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> You do not want to be the only cyclist at a busy intersection between cars making a turn crossing your lane.

With well designed infrastructure this won't happen. Give cyclists separate lights with priority. The situation you're describing is extremely rare in somewhere like the Netherlands.

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But that is just a trivially true point. Let’s think of things we can do until our city becomes interested in redoing its streets in 100 years, if ever.

Why? Our cities aren't magical beasts whose whims we must yield to. They're shaped by people. Demand better. Look at the transformations taking place in Paris, how cities like Utrecht have been saved from car-centric design and given back to humans.

I just don't understand this defeatist attitude. Most people on this site live in healthy democracies. Why do we call for reforms in every political sphere but maintain an adamant denial of our power over city planning?

Ironically, municipal politics probably serves the largest impact and easiest entry point for leveraging political will.

Not everything has to be harangued like many federal-level politics are. You can just go to your city council and demand better. The worst that can happen is they say no - and you can just organize to vote them out with the rest of your community.

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