I laugh at the posts regarding carrying firearms... Don't get me wrong I'm a gunowner.... but please... I commute through the nations murder capitol (Chicago), highest in number, we even beat NYC, which has 3x the population.... I'm not bragging....

Never had any problems...... Knocking on wood....

I ride through some "bad" areas... My safety technique... I ride a bike... generally people will think you are crazy for riding and leave you alone... especially the 8 months of the year that it's crappy here.... that and if I sense a bad situation I pick up the pace, ride aggressive, and run through stops/cut through alleys....