[mitthrowaway2]

No, I feel much safer going through a bad neighbourhood on a bicycle than in a car. Cars are faster in a straight line but much less manoeuvrable; it's easy to get boxed in, or have someone approach you when you're stuck at a red light. When you stop your vehicle you're a sitting duck. The vehicle itself is also expensive, so your threat window grows; you need to protect the car itself, so you can be threatened with a mere key held in the hand. And cars are a sign of wealth so you're more likely to be targeted. On a bicycle you always have escape routes; you can swerve and turn more easily, go between lanes, or even ride on a sidewalk or into a narrow alley. If someone is chasing you on foot, you can outrun them; if they're chasing you in a car, you can outmaneuver them like you're Joseph Gordon-Levitt in Premium Rush. But for the most part, people in bad neighbourhoods will never hassle you on a bicycle because they see you as one of their own.

[wakawaka28]

You're really stretching, even invoking absurd bicyclist fantasies from movies. Cars are only a sign of wealth in the West to the extent that they look new and expensive. Lots of beaters on the road... Bicycles can be more maneuverable, in some environments, but cars are far safer against most threats. There are only a handful of realistic threats to a person in a car. Most of them involve attempted carjacking. If someone tries to steal your car without a gun pointed at your head, you can often just drive away or run over them.

>The vehicle itself is also expensive, so your threat window grows; you need to protect the car itself, so you can be threatened with a mere key held in the hand.

If you're on a bicycle or on foot, you can be threatened with literally any object. You have to protect your own body and the bicycle. Medical bills cost way more than a scratch on even an expensive car.

>But for the most part, people in bad neighbourhoods will never hassle you on a bicycle because they see you as one of their own.

It depends on what you look like overall, and how expensive your bike is. There are lots of people who would rob you in a place like that to steal your bike, or anything else you might be carrying. And you know, riding a bicycle through a ghetto does not make you a thug. You aren't fooling anyone.

I forgot to mention that on foot or on a bike you are also subject to getting stuff thrown at you (general abuse), the elements, and dog attacks. Are YOU prepared to get in a fight over someone throwing a drink (or bottle of piss, or whatever) at you? If you were in a car, then you'd leave unscathed.