Citi Bike rider patterns

Day 26: Citi Bike rider patterns. Practical drills you can run on your commute today. Week 4 of the year-long curriculum. Here are the rules for this one. Set the stage in your head: a Hudson Yards plaza in glaring sun. Lean on the same rule you'd use anywhere else. Citi Bike riders are often tourists or commuters new to NYC streets. Expect hesitation, weaving, and sudden stops at docks. Make it a habit by the end of this week. Three things to do. Do 1: Give docks a wide berth — riders pull in and out unpredictably. Do 2: Anticipate weaving from less-experienced riders. Do 3: Make eye contact before crossing in front of a slow Citi Bike. Three things to avoid. Avoid 1: Stepping into the bike lane next to a busy dock. Avoid 2: Assuming a Citi Bike rider knows to yield at the crosswalk. Avoid 3: Crossing behind a rider who just unlocked a bike at the curb. Why this matters: Docks are conflict zones where casual riders and walkers share the same square of sidewalk and bike lane. Risky move: Darting out from between two parked vans. Drivers cannot see you and you cannot see them. Classic dart-out collision. Safe move: Stepping back when a cyclist rings a bell behind you. A bell is a request for space. Giving it prevents a sudden swerve into traffic. Risky move: Standing at the edge of the platform with toes over the yellow strip. A bump or a gust from an approaching train can pull you forward. Stay behind the tactile strip. Safe move: Walking an extra block to a lit, signaled corner after dark. Lighting plus a signal dramatically cuts your risk at night. Risky move: Hopping off the curb to wave down a cab in a moving lane. Drivers behind the cab won't expect a pedestrian in the lane. Wait at the curb. Safe move: Pausing audio before stepping into the crosswalk. A second of silence is cheap insurance against the thing you did not see. Risky move: Trusting a turn signal as a promise the driver will yield. A blinker shows intent, not yielding. Wait until the vehicle actually slows. Safe move: Letting passengers exit the subway car before stepping on. Prevents the shoving that pushes people toward the platform edge. Risky move: Sprinting across on a solid red hand because traffic looks clear. Turning vehicles and e-bikes appear fast. The signal protects you from things you cannot see. Safe move: Letting a right-turning truck complete its turn before stepping off. Removes you from the truck's huge right-side blind spot. Risky move: Crossing diagonally through an intersection to save time. Diagonal crossings double your exposure to turning vehicles from every direction. Safe move: Holding kids' hands and keeping them on the inside of the sidewalk. Puts an adult between them and the curb — the simplest, strongest protection. Risky move: Crossing while looking down at your phone. You miss turning vehicles, cyclists, and silent EVs. Heads up for the whole crossing. Risky move: Assuming a driver sees you because their headlights are pointed your way. Headlights illuminate the road, not driver attention. Confirm with eye contact. Risky move: Crossing a one-way street while only looking the way cars come. Cyclists, scooters, and wrong-way drivers come from the other side too. Safe move: Standing behind the tactile strip until the train fully stops. Keeps you outside the danger zone for sway, suction, and the platform gap. Risky move: Walking next to a truck that has its right turn signal on. Truck right turns are the deadliest interaction for pedestrians. Stop and let it pass. Safe move: Waiting on the curb until the steady white walker appears. Steady walker is your green light. Cross at a normal pace. Risky move: Crossing while a delivery e-bike is approaching at speed. E-bikes are faster and quieter than they look. Let them pass first. Safe move: Crossing only at the marked crosswalk even if it adds 20 seconds. Drivers expect pedestrians at corners and almost never expect them mid-block. Watch the clip, then decide which of these reads is the safer call for citi bike rider patterns.