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London bike commuters in Lycra (copyright Britishcycloing.org_.uk)Do certain types of clothing make cyclists seem 'less human' to motorists?
An urban planner has launched a survey to find out if certain types of clothing can make cyclists seem 'less human'.
Dr Mark Limb, from Brisbane, was inspired by a 2019 study that found more than half of car drivers in Australia think cyclists are 'not completely human'.
The research suggested that this dehumanisation was one of the main triggers for deliberate acts of aggression towards riders.
Dr Limb is an urban planning lecturer with Queensland University of Technology's School of Architecture and Built Environment whose research areas include land use planning and active transport, such as cycling.
He is also a cyclist and hopes his pilot study will provide more insights into the ever so slightly fragile relationship between bike riders and drivers.
> road.cc’s Best Cycling Clothing of the Year 2020/21
He said: “Previous research has already established that many drivers see cyclists as less than human.
"It’s also shown a link between belief and behaviour – the more someone thought a cyclist was less than human, the more likely they were to do something dangerous, like driving too close to them.
"What I’m investigating is why people have these dehumanising attitudes towards cyclists – my main question is: Is it because of the way they look?”
Dr Limb needs at least 400 people to complete the online survey, which will show them pairs of photos of cyclists wearing different sorts of attire, Mirage News report.
“They will be presented with random pairs of photographs and be asked to select the photo that they instinctively feel looks ‘less human’,” he said.
“The survey can be completed by anyone aged 18 and over who is a resident of Australia.”
Latest Comments
- Hirsute 6 min 9 sec ago
He turns up as a witness as required isn't the gotcha you imagine. Thank goodness we don't have australia's laws here.
- Simon E 12 min 53 sec ago
Perhaps if they invested more of it in quality journalism instead of the pile of crap programming and the waste of space presenters and celebs they...
- bensynnock 58 min 40 sec ago
I find side roads are used as rat runs by impatient drivers. I'm not sure they're any safer than main roads, unless of course they've been...
- bensynnock 1 hour 9 min ago
If this wasn't in the city centre then I think he'd probably get away with it. There is a residents parking permit scheme on the roads around there...
- Rollo5014 1 hour 52 min ago
The Queen saw who was in charge and thought "I'm outa here“
- Rendel Harris 2 hours 38 min ago
Alexa, what's the definition of irony?
- Jogle 10 hours 8 min ago
I was looking for a different video but can't find that one at the moment. I did find this one though. Although you don't see the car flip, you can...
- Sriracha 10 hours 33 min ago
Breathability is measured in g/m2/h. But it's mostly fibs - don't expect to come away dry on the inside, however many hundred pounds they fleece you.
- momove 13 hours 24 min ago
Is everyone getting the new auto-response? I've only done about a dozen, since June this year, but my response has always been the same....
- ArkTraveller22 15 hours 40 min ago
Hi Neal, ...
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43 comments
The poor old MAMIL is held up as an object of ridicule, whilst being a sofa slob in a footie shirt ordering pizza via an app is considered normal.
I'm trying to think of any normal portrayal on TV of a character using a bicycle. The only one that comes to mind is Father Brown. And of course Mr Bean (but that's a film). Both on sit-up and beg bikes, ordinary clothes.
But really nobody just uses a bike to commute or go shopping etc in TV-land. So no, cyclists are not ordinary humans.
For some reason, Tom Hollander in Rev sprang immediately to mind - bit of an ecclesiastical theme going on here maybe.
Also thought of the detective in New Tricks who always rolls up to work on his bike. Im sure there are others as well.
Off at a bit of tangent, but BBC Weather normalises driving - 'you might have to scrape a bit of ice off the windscreen tomorrow morning'.
BBC travel is basically all about driving, every half hour on the radio, as if cars are the only way to travel.
How true! Yet with cyclists far more at the mercy of the weather you'd think they were a more appropriate reference point for the weather person's patter. "In the East you'll need warm base layers and thick gloves tomorrow, best pack a waterproof if you'll be returning after 5pm. If you're headed northeastwards allow 10% extra time for your journey", etc. Never heard it.
W1A - the central character and his boss both rode Bromptons to the Portland Place BBC. I know it was "light hearted", but still.
but the character is portrayed as a complete buffoon and the Brompton riding is almost part of that presentation of his buffoonish.
I wouldn't say he's really a buffoon - just a bit at sea in a world of gibberish.
The main character in Flaked rides one everywhere. Part of it though is he's a recovering alcoholic who isn't allowed to drive. Still, he's a sympathetic character using a bicycle in ordinary ways.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4973548/
I seem to recall Eben Weiss writing about characters on bikes in films and TV.
He suggested bikes are used to indicate that a character is either a 'man-child', a 'loser', a 'tree hugger', or a 'dorky exercise freak'. The bike can be used as shorthand, because 'everyone knows what it means'.
(his examples included Steve Carell in 'The 40 year old virgin', and 'every cyclist who gets "hilariously" driven off the road into a bush or a market stall ever', IIRC).
Given that the only time cycling appears in the msm is when some cyclist gets done for drugs, it's not implausible that many drivers think that anyone in lycra is an addict.
A helmet and non-upright position also correlate I expect.
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