Riding a bike instead of driving is one eco-friendly way to save money on your commute, which is why a recent post on Reddit's r/mildlyinfuriating perfectly encapsulated the subreddit's name.
"What's even the point of having a bike lane if it's just going to be used for rows of trash cans?" asked the original poster in the thread's title.
To illustrate, the user attached a photograph that was more than "mildly" infuriating. It depicted a highway or freeway in an unspecified location, with several car lanes visible on the road.
An unprotected bike lane — which differs from a protected bike lane in that it lacks a protective barrier on the traffic side — was visible on the right side of the image.
However, no fewer than nine large "wheelie bin" style trash cans completely blocked the lane to bicycle traffic, nullifying its purpose and making the road far less safe for cyclists. Anyone who chose to bike that day had no way of knowing a lane specifically designated for safe cycling would be severely obstructed, forcing riders into traffic.
Reddit's r/mildlyinfuriating is in no way a cycling-centric community, but commenters were almost unanimously aggrieved by the photo.
"Literally what the hell," one user concisely remarked. Other users complained about a general lack of consideration for pedestrians and cyclists in much of the United States.
"All over in my neighborhood, people put their garbage cans on the sidewalk, completely blocking the sidewalk and making people walk in the street, including children, people with strollers, and people with mobility aids. And then people get mad that people are walking in the street," another lamented.
Redditors from outside the U.S. were horrified by the image. "As a non-U.S. cyclist, your posts are insane to see … Biking is so ingrained in our culture here, it's a second nature of transport. Seeing an entire nation actively fight against something a simple as a bicycle is an incredible thing to witness," they wrote.
"God, people are so car-brained here … the whataboutism is crazy," said one commenter.
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Ultimately, users seemed to agree that protected bike lanes would go a long way toward encouraging and supporting greener transportation alternatives.
"Why isn't the bike lane on the other side of the parked cars? There should be some kind of separation between vehicle traffic and cyclists," a user observed.
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