protect before punish

the pedestrian and cycling behavior in this city has developed as a response to the vehicular traffic in this city

in short...
it is inappropriate to punish pedestrians or cyclists for their survival behavior before trying to protect them

use the laws to make the streets more safe for them
make it more safe to cross at the crosswalk than any random place on the block
then consider penalizing them for jaywalking

it is completely unfair to consider using laws to punish these two subgroups before trying to protect them

work on the motor vehicle issues
once the the motor vehicle chaos has lessened
then put the request in for the pedestrians and cyclists to behave a certain way

as a cyclist I ride in a fashion where I am putting myself where I am most safe on the road
riding to the right of traffic in between a line of parked cars and the moving traffic is not always the place to be
riding all the way to the right of moving traffic pinned up against the curb is not always the most safe place to be
the only one looking out for my safety on the bike is me
the only one who cares about my wellbeing on the bike is me
it is my obligation to make decisions for cars around me
as they will often make the wrong decision
as they are dictated by selfishness
they are trying to get where they are going at any and all costs
the freak on the bike is none their concern

in my short commute to work if I were to trust the actions of the car drivers around me
well... it would be an even shorter commute
my rights?
no one grants me my right of way
so... I am forced to take what I can
until the laws act in a way to protect me
it is unfair for the laws to punish me

this goes for cycling on the city streets as well as crossing the road as a pedestrian

control the car chaos
and order will file in