Less Than Human: Cyclists Get Bad Rap in Australian Attitude Study

Bicyclists, sub-human?

Researchers at Monash University in Australia showed subjects two versions of the famous evolutionary progress poster—one showing creatures rising from ape to man, the other showing a cockroach rising to humanity—and asked 442 Australians to rate the humanity of people who use the most efficient means of transportation. We pedalists don’t enjoy great esteem among our foot-bound fellows… or even among our own kind:

On both the ape-human and insect-human scales, 55 per cent of non-cyclists and 30 per cent of cyclists rated bike riders as less than human.

But these results were more than just negative feelings; people who dehumanised cyclists were more likely to admit to acts of aggression towards cyclists.

Among people with dehumanising attitudes, 20 per cent admitted to using their car to deliberately block a cyclist, 14 per cent had deliberately driven their car close to a cyclist, and 13 per cent had used their car to cut off a cyclist. These rates were only 6 per cent, 3 per cent and 1 per cent among people who didn’t dehumanise cyclists.

“When you don’t think someone is ‘fully’ human, it’s easier to justify hatred or aggression towards them,” Dr Delbosc said. “This can set up an escalating cycle of resentment [“A Vicious Cycle: The Dangerous Dehumanisation of Cyclists,” Monash University: Lens, 2019.03.27].

Dang—I guess I’m going to have to register Republican and support Paul TenHaken when he runs for Mike Rounds’s Senate seat in 2032:

Signs that cyclists represent the continuing progress of humanity abound:

Bikes can get up Lookout Mountain and share the view with all of us:

And riding M Hill seems to signify respectable human achievement:

And yes, bicycling really is the most energy-efficient means of transportation developed by humanity:

It takes less energy to bicycle one mile than it takes to walk a mile. In fact, a bicycle can be up to 5 times more efficient than walking. If we compare the amount of calories burned in bicycling to the number of calories an automobile burns, the difference is astounding. One hundred calories can power a cyclist for three miles, but it would only power a car 280 feet (85 meters)! [“Human Power,” Exploratorium, San Francisco, CA, retrieved 2019.03.30]

Pedal power is people power, an expression of our human ability to exceed our limitations and do the most unlikely things. Embrace your humanity and your fellow humans: ride a bike!