Thus cyclist need to follow the rules. It can be hard for some of you but worse for those you hurt.

I'm still waiting for SUV enthusiasts to make open arguments against the laws that forbid them from driving down city bicycle lanes, running red lights, opening doors into people, and leaving the scene of a crash. That would be a good time.

The reason that this forum doesn't hold cyclists to task is simple: Cyclists don't kill people. Drivers do. The driver of an automobile is in control of a heavy machine whose improper use has deadly consequences. That people like Mr. Gonzalez are entitled to continue to drive after demonstrating that they cannot do so responsibly is not only unfortunate, it is an outrage.

I hate getting buzzed by bicycles as much as the next guy, but I recognize that such behavior, while antisocial and unpleasant, has none of the deadly consequences of out of control automobiles.

--Ian

That being said, the pedestrians were the ones ignoring the signs (by walking on the bike path instead of on the separate pedestrian path) on the West Village portion...

What you are describing here is more than a little hypocritical. The law, you say, is silly. Therefore, many cyclists don't pay attention to it. When a police officer or a pedestrian points this out, issuing a ticket or citing traffic law, many cyclists scoff at transgressions on the part of the pedestrian. They say the existing law is pointless, behind the times, and gives too much ground in protecting people that should be paying more attention to their surroundings. Drivers that hit a jaywalking pedestrian says the same thing.

I regularly see cyclists riding on the sidewalks, through a crowd of pedestrians, or through a crowded intersection at higher than normal speeds. This makes people hate bicycles and the people that ride them.

This holier than thou attitude towards the law is extremely distressing. If we expect drivers to follow it to the letter, then we have to be willing to do the same.

The 11 months I lived in SF were also characterized by an unending assortment of rude, obnoxious, and repellent "characters" on the bus. Probably more than during the 12 years I've lived in NYC. There's just something about that place that brings out the crazies.

this works? like not having road signs for cars and all will be fine. Cyclists are not in general any better the car drivers when it comes to being careful when not told to.

As an example on the Brooklyn Bridge, cyclists do not obey the yield to pedestrian signs that are posted at he Washington street crossing. If told they actually get angry. These bikers do not like when a fellow cyclist agrees with the walking folk either.

How about some brakes on those bikes too!

In the situation above, everyone was fine until the ped got angry.

The more we encourage good common sense thinking and quelling feelings of entitlement, the sooner everyone will get along and be fine. Yeah, they'll still be jerks int he world, but that doesn't mean we all need to be legislated to death until we're all unhappy all the time, and the jerks are still jerks.

"We’ve become overly concerned about safety, and we’ve forgotten that what we really need on the bike paths [is] for people to exercise good judgment."

After being told to dismount. There is a reason and that is the rider should get off their bike and walk it not go with "caution". Why do fellow cyclist's not like to abide by rules such a stop signs or dismounting then get mad a autos that don't either? They want things both ways?

Pedestrians get the worst of it all from cars and bikes.