Study Finds Cyclists Are Better People Than Drivers
10-27-23, 10:38 AM
#1
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2008
Location: Zang's Spur, CO
Posts: 9,083
Mentioned: 11 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3376 Post(s)
Liked 5,520 Times
in
2,862 Posts
Study Finds Cyclists Are Better People Than Drivers
Study Finds Cyclists Are Better People Than Drivers
Cyclists are more interested in the common good than drivers are, a study published in the Journal of Environmental Psychology found. The study used four factors to define the common good — political participation, social participation, neighborhood solidarity and neighborly helpfulness. And as it turns out, drivers are less interested in all four of those things.
The cited study:
Orientation towards the common good in cities: The role of individual urban mobility behavior
Cyclists are more interested in the common good than drivers are, a study published in the Journal of Environmental Psychology found. The study used four factors to define the common good — political participation, social participation, neighborhood solidarity and neighborly helpfulness. And as it turns out, drivers are less interested in all four of those things.
The cited study:
Orientation towards the common good in cities: The role of individual urban mobility behavior
Last edited by Shimagnolo; 10-27-23 at 10:43 AM.
Likes For Shimagnolo:
10-27-23, 11:00 AM
#2
Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Minneapolis
Posts: 5,752
Bikes: 2022 Salsa Beargrease Carbon Deore 11, 2020 Salsa Warbird GRX 600, 2020 Canyon Ultimate CF SLX disc 9.0 Di2, 2020 Catrike Eola, 2016 Masi cxgr, 2011, Felt F3 Ltd, 2010 Trek 2.1, 2009 KHS Flite 220
Mentioned: 20 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4393 Post(s)
Liked 3,016 Times
in
1,865 Posts
Maybe so. In Germany, anyway.
Unclear how "cyclists"are differentiated from "drivers". Particularly in Germany and other northern European countries, my personal observation is that the overlap is pretty great.
Unclear how "cyclists"are differentiated from "drivers". Particularly in Germany and other northern European countries, my personal observation is that the overlap is pretty great.
10-27-23, 01:13 PM
#3
Banned
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Mississauga/Toronto, Ontario canada
Posts: 8,721
Bikes: I have 3 singlespeed/fixed gear bikes
Mentioned: 30 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4227 Post(s)
Liked 2,488 Times
in
1,286 Posts
Large majority of cyclists own a vehicle and are also drivers. The study is flawed as are majority of studies...Also judging by how a lot of cyclists ride and behave on the roads and out in public I find it very hard to believe that they are better people with better values...Selfish, self-centered, above average sense of self importance and entitlement is how I would describe a lot of cyclists.
10-27-23, 01:54 PM
#4
Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Minneapolis
Posts: 5,752
Bikes: 2022 Salsa Beargrease Carbon Deore 11, 2020 Salsa Warbird GRX 600, 2020 Canyon Ultimate CF SLX disc 9.0 Di2, 2020 Catrike Eola, 2016 Masi cxgr, 2011, Felt F3 Ltd, 2010 Trek 2.1, 2009 KHS Flite 220
Mentioned: 20 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4393 Post(s)
Liked 3,016 Times
in
1,865 Posts
Large majority of cyclists own a vehicle and are also drivers. The study is flawed as are majority of studies...Also judging by how a lot of cyclists ride and behave on the roads and out in public I find it very hard to believe that they are better people with better values...Selfish, self-centered, above average sense of self importance and entitlement is how I would describe a lot of cyclists.
For example, perhaps the division was the person's main transportation method of going to work or school.
And for sure, anecdote and opinion are inferior methods of reaching objective conclusions.
10-27-23, 02:41 PM
#6
Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Portland, OR
Posts: 3,843
Bikes: Trek Domane SL6 Gen 3, Soma Fog Cutter, Focus Mares AL, Detroit Bikes Sparrow FG, Volae Team, Nimbus MUni
Mentioned: 11 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 896 Post(s)
Liked 2,065 Times
in
1,081 Posts
Large majority of cyclists own a vehicle and are also drivers. The study is flawed as are majority of studies...Also judging by how a lot of cyclists ride and behave on the roads and out in public I find it very hard to believe that they are better people with better values...Selfish, self-centered, above average sense of self importance and entitlement is how I would describe a lot of cyclists.
As far as finding truth, it's a deeply flawed process; the opposite of seeing the world through rose colored glasses but of the same ilk.
