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Here are some Chinese bicyclists who have stopped at a red light. See - it's not that hard to do! (photo by Matthew Stinson/Flickr)

Who is most dangerous on the roads – car drivers or bicyclists?

From a weight and mass standpoint, cars are definitely more dangerous. In a collision between a car and a bicyclist, I think it’s safe to say the car will almost always win.

In fact, there is a ghost bike on the corner of my street that stands as testament to a child killed while riding a bike not too long ago.

New York City drivers, perpetually  frustrated by the congested roads and the slow pace of traffic, often take chances. As a pedestrian, I have been nearly hit countless times even when walking in the crosswalk with the light in my favor.

(To be honest, I have also taken stupid chances walking against the light.)

But while the majority of car drivers usually obey traffic laws, I have to say that bicycling around the city over the last couple of months has made me realize just how many of my fellow bicyclists routinely ignore the most basic traffic laws.

Bicyclists wanted to be treated with respect by car drivers, but they don’t want to have to play by the same rules. My two biggest pet peeves? Bicyclists who roll through red lights and bicyclists who go the wrong way down a one-way street.

Here's a bicyclist going the right way in a bike lane on one-way East 91st Street in Manhattan. Hint to other cyclists - if you're in the bike lane and all the cars are pointed toward you, YOU'RE GOING THE WRONG WAY! (photo by bicyclesonly/Flickr)

The one-way street think really burns my biscuits, especially when there’s a bike lane going in the right direction only one street over. If a bicyclist rides the wrong way in the bike, his/her stupidity puts me in danger by making me veer out of the bike lane into traffic in order to avoid a head-on collision.

Like many things in life, a little respect and consideration for others would go a long way.

Give respect and you just might get respect. Play by the rules (at least the major ones), and car drivers might start to see you as another legitimate user of the streets rather than as an unpredictable, arrogant loose-cannon.

As an eco-minded cyclist, the behavior of other bicyclists particularly ticks me off because I think it reinforces in the minds of the majority that cycling is a behavior for loony daredevils and thus discourages people from biking. If more cyclists respected the rules, then the car driver or the bus rider might look over and think “Hey, that cyclist seems like a normal fellow. I could see myself doing that.”

So who is most dangerous? Car drivers by their nature or bicyclists by their behavior?

We want a lot from the powers that be – many of us want more bike lanes, bike paths, bike lockers, bikeshare programs, etc.

We’re only going to build broad support for these measures by convincing the rest of society that we’re not all self-absorbed egotistical maniacs. We need car drivers and public transport riders to see us as helping them – taking a car off the road or a body off the subway by choosing to ride our bike – not as a menace to everyone around us.

So like many other voices on the Internet, I’ll add my plea for bicyclists to slow down and take it easy. I know it’s a pain to break your stride, come to a stop and actually respect the red light, but try it!

Take a breath, watch the people strolling around, listen to the conversation or the music in the car next to you, gather your energy for the next bit of the ride.

The net result will be fewer accidents, less road rage and perhaps a few drivers in their cars and riders on the bus will even look at you and think, “That guy/girl seems alright. I could see myself doing that. Maybe I’ll try biking too!”

That would be good for cyclists and good for the planet.

PS – Brooklyn’s bike lanes seem relatively safe (at least compared to Manhattan’s streets), but separated cycle tracks would be even better! Check out the photos below to see a tiny section of cycle track being build at Grand Army Plaza near Prospect Park. Just a little bit of raised curb between cyclists and traffic can make a world of difference in the safety and comfort level of bicyclists (and maybe car drivers as well).

Protected cycle track under construction at the busy Grand Army Plaza traffic circle in Brooklyn, New York (photo by Aaron Dalton)

Protected Grand Army Plaza cycle track gives way to painted bike lane (photo by Aaron Dalton)