Orange vest reduces harrassment

[Laterider21958]

A local discount store has some awfully bright yellow or green (can't actually really tell you the colour - need sunnies to look at it) thin polo fleece shapeless jumpers on sale at the moment. I looked at them, noting how dreadful they were, but I may go back and get one. I'm handy on the sewing machine. Perhaps I could tailor it a bit, tweak it a bit, and add a bit of black tape for a contrast (my attempt at making it a bit more stylish) and then, possibly then, wear it on my next ride. You have given me courage. The first ride will be the worst. I'd rather be alive than the alternative.

[Crankin]

I don't know, I haven't found that color makes any difference in the way I am treated. I haven't been yelled at for many years, but I do notice that when I ride my Voodoo (a bright yellow hard tail with lights, a rack, and pannier) around town, I get treated a bit more politely by motorists in that they might stop and let me go first in certain situations. Usually I am wearing slightly different clothing, too; like a skort or terry Spinnakers, mtb shorts instead of regular cycling shorts. I think it's that we look more like "regular" people to motorists when we are not in full roadie gear, but honestly, I don't care what they think. I commuted on my road bike and I didn't notice any difference in the treatment I got during commutes than when i just go out on a "ride."

[KnottedYet]

Yeah, panniers seem to make a difference,too.

Maybe when drivers see you loaded down with a pannier they trust that you will be holding your line and not hopping curbs or splitting traffic. You're haulin' that luggage on your rack, so you won't be likely to do any circus tricks!

When I'm driving and see someone who is clearly a commuter, I feel safer about their potential riding behaviour. Like I can trust them to behave like a vehicle, cuz they look more serious?

[Trek420]

Robyn Maislin sed "I think it's that we look more like "regular" people to motorists when we are not in full roadie gear, but honestly, I don't care what they think."

Exactly.

I don't care what they think as long as they treat me well and don't hit me.

Around here when I commute on my road bike the reaction/looks range from hostility (along the range of "WTF is THAT doing here, she should be in Woodside". I'm obviously very much seen as "other".) to curiosity which would be ok if they did not run across the BART station to grab my bike (in the "oooooh, it's so pretty" type of thing, true story).

When I'm on the MTB I'm just regular people, often waved through intersections and I like that.

I think there are some class issues involved is part of my theory. Since I'm not a sociologist I'll leave that be. And like Robyn says "I don't care what they think" if wearing a propeller beanie on my head makes me safer, I'd get one

[Torrilin]

I seem to have about the same harassment level on my bike as I do on foot. The odd male idiot screaming something, the occasional honk to make me jump. I'd estimate the numbers as less than one incident of harassment per day, vs 3-5 traffic violations per day. I wear street clothes (jeans, khakis, lightweight cotton tops) for both activities. Usually my top is a bright color - pink, red, or bright blue.

In LA there was definitely a class element to the harassment... black and Hispanic men in cars would be a *lot* more comfortable yelling at me. In an Angeleno's mind, only poor people walk. If you're in a car you have more money than the person who walks. I haven't noticed anything quite so obvious here in Madison.

In general tho I class the harassment I receive on the streets as sexual harassment. I take a lot more **** when I'm wearing something a bit bare, even if it's hot and a bit bare is a good idea. If the comments are intelligible, they're sexual. Given that, I'd suspect the reduced harassment from the bright vests and jerseys is that men don't see them as sexy. They may see a construction worker style vest as "work clothes" too, for a double whammy of "not ok to harass this one".