Empathy on the road vis-à-vis the (presumed) economic profile of road users

My Strava training log for the last 4 weeks.

I run all my errands on a bicycle in the city suburbs, and one thing I have noticed is the disparity between lower-income road users (presumably based on the kind of vehicles they drive) and their empathy for other road users.

I'm a very thoughtful cyclist, always equipped with reflective gear, a helmet, and "indicators" (my hand stretched out) when I need to overtake or make a turn.

Furthermore, I wait at traffic lights, and I also give the right of way to those who deserve it.

All that being said, I still get rude gestures, and sometimes I feel compelled to throw insults when someone is telling me to hurry the hell up and make a bad decision.

I never do.

What I have observed, however, is that the people I usually get into altercations with are often those in beat-up cars or motorcycles or private motorcycle riders.

I have never had a Land Cruiser honk at me from behind in the past three months I've been riding a bicycle.

One would assume that boda boda riders would harass a cyclist, but this has not been the case for me. I would be lying if I said the opposite.

This makes me wonder: what is the correlation between seemingly new middle-class entrants (another assumption) and the empathy they have for "poorer" road users (as people often assume you are poor when they see you on a bicycle in the city suburbs)?

The answers likely don't point to knowledge about traffic rules; rather, they are most likely sociological and economic.

PS: I will keep updating this article through careful observation.

To be continued