I live in NYC and it seems like almost every time I go out for a bike ride someone almost hits me with their car. And then if you call them out on it they act like it’s your fault. I can’t even get out for a bike ride to clear my head anymore. I’m so sick of it.
“other riders and delivery bikers” developed those habits out of self-defense – they are the effect, not the cause
Those habits are things like running red lights. How does that qualify as self-defense. It’s the dumbest thing you can do on a bicycle.
Honestly, have you ever been to New York City? It’s like the wild West for anybody with two wheels. They feel like they’re above the law and do whatever the hell they want with zero consequences unless they get run over.
Running red lights can be safer if the junction is clear. Junctions are the places most collisions happen, including cyclists getting rearended or hit by motorists changing lanes without adequate checking/signalling (the latter is the single most common way cyclists get seriously injured or killed, so it’s understandable that people want to avoid it).
I’m not advocating for running reds (I never run them myself). I’m saying that road design that sometimes makes a road user choose between doing what is legal and what is safe is a bigger problem than a few bad actors.
Incidentally, there are lots of studies about this. Most cyclists don’t run red lights and motorists are more likely overall to break trafflc laws than cyclists. EDIT: Just noticed that link’s dead. Here’s an article summarising the results of the study, instead.