A cyclist made an impassioned statement to clear up the rocky relationship between cars and bicycles on the road.
TikTok user BFF Bikes Chicago (@bffbikes) broke down the conflict, explaining that "if you're a driver who hates cyclists, you should be the biggest advocate for better cycling infrastructure." She added that she's sure drivers don't hate cyclists — they just hate having to share the road. She noted that it's just as frustrating for cyclists trying to share the road and that supporting protected routes for bikes to use instead would help the situation.
@bffbikes what do you think? do you want less traffic in your city? 🚗🚲🚌🚎 #bikechi #bikelife #publictransport #urbanism #onemorelane ♬ original sound - BFF Bikes Chicago
She went on to highlight the benefits of adding alternative transportation options to alleviate traffic congestion, including bicycle routes and buses.
"Cities just need to start investing into any kind of infrastructure that doesn't cater to cars, and counterintuitively, drivers should get behind these kinds of projects if they want to sit in traffic less," she said, adding that road projects to expand traffic lanes rarely solve congestion headaches.
In her video, BFF Bikes Chicago cited statistics from the National Association of City Transportation Officials, highlighting the inefficiency of cars for moving people. NACTO showed that in a standard 10-foot-wide lane at peak travel times, cars can move 600 to 1,600 people an hour, versus a protected bikeway able to move 7,500 or even a bus or train line able to move up to 25,000 an hour.Â
The TikToker acknowledged in her explanation that cars are often a necessity for most households in the U.S. — and sometimes the only way to get around — but advocated for reducing the number of cars on the road through infrastructure changes.
Reducing the number of cars on the road cuts down on pollution across the board, from dirty energy production to pollution from vehicles. And switching from gas to electric vehicles is another excellent step for individuals looking to help reduce their impact if bikes and buses or trains aren't an accessible option.
People in the comments of the video backed up her point, noting they want to share the road more than anything.
"So brilliant and succinct! I'm going to use this explanation in the future," praised one person.
"Right, like let me get out of your way! I promise I don't want to be in your way, I'm just doing it cause it's safe," agreed another person.
A third added: "I would love to see bikers not be with me on the driver road. I want them to have protected bike lanes, and also protected lanes for buses."
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