Sure, I’ll field this one: it’s because *most* people are drivers, far fewer are cyclists, and empathy is even rarer.

Also, your approach is nothing like that of Effective Cycling author John Forester. Forester’s main premise is that cyclists fair best when acted and are treated as users of vehicles. EC offers a good bit of information that is useful to fit cyclists able to move quickly and assertively on roadways without special accommodations to cyclists. Since EC, Forester has built a career arguing that all cyclists who have not undergone rigorous training should not be on the road, bike lanes and other accommodations to promote bicycle usage and safety instead relegate the cyclist as inferior road users and that cycling and cycling promotion should not cause delay to motor vehicles. This while every other cyclist has worked for or wanted decreased car use to improve quality of life, facilities that provide space for cyclists in the roadway or seperated from traffic and the ability for any and all users (8 to 80) to be able to safely cycle where they want to go.

Alice was always cautious, always tried to find the bike lanes and always wore a helmet. The fact that she was killed doing something that she took more seriously than the rest of her friends and other bikers makes her death even more tragic and harder to understand.

Please be careful.

Cops have waved me through red lights in Buffalo NY and even Austin TX (where there are bike lanes), but not in DC, where officers look right through me.

Two other tips. Don’t rush. Don’t brood – over work,romance, politics, or any other issue; you really need to be into the moment.

And, of course, if you forego a helmet for headphones, you really are just an idiot.

In particular, cautious red-light running makes a lot of sense when there is a long line of traffic waiting at a red light, and no traffic going through the intersection. You can run the red light (watching out for right-on-red cars) and often get half a block or more lead on the cars, which is much better than trying to share the lanes while cars are accelerating faster than you can, a few inches to your left.

There are also a lot of circumstances where I break the no-riding-on-the-sidewalk downtown rule, especially when the streets are all congested and have narrow lanes, but there aren’t too many pedestrians. Pedestrians wander on the streets; I don’t think it’s a problem when bikes wander onto the sidewalks if they do it respectfully. In fact I think there ought to be a little more bike-car solidarity versus annoying pedestrians.

And I agree about drivers waving you on (not only at 4-way stop signs). It always makes things worse.

When on the sidewalk, pedestrians are another issue: about half of them do not respond to a signal, or unexpectedly get in your way. One half of that half is listening to their MP3 so can’t hear you coming, signal or no signal. The rule about the brakes applies. Don’t zoom past them, either. Take it slow.

When biking it is not about who is in the right, but how to avoid scrapes.