I've concluded that humans lack the emotional maturity to safely operate heavy machinery. But I could be wrong.
10-27-23, 03:59 PM
#7
20+mph Commuter
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Greenville. SC USA
Posts: 7,517
Bikes: Surly LHT, Surly Lowside, a folding bike, and a beater.
Mentioned: 31 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1434 Post(s)
Liked 331 Times
in
219 Posts
For instance, my two cats have been dead for over ten years yet I STILL see them out of the corner of my eyes inside the house. Of course, there is nothing there. My brain sees the cats because for 18 years they were actually there imprinting themselves in some neurons. Also, our eyes have blind spots where the optic nerve joins the back of our eyes. So we "see" things that aren't really there and miss things that are actually there. The faster we go the more imperfect we are.
10-27-23, 07:19 PM
#8
Along for the ride
Join Date: Dec 2022
Location: PNW US
Posts: 235
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 109 Post(s)
Liked 212 Times
in
107 Posts
From the abstract:
This rings true for me. I started cycling regularly about a year and a half ago and because I'm highly motivated by challenges such as wandrer.earth I've seen a lot of different parts of my local area. I don't know if my civic activities have really changed, but I definitely feel like my relationship with my city has. I *know* things about places now that I never did when had only moved through them by car.
Cycling is also characterized by the fact that cyclists interact directly with the spatial environment, because there is no passenger cell around them. Thus, not only urban but also topographical impressions are more immediate. Like pedestrians, cyclists are directly exposed to the terrain. Through direct interaction with the geographic and topographic environment (different road surfaces, hills and valleys, parks or play streets, etc.), bicyclists develop a rich and extensive cognitive “picture of the city” (Lynch, 1960).
Jungnickel and Aldred (2014) state that cyclists, especially in urban areas, directly experience the breadth of social diversity and cultural heterogeneity that make up urban life and cannot escape these impressions due to sensory density. This direct experience of the neighborhood environment leads to a stronger emotional bond between people and their neighborhood. This emotional attachment of people to their neighborhood is considered a mediator for civic activities (Stefaniak et al., 2017).
Jungnickel and Aldred (2014) state that cyclists, especially in urban areas, directly experience the breadth of social diversity and cultural heterogeneity that make up urban life and cannot escape these impressions due to sensory density. This direct experience of the neighborhood environment leads to a stronger emotional bond between people and their neighborhood. This emotional attachment of people to their neighborhood is considered a mediator for civic activities (Stefaniak et al., 2017).
10-27-23, 07:32 PM
#9
Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Minneapolis
Posts: 5,752
Bikes: 2022 Salsa Beargrease Carbon Deore 11, 2020 Salsa Warbird GRX 600, 2020 Canyon Ultimate CF SLX disc 9.0 Di2, 2020 Catrike Eola, 2016 Masi cxgr, 2011, Felt F3 Ltd, 2010 Trek 2.1, 2009 KHS Flite 220
Mentioned: 20 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4393 Post(s)
Liked 3,016 Times
in
1,865 Posts
I agree with some of this on a personal level and also in the abstract, but that doesn't convince me that the generalization holds.
For me, cycling is the one of the *human* ways to experience a city or a terrain. As a cyclist in the Twin Cities area for the last 15 years, I've come to know the contours and details of neighborhoods in ways that I did not know before at all. I lived in this area 10 years before I became a cyclist, and I was really ignorant of the human and physical geography around me.
But does being a cyclist make me a better, more generous and tolerant person? Or does it have that effect on cyclists in general? I'm not sure.
Just because the *reason* makes sense, doesn't make it true or create the evidence in favor of the hypothesis.
For me, cycling is the one of the *human* ways to experience a city or a terrain. As a cyclist in the Twin Cities area for the last 15 years, I've come to know the contours and details of neighborhoods in ways that I did not know before at all. I lived in this area 10 years before I became a cyclist, and I was really ignorant of the human and physical geography around me.
But does being a cyclist make me a better, more generous and tolerant person? Or does it have that effect on cyclists in general? I'm not sure.
Just because the *reason* makes sense, doesn't make it true or create the evidence in favor of the hypothesis.
Likes For MinnMan:
10-27-23, 09:25 PM
#10
Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: Tallahassee, FL
Posts: 4,811
Mentioned: 5 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1591 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1,020 Times
in
572 Posts
The study used four factors to define the common good — political participation, social participation, neighborhood solidarity and neighborly helpfulness.
