>As a pedestrian in NYC I feel far more endangered by bikes than I do by automobiles.

This is why legislating by "feelings" is a bad idea. Automobiles are a far larger and more lethal risk.

And that risk is mitigated by traffic rules, separation of pedestrian v. vehicular traffic, etc. That goes out the window when you have a category of vehicles that routinely ignores those mitigations.

Even with those mitigations, they're still more deadly.

That isn't why it's a bad idea at all; people don't walk and instead drive because walking "feels" unsafe. Legislate changes to make walking "feel" safer and people will walk instead of drive, and then will be safer because the changes will be things like separated walkways from cars, more guarded pedestrian crossings, road design which slows traffic, and more people walking will mean fewer cars on the road.

But bikers are not a large reason people aren't pedestrians.

I agree that a certain level of abstraction 'feel' is important, but we shouldn't legislate by 'feel' about how people 'feel' about bikes, that is one level of 'feel' too many.

> But bikers are not a large reason people aren't pedestrians.

They are a significant piece of the reason in NYC, although car-centric road design is a larger piece.

You and several other commenters continue to ignore people pointing out seriously problems that are localized in NYC by quoting stats that are for the entire country.

I don’t see too many cars mounting sidewalks as I do bikes and scooters do (daily occurrence, not to mention 220+ pound guys who ride around on cheap underpowered scooters in the street), but yeah anecdotal data.

Safety is not the only consideration. If we don't consider comfort then people might stop walking because it is an unpleasant experience.

This is the exact opposite of what the article is saying. When somebody is deciding whether to walk or drive to their destination, they don't pull up a scientific journal and consult the latest studies, they think about whether it feels safe and dignified. If you ignore the perceived threat of cyclists whizzing every which way while ignoring all traffic laws, you'll find fewer people choosing to walk and have no idea why.

> Automobiles are a far larger and more lethal risk.

even when normalized by passenger miles?

In general cars are quite lethal in aggregate but not once normalized for usage-- we drive an awful lot.

> Well under 50% wear helmets.

> As a pedestrian in NYC I feel far more endangered by bikes than I do by automobiles.

how do you make those two follow?

They don’t immediately.

One is not a consequence of the other. However, the first is an observation in support of the idea that in general many cyclists eschew rules including those that exist for their own safety.

I don’t think helmets make you any safer on a bike. At least now to a relevant degree.

I remember reading that it actively makes you less safe because people wearing a helmet trust it to protect them, when in reality, basically any collision with a car will crush them.

> basically any collision with a car will crush the Orrery, bicycle helmet only protects you from hitting the ground /a tree at normal cycling speeds. It does not help you if you hit a car at speed.

> Well under 50% wear helmets

Helmets don’t help - cycle helmet is rated to save you from a fall or from hitting a tree. It’s basically useless when hitting a vehicle, and that’s 95% of cyclist deaths. You’d have to wear a full motorcycle helmet.

> weave in and out of heavy traffic

I’ve seen that too. But I’ve never seen it happen in an area with segregated cycle way.

Your feelings are wrong.

There were 2000 pedestrians killed by cars in NYC from 2018 to 2021 and only 12 killed by bicycles.

https://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/downloads/pdf/nycdot-pedestrian...

1) I certainly don’t want to die. I also simply don’t want to get hit.

2) Bicycle/pedestrian are under reported.

3) I am specifically referring to my experience in Manhattan. In large portions of Queens, Brooklyn and the Bronx I think my attitude would be different.

(Also thanks for the link - poking around the DOT site they have some great information. Surprised to see how many pedestrian fatalities involved alcohol — on the part of the pedestrian!)

Are you saying bicycle/pedestrian deaths are under-reported? I find that very hard to believe.