[throwaway0a5e]

It's not the density, it's the predictability.

Predictably traffic is safe traffic. It doesn't matter whether you're talking about pedestrians, cars or bikes, the ability to accurately anticipate other parties moves is what makes for safety.

College campuses suck so bad for safety because you have people from tons of different regions with different etiquette and standards, in a new environment and nobody can predict what anybody else is about to do. Add in the drunks and it's amazing they're as safe as they are.