Cyclists, on the whole, are extremely self-righteous. Now, the term ‘cyclist’ can cover anyone from a commuter to a pro racer, and not everyone who falls within that spectrum is complicit. However, I see way too many of these self-appointed signallers of virtue and social justice spouting off regularly and often vehemently about their perceived evil nemesis, the automobile.

As by some fantastic gift bestowed upon them by some imaginary deity, they feel they can dictate to other cyclists their belief that cars are the enemy, and anyone who owns, drives or even rides in on is the devil incarnate (in-car-nate‽). It’s an attitude that rarely takes any factors into account other than their own dislike of the car, and eschews any critical thinking on the matter. Kind of like those Just Stop Oil imbeciles thinking that by pissing people off whilst wearing and using a myriad of oil-based and produced products, causing gridlock and increasing pollution, they are making a difference, while in reality they just show their ignorance and total hypocrisy. The anti-car cyclists are no better, riding around on their steeds dripping in oil-based manufactured components, breaking every road rule they can because “I’m saving the world”. How did the steel get made? The alloys? The rubber, the plastic, the carbon? Everything has a basis in oil. Then they post their weak reckons online using their slave-labour-produced phones, on their slave-labour-produced computers, all made with/by oil and technology utilising oil. But because they have a cute Cars are Coffins or Cars Suck sticker (once again, how was that made?) on their bike, they think they are somehow absolved from any ‘wrongdoing’ (their default setting within their insular world views). I saw recently a sticker stating that ‘big pickup trucks are for small-dicked men’ or words to that effect, posted by someone you know would never have the guts to say it to one of their targets, and is probably confused by what is in their own pants.

The worst are probably the e-bike evangelists. Look at me, saving the world by riding my oil-produced, slave-labour-produced bike, with a battery that a 7 year old kid mined the lithium and cobalt for less than $1 a day, that can’t be recycled, has a shelf life lower than the kids abused to make it, and ends up in landfill or one of those massive e-waste graveyards. The pinnacle of hypocrisy.

And how do they expect everyone to go about their daily lives using a bike? It’s just not possible for the majority of people. What about the trucks, trains and ships that deliver the food you eat every day, or the online bike parts you buy? How are parents expected to ferry 2 or 3 kids across town in the rain to school, or get them to a doctor or hospital in times of emergency? What if one of these fools has a serious crash while riding? Will they pedal themselves to the ER, or get someone with a cargo bike to bundle them into the box while they bleed out or get bent in half with a spinal injury? They just haven’t thought it through.

Using a bike for whatever tasks you can is great, of course there should be more of it. But calling out anyone who relies on a motor vehicle for whatever purposes as a bad person, or uncaring or even worse, is disingenuous at best. Electric cars are not the answer, they are worse for the environment than ICE vehicles, they use more energy and oil in their manufacture, they cause more damage to roads and use the dodgiest of child abuse methods in the dodgiest of countries to make their drivers feel smug, when they really should be aware of the reality. If you don’t want to own a car, or drive one, or even ride in one, good for you. Just don’t try and push your ideologies on good people just trying to live their day-to-day, who are likely keeping your lives functioning through the necessity that is motor transport. Just stop the car hate, not the oil.