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I recently moved from the Bay Area to Seattle. I was looking forward to the move because I love cycling and Seattle was rated #1 in bike infrastructure last yea

I recently moved from the Bay Area to Seattle. I was looking forward to the move because I love cycling and Seattle was rated #1 in bike infrastructure last year [1]. While the infrastructure is indeed somewhat better than the BA, I was shocked by the widespread hate for cyclists everywhere in Seattle and surrounding areas. Getting honked at is a regular occurrence here, and people will actually stick their head out of their cars to make sure you hear the insults they are shouting at you, while simultaneously giving you the finger. It gets worse: a couple weeks ago somebody hiding behind some trees threw a rock at me while riding on the Burke Gilman trail. Fortunately they missed me. The rock (fist-sized) shattered a few feet in front of me on the trail pavement. The hate is incessant and I definitely understand why people don’t feel comfortable riding. [1] https://www.bicycling.com/culture/a23676188/best-bike-cities-2018/ https://www.bicycling.com/culture/a23676188/best-bike-cities...

draw_down 7y ago
In my experience, people online usually attempt to justify this type of behavior by retorting with anecdotes about cyclists' behavior.
EB66 7y ago
FWIW I've lived in Seattle for the past 13 years and I typically commute by bicycle a few times per week in the spring/summer from North Seattle into downtown. I've never had anything like that happen to me. I have however dealt with a lot of oblivious drivers nearly running me off the road. The new dedicated bike lanes with the reflective pylons are helping (especially the two-way barrier-protected bike lane on 2nd Ave of downtown), but there's still a lot more to improve.
zwkrt 7y ago
Seconding sibling comment that aggressive pedestrians or drivers has never been an issue for me biking in Seattle. The biggest reasons for me biking less than I could are weather (traction is an issue on hills) and not wanting to leave my bike around outside.
- EB66 7y ago
  Yeah theft is definitely an issue -- particularly at the light rail stations. I had my bike stolen in broad daylight underneath a security camera even while secured with a sizable cable lock. The responding SPD officer told me you need a beefy U-lock or it's going to get stolen eventually.
enjo 7y ago
I’ve noticed that in Denver that the more the bike infrastructure improves, the more people hate cyclists. Partly because cyclists often refuse to actually use the infrastructure instead riding on busy car laden streets one block over. Also because the bike infrastructure came at the cost of parking or lanes of traffic. I bike around the city every day and it’s definitely becoming more contentious.
- mertd 7y ago
  That's interesting. There must be a reason cyclists prefer the busy street over the said one. People are not that irrational. I have seen cases of "improved" cycling infrastructure, for instance, like adding an impractical bike lane someplace, where the real intent is to mop the cyclists out of the way of the motorists. I have bike commuted all over the US and almost all municipalities get this wrong. When building cycling infrastructure, optimize for the convenience of cyclists and not of motorists and people will use it.
- resonantjacket5 7y ago
  That means the bike Lanes were built on the wrong roads and the road they're using provide a direct route
eagsalazar2 7y ago
Regarding the cases where people in cars are yelling at you, are you riding slower than traffic in the car lane when this happens? Doing so defensively away from curb to avoid being door'ed but at the same time blocking cars from passing you? Not agreeing with drivers, just guessing as this does attract a lot of driver rage.
- eagsalazar2 7y ago
  Also fwiw, I rode daily all over Seattle for several years and had this happen to me exactly zero times. I've never met someone who, unprovoked, would yell at or menace a cyclist and have a hard time imagining someone who would except a rare crazy or 16yr old idiot trying to impress his friends. I have however talked to many people who are driven nuts by cyclists who obstruct traffic (in their opinion)
  - InitialLastName 7y ago
    FWI(still)W, from talking to cyclists in my area (NYC and surroundings) whether somebody gets yelled at depends on a lot more than how they're riding. As an example, the women I know who ride bicycles (just as competently) get menaced a lot more than the men.
- outerspace 7y ago
  Usually this happens on weekends when I go on long rides. Smaller roads without a bike lane are worse than bigger multi-lane ones. Places outside Seattle proper are the major offenders: Bellevue, Issaquah, Renton, Enumclaw, to name a few. Maybe it’s the fact that I’m wearing a cycling kit that ticks people off. My commute to work is usually uneventful, about 10 miles mostly on dedicated bike paths along with many other commuters. It’s a few miles longer than it should but it’s definitely the safest route to work.
  - eagsalazar2 7y ago
    No shoulder?
quotemstr 7y ago
I don't experience this hate at all. I'd consider myself more multi-modal than anything, and I do have a car. I do, however, use Lime bikes pretty often, and when I'm on one, I don't get any hate at all. I've never heard of anyone I know being jeered at, much less being pelted with rocks. I don't think the experience you describe is typical.
liability 7y ago
I don't commute by bike but I ride on the Burke Gilman trail fairly regularly and have never experienced any animosity whatsoever. It sounds like you had a freak encounter with a run of the mill wackjob. The city is full of them and the police are essentially worthless... My guess is that encounter probably had more to do with his mental problems than the fact that you were on a bike.
dang 7y ago
We detached this subthread from https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20793527 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20793527.

draw_down 7y ago

In my experience, people online usually attempt to justify this type of behavior by retorting with anecdotes about cyclists' behavior.

