Here’s some great info from Ken Kifer’s site about riding in traffic.
By obeying traffic laws, we not only avoided collisions with automobiles but we also avoided crashing into each other. When I began riding as an adult on the highway, I was about the only cyclist on the road in my part of Alabama. Nonetheless, the motorists respected me because I was obeying the traffic laws.
But I figure Nick James can probably write a book on how to commute in NYC. I can’t imagine how tough it might through those streets.