bus or subway train.

Adam

daven1986

Exactly, however because everyone sees a car as a right / a necessity they don't see the selfishness in that.

wabbit

It's like when people say you're selfish because you don't want kids. Yeah...as opposed to stupid teenagers who get pregnant or women who oops to trap men into marriage? LOL

travelmama

Your gal pals are absolutely right. Cycling is selfish because it is all about the one or two persons on the bike. Not much about anyone else except those who are trying to run us off the road. The same argument can apply to those who take the bus to go two blocks up the road. They probably take up a seat that can go to one in need. Or, one who gets in the car to go up the street to get a beer rather than walking. That too is selfish. No matter how one looks at the things others do, we are all selfish in one way or another.

+10,000

longbeachgary

So, your ex-girlfriend thinks cyclists are selfish? I hope you set her straight.

stapfam

I'll agree with the girlfriend. Cyclists think they have a right to be on the road. Never mind that in "London" or any other city in the UK - it is probably the fastest and most economic form of transport over 5 miles that there is. Probably over 10 miles to be honest. It is less polluting than any other transport so is probably helping to cut down on the noxious gases that are killing all city users over time. They are doing nothing to help the health insurance companies as they are keeping in better shape than most of the population and just think how much the petroleum comapanies and and car manufacturers are losing with cyclists sticking to their rights and using the roads and stopping your girlfriend from getting to work 10 seconds earlier.

hotbike

Busses? I watch my rear-view mirror and get out of the way of busses. Busses are a lot wider than private autos. I've gotten the heck scared out of me a couple of times, and now days I just pull up on the sidewalk and let the bus go by.
Yes, holding up a bus with 50 or 60 people onboard is selfish, and a good way to get yourself killed.

Garfield Cat

Even though I might have the right of way, I would still consider the circumstances. In traffic, its about courtesy too. As cyclists we have learned to some degree to ride defensively. If it means the bus can go ahead of me, then by all means. To me, it would be a judgment call, case by case.

If I had the attitude that I had the absolute right to take up my lane, I might miss the big picture.

AdamDZ

Yes, on a serious note: I get out of buses way for the above reasons. Also, I don't like to make anyone's job more difficult, I bet driving that behemoth in city traffic isn't all fun all the time.

Adam

VeloBusDriver

Even though I'm a regular cyclist, navigating around cyclists in *MY* bus lane can be irritating. Cyclists seem to have a knack for putting themselves between my bus and the next bus zone that a passenger wants. That said, it's a purely emotional response. When I actually pay attention to the amount of time that I am delayed by cyclists, it *rarely* approaches a minute. Since I'm regularly late on my run for many other reasons, a single minute is hardly worth getting into a fuss over. I've actually taken to running interference for cyclists when it makes sense. No bozo is going to pass that cyclist in an unsafe way with my bus in his way.

I've come to conclude that when humans are driving a vehicle, whether it's a car or a 40,000 lb bus, we want to get where we are going *NOW*. Getting that impulse under control is the key to safe and relatively stress-free driving, especially when there are cyclists around. Sadly, our car-crazy culture isn't very good at acknowledging this speed impulse, other than to encourage it. (Insert reference to sexy car commercials with people driving faster than they should).

DieselDan

Warning: your girlfriend is agreeing with Jermey Clarkson.

DX-MAN

You need a new gf -- unless she provides incomparable humming............. then I'd just tell her (afterwards, of course), that she's fulla sh**.

mr geeker

I agree with her. cycling is selfish. especialy since it keeps car companies from selling that extra car or the gas station from selling more petrolium based fuel. and the bell is quite annying to pedestians.

Jeff Wills

Maybe Jeremy Clarkson is putting the make on his girlfriend.

(FWIW: Top Gear is pretty cool. Who else would drag race a Bugatti Veyron and a Eurofighter jet? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7NZ9X9A2efA )

Artkansas 

Never met a man who set his ex-girlfriend straight.

Robert Foster

Truthfully we give ourselves far too much credit if we believe most motorists even think about us enough to think we are selfish. I have attended far too many public meetings and listen to too many traffic and parking planning commission meeting to believe the other 90 something percent of the public worries for the most part if a cyclist holds up a bus. However if you ask for a bike lane and it cuts down on parking in front of a few businesses downtown they will decide we aren’t worth thinking about at all.
Most people I talk to think we are cute, eccentric, energetic or strange. They will also feel sorry for you when it is 95-100 degrees outside and they are enclosed in an air conditioned car, bus or truck. Still very few people think we are selfish.
To me the only selfish cyclists I know ride on the wrong side of the street on the side walk rather than cross over the extra 80 to 100 feet to ride on the right side. Then only those of us who do ride on the right side might feel that way.

colleen c

Have she seen how many people use bicycle in the Asian world? Ok, now let's take all cyclist in the world and put each one in a car. That bus probably will go no where faster than the speed it was following the cyclist.

I'll bet she will start commuting in a bike very soon.

|3iker

I think anything that is designed to satisfy one person is selfish. Therefore cycling being able to carry one person is selfish. However cycling is low-carbon footprint. A bus however carries more people to various destinations! Ergo, there should be a cyclo-bus where everyone pedals!
How brilliant of an idea!!!!