It's not whataboutism, because NYPD has limited resources to enforce traffic laws. The way they've chosen to allocate their resources here is ridiculous.
> Running red lights is dangerous, period.
Do you feel the same way about pedestrians crossing without the light? Because if you do, you obviously do not live in a city. Cyclists are far closer to pedestrians than drivers, in the sense that they move relatively slowly, are agile, have less mass and therefore pose a lesser danger, and have an unobstructed field of view.
This demand for cyclists to follow rules designed for drivers -- which drivers also pick and choose from, see previous list of routine violations -- is really your typical strategy of using selective enforcement to punish an outgroup.
> Except most cyclists who run red lights do not do so safely, and I think this is a poor characterization of the issue and risk.
Come on, how many collisions do we actually see? Further, if we accept the premise that the majority of cyclists have a death wish, why would ticketing them change their behavior?
The reality is that drivers hitting and crushing pedestrians and cyclists to death don't even get a ticket. There are no consequences for obscured or deliberately damaged plates; unpaid tickets, including dangerous ones; and for many drivers wealthy enough to drive in Manhattan the cost of tickets are hardly a deterrent. In the exceedingly rare situation where licenses do get taken away, drivers will still drive anyway!
As for dashers engaging in actual unsafe behavior, sure, ticket them. But given the scourge that is Uber and Lyft drivers, I'm not holding my breath.
> Running red lights is dangerous, period.
Do you feel the same way about pedestrians crossing without the light? Because if you do, you obviously do not live in a city. Cyclists are far closer to pedestrians than drivers, in the sense that they move relatively slowly, are agile, have less mass and therefore pose a lesser danger, and have an unobstructed field of view.
This demand for cyclists to follow rules designed for drivers -- which drivers also pick and choose from, see previous list of routine violations -- is really your typical strategy of using selective enforcement to punish an outgroup.
> Except most cyclists who run red lights do not do so safely, and I think this is a poor characterization of the issue and risk.
Come on, how many collisions do we actually see? Further, if we accept the premise that the majority of cyclists have a death wish, why would ticketing them change their behavior?
The reality is that drivers hitting and crushing pedestrians and cyclists to death don't even get a ticket. There are no consequences for obscured or deliberately damaged plates; unpaid tickets, including dangerous ones; and for many drivers wealthy enough to drive in Manhattan the cost of tickets are hardly a deterrent. In the exceedingly rare situation where licenses do get taken away, drivers will still drive anyway!
As for dashers engaging in actual unsafe behavior, sure, ticket them. But given the scourge that is Uber and Lyft drivers, I'm not holding my breath.