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Comment by cscurmudgeon | Hacker News Reader

As a pedestrian in a large city, I have been nearly run over by cyclists a few times, but I don't generalize from that though.

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Let me generalize on your behalf: Cyclists are maniacs. They want to be given the equal respect of cars in traffic but absolutely don't follow the same rules.

Some cyclists are maniacs, but you only notice the maniacs.

It works the other way. Cyclists think all drivers are maniacs for similar reasons.

Interestingly pedestrians accidents go down when bike paths were installed on streets in NYC. Bike paths are closer and have less protection for pedestrians than car lanes so it is interesting that bicycles make it so much safer to be a pedestrian.

> it is interesting that bicycles make it so much safer to be a pedestrian

How is this surprising at all?

Because of how infrastructure is built you experience bicycles a lot closer and therefore they might feel more dangerous than cars. When you stop to think of it it is not strange, but when it comes to bicycles there is always someone who forget.

And some pedestrians are maniacs, but most of the time only are a danger to themselves. OTOH I have crashed into a lamppost from a pedestrian suddenly stepping into a bike lane from behind a utilities box.

I think we should assume that stupidity is evenly distributed and mode of transport doesn't affect it much, just the results.

Momentum is probably more of a correlation than mode of transport. Real world experience: hit by a bike versus hit by a moped, each time on a “vehicle free” footpath. One was not like the other.

Let me rephrase: Cyclists are maniacs at a much higher % than drivers. I say this with no data.

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