Sorry, if I get to a light here in New York and no one is coming or crossing the street, I will blow the light. I slow down quite a bit an look everywhere to make sure no one is coming. I have never come close to hitting anyone doing this. It's just safer here to get clear of the traffic when you can. Especially with everyone driving the way they do here. I don't think I am setting a bad example for cyclists, since no one here seems to care about the cars that do it. Every day on my way to and from work I probably see 20-50 cars blow lights and around 1000 people jaywalking or crossing against the light. Does that make me right to run a red light? No it does not. But to borrow the term of another poster, it is an urban dance... and everyone is sure doing it here. I'm sure in the suburbs it's totally different, and I doubt I'd run lights there.

It's strange that everyone (and I don't just mean the people on this board) views cyclists as pratically a ethnic group to be hated (even though it's just a mode of transportation) yet not motorists or pedestrians. It's because our entire culture is based on advertising. Cycling doesn't make enough people rich so it will never be cool. Being nice to people while cycling or mean to them while cycling isn't going to change anything so stop pretending you are on some sort of moral high ground.

I totally respect people who obey the rules of the road to the letter of the law. But I am not going to risk my skin any longer doing so.

That said I hate wrong way cyclists and sidewalk cyclists. I'm not going to try and kill all of them or anything. Some people are idiots. I am probably one of them.