Anti-bicycle advocates are causing a stir online — and people are concerned about the environmental implications of the anti-bikers' goals.
In a recent post on the r/f***cars subreddit, users were infuriated by a photo of a small demonstration in a residential neighborhood near Washington, D.C. The demonstrators carried signs that encouraged residents and lawmakers to reject a bike lane on Connecticut Avenue, and the photo was posted under the headline "Please don't sign their petition."
The conflict stems from a local plan called Safer Conn Ave, which seeks to improve the safety of pedestrians and bikers through a number of improvements to the street's infrastructure.
In an open letter, the Safer Conn Ave advocates outlined how the bike detractors may be using biased polling and faulty arguments to support their position. The letter claims that the anti-bike petition should be disregarded because it isn't limited to local residents, and there are no protections in place to ensure the same person isn't signing it multiple times.
Driving gasoline-powered automobiles is one of the most polluting practices that is commonplace in everyday civilian life. An average car produces more than 10,000 pounds of carbon emissions per year, according to the EPA, and around the world, passenger cars produce around 3.3 billion tons of carbon emissions per year, according to Statista. It's easy to see why finding transportation alternatives like cycling is vital to reducing our global emissions and slowing the dangerous overheating of our planet.
Users expressed their frustration with the demonstrators in the comment section of the post.
"These people are protesting a bike lane [that] goes by my apartment. The area desperately needs a bike lane to connect the area to grocery stores." one user wrote.
"[I'm] curious about their end goal," another user said.
"It's upsetting how these people don't understand the benefits of having a bike lane. Quieter streets, reduces traffic congestion, cleaner air, a more walkable street, etc." a third user commented.
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