Cyclists, Can You Hear Me Now? [WSJ]


By now you may know that I am one of those contemptible NYC cyclists—a confirmed, unrepentant member of the nefarious five-borough "Bike Wing Conspiracy" (whoever came up with that term is a genius)—and I support the city's expanded network of bike paths and the whole wild bike boom in general, and I think that if any of the above infuriates you, an ideal solution is chilling out and getting on a bike yourself. It works every time.

The relationship between cyclists and the city remains imperfect, still dangerous in parts and too often confrontational, but it's changing for the better, to the point where riding a bike in the city feels less like death-wish mayhem, and more like something you need to do to properly experience New York. In fact, if you manage to get through another city spring and summer without turning over a pair of bike pedals, you might as well seal yourself up in bubble wrap and move into a storage container on the FDR.
Val Bochkov

But over the past couple years, I've noticed a troubling cycling trend, a selfish behavior that seems to be increasing, as more and more people feel secure and hop on bikes. No, I'm not talking about stopping at red lights, though that absolutely needs to happen, too, because running reds undermines every biker on the road, and is mega-treacherous. No, my complaint concerns a different cyclist misbehavior, one that's maybe just as hazardous, and really has to end.

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