EB66 7y ago

FWIW I've lived in Seattle for the past 13 years and I typically commute by bicycle a few times per week in the spring/summer from North Seattle into downtown. I've never had anything like that happen to me. I have however dealt with a lot of oblivious drivers nearly running me off the road. The new dedicated bike lanes with the reflective pylons are helping (especially the two-way barrier-protected bike lane on 2nd Ave of downtown), but there's still a lot more to improve.

zwkrt 7y ago

Seconding sibling comment that aggressive pedestrians or drivers has never been an issue for me biking in Seattle. The biggest reasons for me biking less than I could are weather (traction is an issue on hills) and not wanting to leave my bike around outside.

EB66 7y ago
Yeah theft is definitely an issue -- particularly at the light rail stations. I had my bike stolen in broad daylight underneath a security camera even while secured with a sizable cable lock. The responding SPD officer told me you need a beefy U-lock or it's going to get stolen eventually.

enjo 7y ago

I’ve noticed that in Denver that the more the bike infrastructure improves, the more people hate cyclists. Partly because cyclists often refuse to actually use the infrastructure instead riding on busy car laden streets one block over. Also because the bike infrastructure came at the cost of parking or lanes of traffic. I bike around the city every day and it’s definitely becoming more contentious.

mertd 7y ago
That's interesting. There must be a reason cyclists prefer the busy street over the said one. People are not that irrational. I have seen cases of "improved" cycling infrastructure, for instance, like adding an impractical bike lane someplace, where the real intent is to mop the cyclists out of the way of the motorists. I have bike commuted all over the US and almost all municipalities get this wrong. When building cycling infrastructure, optimize for the convenience of cyclists and not of motorists and people will use it.
resonantjacket5 7y ago
That means the bike Lanes were built on the wrong roads and the road they're using provide a direct route

eagsalazar2 7y ago

Regarding the cases where people in cars are yelling at you, are you riding slower than traffic in the car lane when this happens? Doing so defensively away from curb to avoid being door'ed but at the same time blocking cars from passing you? Not agreeing with drivers, just guessing as this does attract a lot of driver rage.

eagsalazar2 7y ago
Also fwiw, I rode daily all over Seattle for several years and had this happen to me exactly zero times. I've never met someone who, unprovoked, would yell at or menace a cyclist and have a hard time imagining someone who would except a rare crazy or 16yr old idiot trying to impress his friends. I have however talked to many people who are driven nuts by cyclists who obstruct traffic (in their opinion)
- InitialLastName 7y ago
  FWI(still)W, from talking to cyclists in my area (NYC and surroundings) whether somebody gets yelled at depends on a lot more than how they're riding. As an example, the women I know who ride bicycles (just as competently) get menaced a lot more than the men.
outerspace 7y ago
Usually this happens on weekends when I go on long rides. Smaller roads without a bike lane are worse than bigger multi-lane ones. Places outside Seattle proper are the major offenders: Bellevue, Issaquah, Renton, Enumclaw, to name a few. Maybe it’s the fact that I’m wearing a cycling kit that ticks people off. My commute to work is usually uneventful, about 10 miles mostly on dedicated bike paths along with many other commuters. It’s a few miles longer than it should but it’s definitely the safest route to work.
- eagsalazar2 7y ago
  No shoulder?

quotemstr 7y ago

I don't experience this hate at all. I'd consider myself more multi-modal than anything, and I do have a car. I do, however, use Lime bikes pretty often, and when I'm on one, I don't get any hate at all. I've never heard of anyone I know being jeered at, much less being pelted with rocks. I don't think the experience you describe is typical.

liability 7y ago

I don't commute by bike but I ride on the Burke Gilman trail fairly regularly and have never experienced any animosity whatsoever. It sounds like you had a freak encounter with a run of the mill wackjob. The city is full of them and the police are essentially worthless... My guess is that encounter probably had more to do with his mental problems than the fact that you were on a bike.

dang 7y ago

We detached this subthread from https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20793527 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20793527.