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I don't know, I mostly walk everywhere but when I do drive it transforms me. It's so much fun to go fast and drive aggressively. Who wouldn't agree with that?
But yes, it does make you feel a little guilty if you slide through a crosswalk without yielding properly. Actually, I've seen nice drivers yield at a cross walk and get rear ended - then get yelled at by the other driver!
The best way to tame the drivers is more pedestrians. I actually felt a little sorry for a driver coming out of a building's garage and not being able to cross the sidewalk because all the pedestrians weren't yielding to let him through (and there were no traffic control devices). Maybe in NY they just nudge through the crowd, but here the drivers just look perplexed.
Dino I know what you mean, I can think of two guys at crosswalks who had to jump when I was learning to drive. ... funny that this didn't happen when I was first riding a moped/scooter.
I also went car-free in Sunnyvale CA for a few months, it was funny because riding a bike, people see ME. They see my body, my face, etc and people got to know me and were friendlier, remarkable in the cold Silicon Valley "culture".
NYC has got to be a gas. I forward the reader here to bicycle messenger videos you can find on YouTube for an idea of NYC vehicular/pedestrian culture, it's just gotta be wild. The videos of a Lucas Brunelle are very gonzo, but any bike messenger stuff is interesting. There's a certain flow of vehicle, bikes, and pedestrians that's amazing to watch.
There's something about being in a huge metal box with tons of power that will always instil some power-drunkenness, but in settled societies this is always moderated.