New York cyclists occupy a strange purgatory these days. After years of navigating inhospitable, dangerous streets, riders find themselves in a city that is finally treating cycling as a legitimate mode of transportation. Hundreds of miles of bike paths have been created; traffic and parking have been reconsidered; businesses are accommodating bike commuters. It's not perfect, but many more people are riding. It's obvious to anyone out there pedaling.

At the same time, there's a backlash, a complaint that the city is ceding too much to bike riders as they wantonly continue to violate rules— failing to stop at lights, riding on sidewalks, weaving against traffic and so on.

Some of this criticism is legitimate: No cyclist should be above the law. But a small, noisy fraction of the outcry borders on Reefer Madness-style hysteria, as if Mayor Bloomberg is secretly sleeping in spandex, eager for everyone to start shaving their legs and subscribing to L'Equipe.

What gets lost is how far New York is riding ahead of the curve.

Outside of this city—and many places inside the city—it's still very risky to ride a bike. Cyclists remain afterthoughts in the planning process. Parents don't dream of letting their kids ride on the street. A lot of adults are too scared to even try.