I've got a problem with how they define "better people." I participate in society as little as possible, And I'm a better person for it.
I've got a problem with how they define "better people." I participate in society as little as possible, And I'm a better person for it.
Likes For jon c.:
10-27-23, 09:54 PM
#11
20+mph Commuter
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Greenville. SC USA
Posts: 7,517
Bikes: Surly LHT, Surly Lowside, a folding bike, and a beater.
Mentioned: 31 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1434 Post(s)
Liked 331 Times
in
219 Posts
I am certainly a better person while on my bike. Almost never having to stop for anything makes me a delightful person.
10-28-23, 04:58 AM
#13
For The Fun of It
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Louisissippi Coast
Posts: 5,852
Bikes: Lynskey GR300, Lynskey Backroad, Litespeed T6, Lynskey MT29, Burley Duet
Mentioned: 12 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2135 Post(s)
Liked 1,647 Times
in
829 Posts
From the abstract:
This rings true for me. I started cycling regularly about a year and a half ago and because I'm highly motivated by challenges such as wandrer.earth I've seen a lot of different parts of my local area. I don't know if my civic activities have really changed, but I definitely feel like my relationship with my city has. I *know* things about places now that I never did when had only moved through them by car.
This rings true for me. I started cycling regularly about a year and a half ago and because I'm highly motivated by challenges such as wandrer.earth I've seen a lot of different parts of my local area. I don't know if my civic activities have really changed, but I definitely feel like my relationship with my city has. I *know* things about places now that I never did when had only moved through them by car.
I would think that assumes a positive experience with the people and the neighborhood. There are places for which I have a distaste because of my cycling experiences.
Likes For Paul Barnard:
10-28-23, 05:49 AM
#14
Full Member
Join Date: Jul 2023
Location: "Driftless" WI
Posts: 387
Bikes: 1972 Motobecane Grand Record, 2022 Kona Dew+
Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 157 Post(s)
Liked 146 Times
in
107 Posts
Our eyes serve as the lenses of our human bio-optical system that ends up providing an interpretation of what our surroundings 'look like' in our brains. What we 'see' is not a fully reliable means for us to know what's out there, our brains fill in much of what we come to believe is real when in fact it's often a construct based more on prior experiences, to the point of often being influenced by what we may have had for breakfast.
Add the element of speed to the sensory input our eyes are sending 'upstream' to be interpreted then 'displayed' for us, the results are anything but a reliably 'true' picture of what's going on as we move along.
Likes For spclark:
10-28-23, 05:33 PM
#15
Half way there
Join Date: Sep 2015
Location: North Carolina
Posts: 2,957
Bikes: Many, and the list changes frequently
Mentioned: 5 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 986 Post(s)
Liked 880 Times
in
527 Posts
I find that when cycling, I am more likely to show myself as a better person by yelling "idiot" or "bonehead" at someone than when I am driving, where I am quite mellow.
10-30-23, 07:13 AM
#16
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: Toronto, CANADA
Posts: 6,204
Bikes: ...a few.
Mentioned: 47 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2012 Post(s)
Liked 409 Times
in
235 Posts
Drivers are better than cyclists because they take the time to yell out of their car windows what I'm doing wrong, like rolling through stop signs, riding on the road, riding on the sidewalk, etc. So helpful when they do that. I usually yell out a 'thank-you', and by 'thank-you', I mean 'f***-off'.
10-30-23, 10:56 AM
#17
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: NJ, USA
Posts: 1,282
Bikes: two blacks, a blue and a white.
Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 445 Post(s)
Liked 847 Times
in
410 Posts
Study Finds Dogs Are Better People Than People.
Canines are more interested in the common good than people are, a study published in the Journal of Canine Self-Promotion has found. The study used four factors to define the common good — belly rubs, bones, chew toys and sleeping. And as it turns out, people are less interested in all four of those things.
Canines are more interested in the common good than people are, a study published in the Journal of Canine Self-Promotion has found. The study used four factors to define the common good — belly rubs, bones, chew toys and sleeping. And as it turns out, people are less interested in all four of those things.
10-31-23, 04:09 PM
#19
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2010
Posts: 39,251
Mentioned: 211 Post(s)
Tagged: 1 Thread(s)
Quoted: 18423 Post(s)
Liked 15,572 Times
in
7,335 Posts
11-01-23, 12:56 PM
#20
I am potato.
