A Plea to My Fellow Urban Bicyclers
Fellow bicyclers:
I can't lay claim to biking all of the time, or even most of the time, but I do enjoy a bit of recreational biking around Brooklyn and some other parts of the 5 boroughs. Whether alone or with my children, I do my level best to obey the local traffic laws as they apply to bicycles, including stopping for stop signs, not weaving in and out of traffic, etc. Moreover I teach these to my children: to stop at all intersections where cars could be coming, and to be extra aware of traffic and pedestrians, and to stay off the sidewalk if at all possible.
Yesterday, while driving the family back from the Cloisters museum in Upper Manhattan, I had the opportunity to narrowly miss about a dozen bicyclists riding wildly down Ft. Washington Avenue, weaving in and out of traffic, running across and against red lights, and speeding through intersections--basically, making a nuisance of themselves.
I often see and hear anecdotes from bicyclists complaining how cars are "out to get them" and don't show them any respect. Well, let me remind you all that it goes both ways, and you should remind your fellows (repeatedly) to not be jerks on the road. Physics is a cruel mistress, and a ton+ of moving metal versus your gentle skeleton means that, even if you're right, you're still wrong.
Let's be safe out there!