Every day three or four New Yorkers get hit by cars, either as pedestrians or as cyclists, and I've also seen cyclists crash into pedestrians. When you see the following video, you'll be amazed the number is as low as three or four. NYC-based Art Director Ron Gabriel trained a camera on the intersection of Park Avenue and 28th Street as a case study for his 3-Way Street campaign, which looks at how "pedestrians jaywalking, cyclists running red lights and motorists plowing through crosswalks" create quite the dysfunctional transit ecosystem:
"NYC Goes Three Ways" is part of Gabriel's SVA Masters in Design graduate student thesis project.
Remember NACTO's Urban Bikeway Design Guide, which laid down guidelines for how bicycles, pedestrians and cars can and should interact in a city? Gabriel's video should be part of their package.
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I don't know if Im more terrified to bike in Boston or Atlanta right now. I am more intimidated thats for sure in Boston with all the bikers that are in shape enough (way more bikers on the road than Atlanta) Also the drivers here in Boston in general are way more fearless than in Atlanta. Here I get the feeling people are out to get you where as in Atlanta its people with no patience and are not used to seeing bikers
Yes, the system is broken but the problem with both cyclists and drivers is that they view their use of the road as a right and not a privilege. There's a lack of empathy for the other side of the argument and a disregard for the simplest of laws.
As someone who has commuted for years in Boston/Cambridge by both bike and car, I am consistently annoyed by lack of cycling competency in major cities and the general arrogance that coincides. Unfortunately, those who ride like a**holes and those who ride with courtesy all become lumped into one group of 'cyclists'. This creates a lot of resent amongst drivers.
Many of the cyclists here in Boston do not drive in the city nor own a car so they have very little appreciation for the true 'rules of the road' or the unavoidable issues of driving such as blind spots. What cyclists often forget is just how much drivers are processing and to assume that drivers can maintain a full awareness of their presence is naive at best and deadly at worst. It is your job as a cyclist to make sure you are seen and part of this requirement means following damn rules. That means if there's a stop sign, ****ing stop!
You don't see motorcyclists casually coasting through an intersection because 'it looked clear'. It is because they have a respect for the established rules (and a system designed to punish them for not doing so) as well as training which has (hopefully) taught them to ride defensively. There's no reason urban cyclists shouldn't do the same.
-Zach ( a friendly cyclist and an annoyed driver )