I used to bike to work daily in Manhattan for years—rain or shine for two hours or more daily.

Drivers really don’t want to hit you. It’s a headache even if the driver doesn’t get charged, and experience bears this out; it’s also not enough.

What kept me alive while weaving through traffic with zero incident was going on two facts: I’m much harder to spot than another car; I’m as good as dead if I put myself in certain split-second-decision situations.

So I biked assuming the cars don’t see me until I’m certain they did. Constant split second adjustments and verifying on my part.

It was one-part thrilling and one-part exhausting.

Based on this experience I see way too many cyclists making questionable choices.

The real option for the regular cyclists is to make separate, cyclist-friendly roads but there doesn’t seem to be any appetite for this; and there would be idiots riding with heavy, fully motorized bikes that police wouldn’t be able to catch.

* Edit. I do not "roll coal". I thought it was a term for driving a car.

I'm both a rolling-coal dude and ride a bicycle in NYC. I'm extremely careful when driving a car around cyclists. The last thing I would ever want to do is injure someone on foot, bike, or in a car.

I would take it most people care and a few do not.

Can you say more about this world view? I'm experiencing a bit of cognitive dissonance. To me, this is like saying, "I actively pour motor oil into the ocean, but I would never intentionally harm someone."

My mistake. Did not know what the term meant.

Your reply is confusing to the point where maybe there's a misunderstanding of the definition.

Rolling-coal is illegally bypassing the exhaust on a vehicle, it's illegal everywhere in the tri-state area, it's illegal in the whole country because it's a federal law (Clean Air Act, no tampering with exhaust) that states cannot override.

So you are simultaneously confessing to committing crimes while insisting you respect other people? Something isn't meshing there.

My mistake. I thought it was a term for driving an ICE car.

They kind of proving one of your points though. Clearly you did not know what rolling-coal meant, you said so, and admitted it multiple times. Carry on, sir!

Question for you, why would you ever roll coal?

Did not realize what the term meant. I do not roll coal.

I get the idea that we feel the social contract is getting a little frayed, but it seems like a pretty long way from Death Race 2000 ... I am still pretty sure there aren't many people on the road for whom the criminal sanction is the factor that's stopping them mowing down other road users.

This should extend to all pedestrians as well.

Right - in most of the country our infrastructure and laws exist to basically only serve cars (most notably the idea of "jaywalking"). Glad steps are being taken in the interest of non-car transportation options.

Except drivers don't even need to know about this law. As long as bikers know, they will improve their safety