Skip to Content
Streetsblog New York City home
Streetsblog New York City home
Log In
Bicycling

Today on the Internet: So What Are The “Rules” For Urban Cyclists

What does it mean to be a “good” cyclist? And should we even care?

A single tweet on Tuesday by longtime outdoors writer Peter Flax has set off a debate about what it means to be a cyclist who bikes and plays well with others. Or doesn't.

And it's the subject of today's installment of "How We Talk About Ourselves When We Think No One Else Is Listening." First, the tweet heard 'round the world:

Do we all have such "rules" in our head? And are there only two, as Flax suggested? Fortunately, the Internet was on top of it.

"3rd rule is don't be a jerk?" added @VannevarB, but that didn't satisfy Flax.

Something about "being a jerk" and pissing off others didn't make everyone in the cycling community feel completely comfortable.

Which Peter Krupa dubbed the "don't be an asshole" rule.

https://twitter.com/peterkrupa/status/1024293965149945856

But even "safety" is subjective. Flax suggested that should we "assert" ourselves in traffic, but others weren't so sure.

And then, inevitably, the entire debate got derailed by a driver who just had to toss a stink bomb into the whole thing.

Which started its own debate...

...Which gets us back where Flax started: Yield to pedestrians and do what you need to do to get home safely. Obviously, drivers don't care about us.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog New York City

‘Preventable’: Hit-and-Run Driver Kills Two on Third. Ave Corridor Eric Adams Refuses to Make Safer

A motorist struck and killed two men on a strip where Mayor Adams recently shelved a safety redesign amid a backlash from local business interests.

July 11, 2025

Why No BRT For NYC? Two New Reports Tackle Why Your Bus Service Sucks

Years of bus priority projects barely made a dent in speeds because Big Apple leaders won't install real bus rapid transit, two recent reports argue.

July 11, 2025

Citi Bike Riders Are Pissed About Eric Adams’s 15 MPH Speed Limit

Citi Bike's new 15 mph max speed limit is a bad deal for riders and a potential threat to safety, riders said.

July 11, 2025

Friday Video: Cyclists, Check Out Your Next City

Streetfilms' Clarence Eckerson visited London earlier this summer to check in on the Big Smoke's cycling revolution.

July 11, 2025

Friday’s Headlines: Just the News Edition

We've got one more workday before we can hit the beach. Plus the news.

July 11, 2025

Council To Close Instacart Loophole, Pass Delivery Industry Regulation Bills

The City Council will vote on Monday to close the "Instacart loophole" and force all app companies to pay workers a minimum wage.

July 10, 2025
See all posts