Users on Reddit had a field day poking holes in a poorly thought-out argument that protected bike lanes are too large.
A Reddit user shared a screenshot of a post on X, formerly known as Twitter. Their tweet featured a photo of a bike lane covered in leaves except for a narrow section that was cleared by bike tires.
"Visual proof that we allocate too much exclusive space to bikes," the tweet said before it implored bikers to "share the road." The implication was that because the path cleared by the tires was only a small percentage of the bike lane, the lane must be larger than necessary.
Users were quick to dismantle the X user's logic, however. The original Reddit poster pointed out a key flaw in the argument by noting that "people are generally wider than bike tires" in the post's title.
Another Reddit user unraveled the argument with an apt comparison for why judging by tire widths for bikes or for cars is silly:
"This is hilarious. They should see the roads when it snows."
A fellow user was happy to share visible evidence, while coyly suggesting to "narrow the car-only part of the road."
Another user took a different tack entirely and pushed the X user's argument to its logical conclusion.
"That means you can fit 5 bikers on each car lane," they pointed out. They added that it "sounds like we should get rid of cars entirely."
Judging by the actions of many motorists, unfortunately, the X user's disregard for the bike lane is anything but uncommon.
There have been frustrating instances of drivers misusing the bike lane to make dangerous maneuvers, making a point of parking illegally in them, or simply just railing against them on social media.
All of these behaviors reduce the numerous positive effects of bike lanes for those considering switching to bike-riding. Safety for bikers is one, while reducing air pollution and our reliance on cars are others. E-bikes are another option that can lower road congestion and benefit the planet.
Redditors had the last word on what the shared tweet actually showed.
"It is a visual proof that the city does not clean the leaves from cycle paths which is dangerous," one chimed in.
"Bikers, continue to avoid rocks hidden by leaves that nobody's going to rake," another Redditor mock-instructed in reference to the tweet.
Join our free newsletter for easy tips to save more and waste less, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Cool Picks
