You're totally right, from the Rockaways to Riverdale cars are difficult to obtain for the majority of NYC's residents. I meant that New York is a 'driving city' in the sense that for-hire drivers such as cabs, Vias, etc are ubiquitous and necessary.

Cycling has several benefits, but I believe the current situation makes it a hard sell. I don't believe cars will organically leave the road as more people turn to bicycles, and I don't believe cyclists can coexist with the current volume of vehicles. Proposed initiatives to limit this number, such as Bloomberg toll for driving through Manhattan, seem totalitarian.

Cars are dangerous, but when I cross the street I am pretty certain the driver will be following basic laws: such as driving the correct way on a one-way street or stopping at a red light. The same can not be said for cyclists, in fact I witness them and their motorized bicycle cohorts breaking these laws every single day.