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: Pacific Northwest
Posts: 3,116
Bikes: Only precision built, custom high performance elitist machines of the highest caliber. 🍆
Mentioned: 29 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1790 Post(s)
Liked 1,630 Times
in
934 Posts
Come to think of it: The Ohio River hasn't caught fire in a while. We really ought to have more river fires.
__________________
I shouldn't have to "make myself more visible;" Drivers should just stop running people over.
Car dependency is a tax.
I shouldn't have to "make myself more visible;" Drivers should just stop running people over.
Car dependency is a tax.
11-20-23, 01:14 PM
#21
Senior Member
More to that than your comment suggests. That blind spot is a relatively small area in our visual field that a majority of humans don't know is there most of their lives.
Our eyes serve as the lenses of our human bio-optical system that ends up providing an interpretation of what our surroundings 'look like' in our brains. What we 'see' is not a fully reliable means for us to know what's out there, our brains fill in much of what we come to believe is real when in fact it's often a construct based more on prior experiences, to the point of often being influenced by what we may have had for breakfast.
Add the element of speed to the sensory input our eyes are sending 'upstream' to be interpreted then 'displayed' for us, the results are anything but a reliably 'true' picture of what's going on as we move along.
Our eyes serve as the lenses of our human bio-optical system that ends up providing an interpretation of what our surroundings 'look like' in our brains. What we 'see' is not a fully reliable means for us to know what's out there, our brains fill in much of what we come to believe is real when in fact it's often a construct based more on prior experiences, to the point of often being influenced by what we may have had for breakfast.
Add the element of speed to the sensory input our eyes are sending 'upstream' to be interpreted then 'displayed' for us, the results are anything but a reliably 'true' picture of what's going on as we move along.
But to the point of the original discussion, does the excuse that my brain didn’t expect the bicyclist to be there (or vice versa for a motorist) is it a good enough excuse to cause an accident? I think not; our brain also accounts for some unexpected situations that may arise, even when not on a routine basis… in common language, we simply bundle up all these things as caution and common sense (which some would contend, and rightly so, that it is becoming increasingly uncommon).
11-20-23, 01:20 PM
#22
Senior Member
As for such “studies”, you can design one to yield whatever results you wish!
Marketing industry has been doing it for many decades.
Psychobabble, as it is lovingly called, has been destroying our society.
A Supreme Court judge doesn’t know what a woman is, I would have never imagined that it will even be a serious question someday.
Marketing industry has been doing it for many decades.
Psychobabble, as it is lovingly called, has been destroying our society.
A Supreme Court judge doesn’t know what a woman is, I would have never imagined that it will even be a serious question someday.
Likes For Alan K:
11-21-23, 11:07 AM
#23
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2009
Posts: 5,954
Bikes: Colnago, Van Dessel, Factor, Cervelo, Ritchey
Mentioned: 5 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3955 Post(s)
Liked 7,303 Times
in
2,948 Posts
I saw this paper the other day:
Study Finds Dbags Exist in Every Demographic Group
Study Finds Dbags Exist in Every Demographic Group
11-21-23, 11:57 AM
#24
Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2010
Posts: 1,660
Mentioned: 7 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1248 Post(s)
Liked 1,323 Times
in
674 Posts
I think threads whose founding premise is to justify a divide between groups of people are problematic. Usually, the person who starts these discussions tries to create tension and conflict where it's unnecessary or productive as the founding point of the thread. These conversations are generally not helpful and can lead to unnecessary division between people.
"Cyclists Are Better People Than Drivers"
For Example, My mother is a driver. Are you saying you are a better person than my mother? Them are fighting words!
"Cyclists Are Better People Than Drivers"
For Example, My mother is a driver. Are you saying you are a better person than my mother? Them are fighting words!
Last edited by Atlas Shrugged; 11-21-23 at 12:00 PM.
Likes For Atlas Shrugged:
11-23-23, 07:15 AM
#25
Rider. Wanderer. Creator.
Join Date: May 2007
Location: New Jersey
Posts: 774
Bikes: Bike Friday Pocket Rocket, Cinelli Hobootleg, Zizzo Liberte
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 394 Post(s)
Liked 781 Times
in
377 Posts
Researchers visit BF
...30 minutes later....
"Nevermind"
...30 minutes later....
"Nevermind"
Likes For john m flores: