Re:GM Cruise to delay commercial launch of self-driving cars...
by seltzered_ on Wednesday July 24, 2019 @01:20PM
(#20517389)
I think the anecdote applies for some cities committing to Vision Zero plans - for example NYC has data showing fatalities decreasing (page 13: https://www1.nyc.gov/assets/visionzero/downloads/pdf/vision-... ), though injuries might be the same or increasing ( https://nyc.streetsblog.org/2019/02/04/bloody-january-cyclis... )
But it isn't perfect - SF fwiw has had more pedestrian fatalities this year though they've had reductions in the prior couple years ( https://www.visionzerosf.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/06.2... )
Also average vehicle miles travelled in the US is up ( https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/M12MTVUSM227NFWA/ ), and so are nationwide pedestrian fatalities: https://usa.streetsblog.org/2019/01/23/the-bible-belt-should...
Ride-hailing usage over transit may be part of the problem: https://steps.ucdavis.edu/new-research-ride-hailing-impacts-... ) .
SF is a completely different experience for bikes than it was 5 years ago, and 10 years before that it was even more different.
Ditto for NYC. You can ride up and down Manhattan in big separate big lanes very quickly.
It's obviously a personal choice, but I think cycling is a safe choice now. When I started 10+ years ago I would sometimes get off the road when conditions/traffic looked dangerous, and you should always keep that option in your back pocket. (i.e. don't insist that 100% of the route has to be bikable.)
But I don't feel the need to do that very much now. The exception is when there's unusual traffic and no bike lane.
It's even safer now that there are more cyclists on the road. Drivers do take some time to get used to cyclists.