How to Improve Cyclists' Safety from Dangerous Non-Cyclists' Behavior

About this episode

Amateur cyclist and university associate professor Wendy loves riding her bike with her young son and local road group, but aggressive drivers, close calls, and a deep-seated hostility toward cyclists leave her fearing for their safety on the road. Enter Meredith Glaser, CEO of the Urban Cycling Institute and professor of cycling at Ghent University, who advocates for shifting away from defensive cycling culture and toward treating bikes as everyday appliances rather than radical political statements. She introduces Wendy to the power of temporary "street experiments" and community-led initiatives like the "bicibus" or "kidical mass," advising her to leverage grassroots momentum, youth health messaging, and local allies (including cycling police officers) to reclaim public streets, foster safer road habits, and normalize bike transit without getting bogged down in municipal bureaucracy. Meredith Glaser is the CEO of the Urban Cycling Institute and a leading expert on human-scale mobility. Head over to urbancyclinginstitute.org to learn more. They also have a substack - Urban Cycling Institute | Substack Executive Producer Corey Wara Edited by Geoff Craig Booking by Ben Ast