this post was submitted on 05 Jan 2026
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Fuck Cars

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I gotten so frustrated that while I am doing some of my part in saving the world & lessening traffic jams (sure there is more, but here I do not need to list them all) that when I come to an intersection with traffic lights & crosswalk lights, telling you when it is safe for you to cross, that I have to wait forever to right away to use the crosswalk! The lights are setup to give the BLANKING automobiles the a long time to cross or turn, before I am allowed to use the crosswalk or just the intersection, without a crosswalk! Given what my riding does for the Earth & All Living Beings & decreasing traffic, all automobiles should instantly have to come to a stop/LIGHTS TURN RED & wait for me!

Of course if we all had Scandinavian style whole roadway or at least completely protected & separated cycle lanes, than this would a much less of a problem.

I use myself as an specific example for all cyclist. Imagine all cyclist have the same problem.

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[–] Multiplexer@discuss.tchncs.de 12 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Or even worse: the ones you have to push a button first for them to even consider switching to green sometime during the next cycle.

I usually switch to the road in time when I know one of those is up ahead, going back to the bikelane after the intersection again.

What big deal is having switch? Sure it would be cool, if it was done by censors sensing our bicycles riding-up. But would barely save any time, when they located at the beginning of the crosswalks/beginning of the intersections. Is that avoidance not wasting more time, let alone endangering you more?

[–] mjr 1 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Each stop is like another 100m travel. They soon add up. Approach sensors, anticipatory greens and green waves are worthwhile and done in the best countries.

“Each stop is like another 100m travel.” That is a joke right? There is no distance added, very little time added for pushing a button, for bicyclist. By the way, you have read that what I suggested was automatically, after activated, going from Green-Yellow-Red. Automobiles would have to have time to come to a stop. Going from Green to Red would be a safety issue for automobiles & bicyclists crossing.

[–] mjr 1 points 3 days ago

“Each stop is like another 100m travel.” That is a joke right?

No joke. It's a fact of physics, explained in https://www.camcycle.org.uk/magazine/newsletter46/article9/

I was agreeing with you that the Green-Amber-Red sequence should be triggered by approach sensors. This is called "anticipatory greens" in the UK.

The other problem with beg buttons is that once they're installed, it only takes one motoring supremacist to lengthen the delay and keep active travellers waiting so long that the light basically becomes irrelevant because there will be a gap where you can cross before the lights ever stop motorists. Nearly all crossings near me are configured that way. Only two sets ever change quicker. Another one is meant to but never does for me.

[–] Multiplexer@discuss.tchncs.de 1 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (1 children)

Time: Often safes significant time, as the switches don't let the traffic lights go to green right away, but only put you into queue to be considered at a much later time (typical: one entire cycle later, so 1-2 min)

Safety: Most common and dangerous accidents are caused by the vehicles turning right during the green phase, crossing the bikelane not noticing bikes that are besides them or are approaching from behind.
So it is statistically actually much safer to not use the bikelane at such intersections.
Only potential hazard is the switching of lanes, but I normally just do that some distance before the intersection and only if traffic permits, so not much of an issue.

Sometimes car drivers get annoyed, but I don't care much. Wouldn't be in the lane in the first place if the infrastructure didn't favor car traffic so much already.

[–] GreatWhite_Shark_EarthAndBeingsRightsPerson@piefed.social 2 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (1 children)

Obviously, with I creating this, I agree, but the difference of pushing a button & approach sensors to do the same amount of time when activated, is nothing time wise important.
Also, that is when the whole switch for bicyclists given ride of way system works, not uncommon here for them to not work.

Maybe, but in bicyclists experiences here, are just riding on roadways of heavy traffic & taking what the state laws are, it does not matter. That is why when I can, in cities, take sidewalks. I have had motorists just hate that I take whole foot from curve & ride around damage on roadways, it is nearly all our roadways (here it is fixed only before elections, by county), ride around the damage, or object(s), or in worst cases/most travelled by automobiles roadways ride around most damaged parts.

You what, we might be thinking off different bicycle lanes, sorry. We have, South Fl., only three, 1-completely separated from automobiles, but mixed pedestrians use with next to no protective barriers, some public buses that are separated in inside lane, not for bicyclists & in the bicyclists path, non-motorized pedestrians- traveling by feet, when people are following the rules, but it is super restrictive path/north & south & is so far away from our Ag. & Rural-Unincorporated area, that is it. Mostly just for not using US1, which is right next to it. 1-not separated at all, just lines painted on the road, on the right of farthest right lane & 1-REALLY IS NOT FOR BICYCLIST, almost completely just grass, never rode it, because it is the long & back country beautiful route & risk tire punctures. Really, it is for horse riders & ATVs-Dirt Bikes. Mostly, when it comes to the mostly used non-separated bicyclists lane, I used the safer option of sidewalks, but they are non-existent until cities.
You are talking about carefully going from bicyclists lane to the traffic and back to bicyclists lane, so you are probably using just lines painted on the ground bicyclists lane or it would waste more time?
I have had annoyed automobiles drivers do dangerous actions, like when I started played chicken. So much so that I had to contact cops, about the risk to my health, they stationed a cop car hidden at every other connecting East/West lanes (best way I can put it), just for one-night. Saw pulling over the violators, ended the chicken BLANK. The annoying behaviors got better, on the least traffic roads, when I rode the same least possible traffic ways enough, took the whole foot from the curve, that some bicyclist are scared to do & yelled at automobiles violators what the laws are. The drivers & home owners got to know me, then in my unincorporated area the reverse happened. That is right I actually had automobiles stop wait for me enter spot sign intersections & allow me to be first to ride through.

[–] Multiplexer@discuss.tchncs.de 2 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Ah, you are from the US!
I guess totally different situation to Germany, where bike commuters are (at least in the cities) just common part of normal traffic. Not perfect yet but I guess orders of magnitude better already than at your place.
So way to go! Florida would probably be a great place to do everything by bike, once the infrastructure is there: Mostly flat and no winter issues. :-)